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What is biomass? |
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Biomass material consists of organic matter that stores energy from the sun and is available on a recurring or renewable basis. Sources include trees, plants, and animal wastes. When burned, the energy released can be used to create electric power. |
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What are the social benefits of biomass power generation? |
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Biomass power generation provides a reliable, domestically-produced, economically-competitive and environmentally sustainable source of electricity. Biomass fueled power plants provide regions in which they are located with greater fuel diversity, providing protection against volatile fossil fuels. Since biomass energy utilizes domestically-produced fuels, biomass power greatly reduces our dependence on foreign energy sources and increases our national security. |
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What are the economic benefits of biomass power generation? |
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Biomass fueled power generation projects benefit the local economies where they are built in several ways. The plants provide high paying jobs during construction and operation. These facilities increase the local tax revenue and in many cases are some of the single largest tax payers in their jurisdictions. The fuels used mostly come from an area within 100 miles of the plant sites. |
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What are the environmental benefits of biomass power generation? |
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Biomass energy facilities provide a range of environmental benefits from cleaner air to better forestry management. The air emissions from carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) from biomass plants are significantly lower compared to traditional fossil fuel plants, such as coal plants which are displaced by biomass plants. Biomass plants also produce far less particulate matter (PM) than would result from the alternative method of open burning the wood wastes. Learn more about the environmental benefits of biomass power. |
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What are the climate changes benefits of biomass power generation? |
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As opposed to energy derived from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, biomass energy does not contribute to climate change. The carbon which is stored in biomass material as it grows is already part of the atmosphere. Biomass energy does not add new carbon to the active carbon cycle, unlike fossil fuels which remove carbon from geologic storage. The carbon emissions emitted from biomass facilities would have been released back into the atmosphere through some other fate or mechanism such as natural decay or an alternative disposal method such as open-burning. The advanced emissions controls on a biomass energy facility significantly reduce the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere along with other emissions such as particulate matter. Learn more about the climate change benefits of biomass power. |
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How does biomass fueled power generation compare to fossil fuel forms of power generation? |
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Unlike fossil fuels, which would take millions of years to replace, biomass is a renewable and sustainable form of energy. In addition, biomass is a zero net carbon dioxide emission fuel source. Air emissions from carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) from biomass plants are significantly lower compared to traditional fossil fuel plants, such as coal plants which are displaced by biomass plants. |
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How does biomass fueled power generation compare to other renewable energy sources? |
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The operating characteristics of a biomass plant allow them to operate in a reliable and consistent manner providing crucial baseload power generation. Other forms of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and tidal are intermittent and cannot provide electrical power on a steady and consistent basis. |
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Is the biomass fuel used in electric power generation also used for other purposes? |
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Most biomass fuel used in electric power generation is waste biomass which would have otherwise been left in fields and forest, transported to landfills or burned in open piles. using the waste biomass for the production of power is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of the waste because it is burned in a controlled environment where emissions can be monitored and controlled. This waste would otherwise be left in the forest releasing more potent greenhouse gases such as methane as it decomposes, occupy space in shrinking landfill space or be disposed of in open burning piles releasing particulate matter into the air. These sources of fuel are most often not used in any other industrial or manufacturing process. |
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