October 15, 2004

Future Energy: Biomass Fuels

The British government is setting up a task force to stimulate biomass supply and demand. It hopes this will help the UK to meet its targets for using renewable energy, and that it will also boost farming, forestry and the countryside.

Material like miscanthus (a tall, woody grass), willow, poplar, sawdust, straw, and wood from forests are all suitable. The carbon cycle is the principle behind biomass technology: As trees and plants grow, they soak up carbon dioxide (C02) and store it. It is released when the tree or plant is destroyed, whether by natural decay or combustion. This means the carbon in biomass fuels does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions

Biomass can provide both heating and power, and is one of the fuels available to electricity suppliers in meeting the government’s obligation to obtain 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2015.

BBC Article