Biomass and biomass CHP
Biomass is organic matter, obtained directly from plants or indirectly from agricultural, industrial, commercial or domestic products. Biomass fuel can be ‘dry’, and usually burned to generate energy, or ‘wet’, usually requiring fermentation or digestion to generate energy.
The CO2 released when biomass is burned as fuel is balanced by the CO2 absorbed during the plants growth, making this a ‘carbon-neutral’ fuel. However, additional processes in the production chain, including transportation, harvesting and growth methods, need to be considered in assessing the true carbon-neutrality of biomass.
Combined heat and power (CHP) produces useable heat and power (usually electricity) in a single process – essentially this process makes use of the heat generated and usually wasted in the production of power, and significantly increasing the efficiency of the energy generation process. CHP can be effectively combined with a sustainable energy source such as biomass to create a low-cost, low-carbon system.
