Biomass, produced in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner, could realistically be used to supply 50,000 MW (5 quads) of electric capacity by the year 2010, and probably twice that amount by the year 2030. Since 1992, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have each been independently evaluating the potential for biomass to become a major renewable energy resource over the next four decades, capable of offsetting some of the U.S. dependency on fossil fuels while also offering important environmental and economic benefits. This paper presents EPRI's conclusions, which are more conservative than those of the U.S. DOE, and outlines possible strategies by which EPRI can advance acceptance of biomass as a preferred renewable resource. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.