Biomass energy refers to the use of waste biomass resources and/or dedicated biomass crops to generate electricity. Biomass can be used in power plants where it is the only fuel source and also in plants where it is used as a partial replacement for the main fuel source. For example, biomass can be co-fired with coal in certain quantities.

Biomass plants are highly reliable and result in significantly less carbon dioxide emissions compared to coal and natural gas.  While there is debate over the CO2 emissions intensity of biomass plants, the release of carbon from biomass sources is balanced to some degree by the uptake of carbon when the feedstock is grown, resulting in zero net CO2 emissions over some period of time.

Land area requirements associated with biomass are high because the biomass fuel supply typically must encompass a broad area to make operation economic. Because they use a solid fuel source, biomass plants must manage a number of solid, liquid and gaseous emission products. However, compared with coal, biomass feedstocks have lower levels of sulfur, sulfur compounds, and mercury, and demonstrations have shown that biomass co-firing with coal can also lead to lower nitrogen oxide emissions.

Where Does Electricity Come From?

What Plants are Used the Most?