Biomass has gained popularity as a substitute energy source over time. In actuality, biomass holds a lot of promise as a dependable source of renewable energy to run our society.
However, it has advantages and disadvantages, just like any other energy source.
We’ll examine some of the most important benefits and drawbacks of biomass energy as well as what lies ahead for biomass.
What are the pros and cons of biomass energy?
It’s crucial to consider both the benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy sources. Some of the greatest benefits and drawbacks of biomass energy are listed in the following table:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Expensive |
| Reliable | Requires space |
| Abundant | Greenhouse gas emissions |
| Waste reduction | Environmental impact |
| Carbon-neutral | Inefficient |
What is biomass energy?
Organic material derived from plants and animals is referred to as biomass. Biomass energy can be produced from a variety of organic wastes, including wood, yard trash, crop waste, animal waste, food waste, and animal feces.
Biomass can be used as a source of energy in two ways:
- Burning organic materials directly to create heat
- Converting biomass into a liquid biofuel that can then be burned for energy
The majority of the time, liquid biofuels like biodiesel and biogas are used as a fuel source to assist in meeting transportation needs.
Direct burning of biomass produces steam, which is then utilized to turn a turbine to produce energy. Instead of discussing biofuels in this essay, our main focus will be on biomass energy that generates electricity.
Advantages of biomass energy
1. Renewable
A renewable source of energy is biomass. The supply of organic matter is getting smaller as we consume more biomass materials. Biomass can, however, recover quickly.
What makes biomass renewable is the capacity for regeneration over the course of a human lifetime.
2. Reliable
A dependable resource that can generate energy at any moment is biomass. This has a benefit over other renewable energy sources like intermittent wind and solar energy.
No wind energy is produced by turbines when there is no wind. As a result, you cannot depend on the wind to provide you with electricity whenever you need it. Unless, of course, a battery storage system is connected with the wind turbine.
On the other hand, bioenergy power plants can be started and stopped whenever there is a need for energy. Electricity can be generated as long as biomass is available.
3. Abundant
The fact that biomass is plentiful is one of the main advantages of biomass energy. Every day, more and more biological material is created; biomass is present almost everywhere on the world. This implies that, unlike fossil fuels, biomass won’t experience a problem with finite supply.
However, in order to maintain an ample supply, biomass must be managed appropriately. Overusing the present biomass could cause problems with supply as we wait for more to be produced.
4. Waste reduction
The fact that the world generates a lot of trash is one factor contributing to the availability of biomass. We produce a lot of biodegradable trash, such as food and plant waste. We could turn it into electricity instead of letting it decompose into trash!
Biomass energy transforms garbage into something useful that would otherwise languish in a landfill. This benefits the environment by lowering the amount of rubbish dumped in landfills.
We would also require fewer and smaller landfills if there was less waste. This makes more land available for community usage.
5. Carbon-neutral
Carbon Climate change is being fueled by ozone emissions. As opposed to conventional fossil fuels, which do not fit into the natural carbon cycle, biomass is regarded as a carbon-neutral energy source.
When biomass energy is created, carbon dioxide is discharged into the atmosphere. However, this is the same quantity of carbon dioxide that plants absorbed throughout their life cycle. Therefore, burning biomass does not cause any “new” carbon emissions to enter the atmosphere.
The cycle is then restarted when new plants emerge and take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Disadvantages of biomass energy
1. Expensive
Costs associated with producing biomass energy might be substantial. First, building biomass energy facilities necessitates a substantial initial outlay. The price of gathering and shipping biomass materials must then be taken into account.
Additionally, additional funds are needed to preserve the organic material after it arrives to the plant. Because of all of this, biomass is more expensive than other other renewable energy sources.
These typical transit and storage costs are not necessary for other renewable alternatives, such as solar. Once a solar farm is established, neither fuel nor sunshine need be transported or stored anywhere.
Despite being more expensive than other renewable energy sources, biomass is still more affordable than fossil fuels. Harvesting biomass is substantially less expensive than mining and extracting fossil fuels.
2. Requires space
Because they require storage room, biomass energy facilities require a lot of space. This restricts the potential locations for biomass energy facilities.
Additionally, some biomass plants produce their own organic material. To be able to cultivate crops or tiny forests, these plants may require a lot of room. For every kilowatt hour of power produced, biomass energy plants that grow their own fuel require more land.
3. Greenhouse gas emissions
Biomass energy is carbon neutral, as previously stated. However, carbon dioxide is still being released into the atmosphere through biomass. When attempting to combat climate change, it is far better to use other renewable sources that have no carbon emissions. The better, the less carbon dioxide is released.
The atmosphere is being polluted by biomass energy in addition to carbon. Numerous other greenhouse gases, most notably nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and methane, are also released when burning wood and other biomass fuels.
Methane gas retains around 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide, which makes it a substantial contributor to air pollution and climate change.
4. Environmental impact
Although biomass energy is a renewable resource, it isn’t the most environmentally beneficial.
Relying solely on biomass energy could have disastrous effects on the environment. Forests may be cleared more quickly as biomass plants need more resources. Additionally, it might promote monocultures, which reduce biodiversity and deplete soils of nutrients, making soil erosion more likely.
Algae, which frequently needs substantial amounts of phosphorus fertilizers to create the amounts required for energy generation, is a source of biomass for some plants. When fertilizers are overused, it can seriously harm local streams and animals, especially birds.
Even growing plants for biomass energy could result in increased fertilizer and pesticide consumption, which would have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem in the area.
5. Inefficient
Biomass energy is currently less effective than other energy sources. In many instances, burning the organic material consumes more energy than it generates.
If we wish to use biomass on a broad basis, new technologies must develop to make it more effective.
The future of biomass energy
Biomass energy is without a doubt one of the few alternatives to fossil fuels.
The usage of biomass energy has significant potential if new technologies are created to improve the procedure. It currently has a significant number of flaws that make its widespread adoption challenging.
Consider switching to solar if you’re seeking for a way to harness the power of clean, renewable energy. Solar panels can eliminate your utility expenditure in addition to reducing your carbon footprint.
Biomass energy pros and cons Ratings