Compared to Solarsystems.reviews Energy, Biomass Energy is a Renewable Energy Source and Can Help You Cut Your Carbon Emissions
Whether a plant is a source of energy or a waste product, biomass can be a renewable resource. The energy in biomass can be harvested in the form of briquettes, gas, electricity, or liquid fuels. The primary use of biomass is in power plants. It can also be utilized for agricultural purposes.
Compared to solar energy, biomass energy is a renewable energy source and can help you cut your carbon emissions. Biomass can be used for a variety of different purposes. Including heating and cooking, it also has the ability to produce electricity. And when you consider that the amount of CO2 produced by burning biomass is relatively small, it is easy to see why so many people are turning to it.
Renewable energy source
The United States’ biomass industry is Mediaposts composed of a large number of plants, most of which utilize wood as a fuel. Among the most efficient of these plants are the paper mills.
Another type of renewable energy comes from hydropower. It can be used to generate electricity, heat buildings, or even provide hot water.
Algae is also a potential biofuel source. It produces energy by photosynthesis faster than other biofuel crops. It does not require soil or freshwater and does not destroy natural habitats. However, processing the biomass is costly. In 2010, the price of algae biomass was $5,000 per ton.
The EU has committed to 20% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. According to the EU, fossil fuels are not renewable and contribute to global warming.
It is estimated that mature forests sequester eblogz more carbon than newly planted areas. Soil disturbance can disrupt this process.
CO2 absorption is approximately equivalent to biomass energy
Using biomass for electricity generation is a viable proposition in a wide variety of locations around the world. In the United States, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that the biomass sector is responsible for 4% of the nation’s total primary energy consumption.
Compared to other types of energy, biomass is a nimble and cost-effective way to produce electricity. According to the NREL, the biomass sector is capable of generating approximately 4,000 TWh of electricity in 2016, and the US is likely to be a large part of that.
While there is no magic number for biomass production, the US can easily double or triple the current production level, assuming existing land use and infrastructure isn’t drastically altered. However, to be effective, biomass must be properly financed and managed. The federal government has the power to set the tone. Regulatory agencies have a role to play in developing and implementing an efficient and effective biomass market.
While the biofuel and biomass energy markets are growing, there are still many challenges to be addressed, including landowner outreach, energy conservation, and a coherent national policy and governance structure. The US could do more to promote these industries. Among other things, the government should evaluate the capabilities of existing demonstration projects and make sure that the latest biomass technology innovations are introduced to the market in a timely fashion.
Carbon neutrality of bioenergy
Whether biomass is carbon neutral is a debate among scientists, environmental groups, and even lawmakers. A recent US spending bill included language that made biomass energy eligible for renewable energy subsidies, putting it on the same level as solar and wind power.
However, the EPA and White House both have said that biomass-generated energy is not carbon neutral. Rather, the claim is that replanting and reforesting can help offset the emissions associated with burning wood.
The claim is based on the fact that the trees used to make biofuels absorb the carbon dioxide during their growth cycle, and release it again when they die. In some climate models, however, the carbon released by the growing tree is not counted. In other studies, the carbon stock counteracted by replanting is assumed to be the same as the carbon released by the combustion process.
The claims that burning biomass is carbon neutral are not backed up by any hard data. A study conducted by the Massachusetts Environmental Energy Alliance found that the actual net emissions from biomass combustion are only modestly lower than from fossil fuels. And the amount of CO2 emitted from a 100 MWh biomass power plant is more than double that of a comparable coal plant.
