Biomass Pros and Cons

Biomass Pros and Cons

There are various biomass pros and cons and it is a good idea to look through them before buying a biomass energy resource.

Biomass Energy Advantages

Biomass Energy Advantages

If you want to find out about the biomass energy advantages, our team can help you. Please fill in the contact box now for more information.

Biomass Energy Disadvantages

Biomass Energy Disadvantages

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Biomass Pros and Cons 

There are a range of biomass pros and cons and we are able to help you learn about these. Biomass energy is becoming more and more popular.

In a world that's increasingly concerned about climate change, its over-dependency on fossil fuels, and reducing its carbon footprint, it makes sense to explore other, cleaner alternatives.

Biomass-energy is just one of these alternatives and is a relatively new technology, but the environmental advantages it has over burning coal is worth investigating a little closer. But what exactly is Biomass-energy?

Very simply, it's a renewable energy source made from the raw organic waste of plants and animals. Plants and trees use a process called photosynthesis to store and convert energy from the sun; the animals then get energy from eating the plants.

When waste from animals and plants is burned, the carbon dioxide that is stored in them is released back into the atmosphere, allowing for photosynthesis to start all over again. This is why these type of fuels are said to be renewable; the sources are abundant and it generates its own source material.

If you'd like to find out more about the biomass pros and cons make certain to fill in our contact form provided and we will get back to you right away.

Our local team will be happy to offer you more information and answer any questions or queries you have about biomass-energy nearby you and in surrounding areas. 

Whether you have a domestic boiler https://www.biomass-energy.org.uk/boiler/domestic/ or commercial boiler - we will be happy to help!

Biomass Energy Advantages

Like any form of renewable energy, biomass has its pros and cons - but what are they? Let's start with the good, shall we?

  • Carbon neutral - this may be the single biggest advantage that biomass-energy has over its rivals. This is a clean source of energy; it does not produce carbon and it doesn't contribute to global warming. Carbon is absorbed by the plants during photosynthesis and is then released back into the atmosphere during burning, where the whole process can start again.
  • Renewable - the byproducts that are used in biomass fuel like manure, crops and wood pellets are sustainable because they are part of a cycle. As one years' crop is being used, the next years' is already growing.
  • Abundancy - the sources are almost limitless. Anything organic can be used as a component of biomass; grass cuttings, dead leaves, wood chippings, even dead animals can be converted into energy. Because the materials are readily available, biomass-energy uses waste that would otherwise be thrown onto a landfill and converts it into energy. This in turn frees up more space for everything else, so it's kinder on the environment too.

Biomass Energy Disadvantages

Unfortunately, there are cons to this method of attaining energy too, but not as many as you might first think:-

  • Expensive - although it is cheap to use once it has been extracted, biomass-energy can be costly to attain in the first place. Building and running the plants to convert the energy are costly and sometimes they surpass any savings that might have been made in the long term.
  • Lots of space - one of the other main issues is space. The plants themselves take up a lot of space, and that's before you factor in how much storage will be needed for the various products that it produces. Also, the facilities tend to be in 'off the beaten path' locations, so this can mean that the raw materials have to be brought to the facility by trucks. The trucks use fossil fuels to power them, therefore cancelling out much of the positive effect the biomass may have on the environment.

Use of Biomass Near Me

The potential uses of biomass energy are numerous and incredibly useful in everyday life. As well as being able to be converted to heat via combustion, biomass-energy can also be converted into liquids such as biodiesel and biofuels.

It can also be converted into gas fuels such as ethanol and methane, or it can be used to generate steam and electricity for residential, industrial and agricultural use.

If you are interested to know more about the use of biomass-energy https://www.biomass-energy.org.uk/ closest to you, make certain to speak to a member of our team. 

Benefits of Renewable Energy

The biggest benefit of renewable energy is, as mentioned above, its sustainability. Because it is abundant, it will never run out. This also ties into another benefit; because the sources are all natural, there is very little involved in the way of maintenance and this can reduce operating costs. Finally, the environmental factors cannot be understated.

Growing biomass-crops actually produces oxygen and soaks up carbon dioxide, so it's helping the environment just as it grows. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass-energy is not harmful to the environment and that is a consideration we must all undertake.

Cons of Renewable Energy

Biomass pros and cons may even themselves out as the technology advances, but it's important to know that there are some downsides as well as the many good qualities. The biggest drawback to renewable energy is its output.

With the technology that is currently available, biomass is not able to generate energy on the same large scale that we produce electricity in. The other major factor is the financial implications. Because renewable energy is a relatively new field, the cost of producing new technology can potentially be extremely high.

Advantages of Biomass

The advantages of biomass energy are plentiful if you wish to use energy that is clean, abundant and sustainable.

You could save money and at the same time, offset your carbon footprint and become more carbon neutral. The more people that use biomass-resources, the less need there is to rely upon the fossil fuels which pollute the atmosphere many times more than the natural alternative.

Cost of Biomass Near Me

If you already have an abundance of the raw organic materials that are required to generate biofuel, for example a farm, then the setup costs may be minimal.

The cost of a biomass installation will vary depending on what combination of system you go for, but as the technology advances, the price keeps falling. Biomass-heating is becoming more and more affordable all the time and equipment such as ground source heating pumps and biomass-boilers are becoming easier to install.

Schemes such as biomass-boiler grants and renewable heat incentives (RHIs - https://www.biomass-energy.org.uk/rhi-calculator/) may actually drive the cost down even further, so why not contact us to see how we could help you to do your bit for the environment and save you some money on the process.

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