Energy source: biomass
Elean, the world's largest straw-burning power station
What is biomass?
Biomass means plant and animal material and waste food that can be burnt as fuel to provide heat energy. Humans have used wood to make fires throughout history and today, wood chips and other plant material can be used to generate electric power.
How a biomass power plant works
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- Biomass power stations in the UK currently range up to 50MW in size, but future stations may go up to 350MW.
- Biomass energy supplies 2% of the UK's electricity.
- Sewage treatment works produce a lot of biomass; animal waste can be used too.
- Some UK schools are heated by wood chip boilers.
Advantages
- It is renewable - new plants and trees can be grown to replace those used for fuel.
- It supports farmers and foresters by providing markets for their crops.
- It is a carbon neutral source of energy. This means that the amount of carbon dioxide released when the fuel is burnt is the same as the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants when they were growing.
Disadvantages
- It is an expensive method of generating electricity.
- Biomass power plants need to be built near a plentiful supply of biomass fuel.
Locations within the Energy Experience:
