The Low Carbon Partnership
Solar Power
Biomass energy
Biomass is a name for the natural materials that come from living things (plants and animals). Biomass is a source of energy that can be used as fuel which is burned to produce heat for buildings or to generate electricity. Biomass fuel sources include wood and wood waste (e.g. sawdust), energy crops, agricultural waste and by-products and food waste from food production or consumers. Most biomass fuels used in this country are based on wood, which is cut into chips, pellets or logs that can be burned in fires, stoves or boilers.
An example of a biomass plant is willow. This fast growing tree is cut
down just above root level, which is known as coppicing. The plant recovers
and re-grows and the coppicing is repeated on a regular two or three year
cycle. The cut timber is shredded and burned in a boiler to produce steam
which in turn powers a turbine to produce electricity.
Willow coppice. DEFRA www.defra.gov.uk © Crown copyright
The burning process does release carbon dioxide, but this is balanced out by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the new growth on the coppiced trees. If the biomass was not burned, it would naturally rot down over time, releasing the same amount of carbon dioxide – but more slowly. Biomass is a renewable source of energy because more can be produced or grown; in the case of wood, by planting new trees to replace those cut down.
However if a lot of land is used to produce fuel for energy purposes, less is available to produce food. This can result in food prices going up and becoming less affordable to poorer people around the world.
