These can pollute the local environment, even if the effects are not as drastic as they may be from fossil fuels. Some organizations, such as the Partnership for Policy Integration , point to biomass fuels as air polluters. When compared to other renewables, such as water, this lack of clean emissions is a major disadvantage. While the cost of extracting biomass fuels is lower than most types of fossil fuels, they still generally exceed those of many other forms of renewable energy.
In some cases, biomass projects are considered not to be worth the price of completion, especially when solar, water and wind alternatives are available. This cost comes from the need of biomass resources to be maintained, and for extracted biomass to be replanted.
Furthermore, the cost of the machinery used in extraction is also a factor, as it transportation of the biomass. Though biomass fuels are renewable, they also need to be maintained. Failure to do this can lead to widespread deforestation. This is a major environmental issue. It massively cuts down on the habitable areas available to scores of species of wildlife, leading to extinctions.
This is a major factor that holds back the use of biomass fuels on a large scale, as replanting efforts may not be able to keep up with the amount of fuel needed. A large amount of space is needed to grow the materials that are used in biomass energy. This space is not always going to be available, particularly in built-up areas, like cities. This also limits the areas where biomass energy power plants can be built, as they need to be close to the sources of the fuel to cut down on transportation and other costs.
This makes them less favorable when compared to solar power, which requires less space and is installable in cities and other populated areas. Finally, the land used could also have been used to grow crops, which is particularly important given the large population of the planet. An often unseen disadvantage of biomass energy is the amount of water needed in production.
All plants need water to live, which means sources must be available at all times. Not only does this lead to increased costs in terms of irrigation, but it may result in water sources becoming less available to people and wildlife. The total GHG emissions from contaminated biomass fuels non-tradables are set at 0, since these fuels are available anyway. There existence cannot be avoided, and all GHG emissions associated with their production should be allocated to the products from which they are the unavoidable result.
To top. GHG savings for selected technologies to produce electricity and heat from biomass fuels. For an assessment of GHG emission reduction that result from replacing fossil transport fuels by biofuels, the entire life cycle of the respective fuels is usually considered from well to wheel. Ranges in data result from local variations between fuel routes and differences in technology, which may occur at all stages of the well-to-wheel fuel chain.
The pivots indicate the uncertainty related to the used data. If replacing fossil diesel fuel, this emission reduction is smaller, because diesel shows lower CO2-equivalent well-to-wheel emissions than petrol. The range of ethanol-starch is quite broad, which can be partly explained by differences in crop corn, sugar beet, molasses , and differences in technology. When organic matter in landfills decomposes, it emits methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases—as well as carbon dioxide and other compounds.
Diverting waste to biomass energy plants instead of landfills not only helps reduce the size of landfills and alleviates these risks, but also takes materials that would otherwise sit around and uses them productively. In many instances, biomass energy plants are dispatchable, meaning they can easily be turned on or off.
This allows electricity grid operators to use electricity from these plants during times of peak demand. In comparison, while the availability of some biomass resources may be susceptible to seasonality, biomass energy plants can always turn on to provide power, regardless of the weather outside.
Outside of the upfront costs to get the plants up and running, there are additional costs associated with extracting, transporting, and storing biomass prior to electricity generation. Costs can vary widely from biomass energy plant to biomass energy plant, and in some cases, bioenergy has the potential to be cost-competitive with solar and wind.
That said, even though biomass is often more expensive than alternative renewable energy options, the most expensive types of bioenergy are still on-par with or cheaper than fossil fuels: bioenergy does not require drilling into the earth, which carries a high capital and environmental cost. Biomass energy plants require quite a bit of space, limiting the areas you can place a plant.
Oftentimes, companies also need to place these plants in close proximity to their source of biomass to cut down on transportation and storage costs. Additional space may also be necessary to grow the organic matter itself; if power companies are growing crops or trees for the sole purpose of bioenergy, rather than using agricultural waste, this contributes to a larger land footprint per unit of electricity production.
Like many other forms of energy, producing electricity from biomass can come with a number of environmental downsides. For one, depending on the type of biomass used to generate electricity, unsustainable bioenergy practices can result in deforestation over time. Companies that clear-cut forests to provide material for biomass energy plants harm the natural environment and disrupt the habitats of plants and animals in the process.
Clearing plants and organic material from the earth can also impact the health of surrounding soil that requires biomass for compost and fertilization. Wood pellets are commonly used to generate energy at biomass power stations Credit: Drax Group.
A collective term for all plant and animal material, biomass can take many forms — from plants and wood, to animal and agricultural waste. In power generation it is commonly used as wood pellets that are harvested from forests and burned to release energy.
At a time when coal-fired power plants are being phased out due to climate and environmental concerns, it is becoming an increasingly-considered option for alternative power generation.
Biomass can also be used more indirectly, by converting organic material into biofuels that can be used as alternative energy carriers to traditional fuels like diesel or petroleum. So while the pros of biomass energy revolve around its potential as an alternative to fossil fuels, its major cons stem from concerns that it is still a fuel that releases emissions — and that large forested areas often need to be removed to produce feedstock.
As the availability of biomass sources such as plants, manure and waste may not diminish compared to finite fossil fuels, the alternative source of energy is considered by many as a renewable form of energy. Trees and crops can be replanted to offset those that are removed — although effective agricultural and land management is essential to ensure resources do not become depleted faster than they are used.
Other organic materials such as food and animal waste are constantly being produced, and on a much shorter timescale than it takes for trees to be cultivated. As biomass sources can be converted to fuels and electricity, they can help in reducing the dependence on fossil fuels.
The global energy system is shifting its focus away from fossils like coal, oil and gas as measures are taken to address climate change, meaning new sources of energy are needed to fill the gap. While renewable technologies like wind and solar will likely dominate the future energy mix, biomass-fired power generation has also emerged in this transitional period.
Many former coal plants are in the process of converting their existing equipment to run on biomass feedstocks.
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