Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Biomass is One of Green Energy Sources

Experts consider biomass as one of green energy sources. Biomass is one of the three main areas of bioenergy, a process where organic materials like animal waste, plants, and wood are used to produce electricity, heat, and help produce biofuels.

When it comes to biomass, hot air or water is used to generate electricity. The process is done through direct combustion, which is considered as the simplest and most common method of generating energy from biomass.

Generating electricity is not the only purpose of biomass because it also can be used to produce hot air and keep a place warm. In this case, biomass needs to be combusted in a furnace to heat water or air. When it comes to heating water, you will have warm water for taking a shower. Basically biomass can be used in a small scale as a kind of heating system for your house.

If you want to compare the amount of electricity generated by biomass and solar energy for instance, you will find that biomass actually produces more energy. This is because energy in plants has already been captured and stored. Solar and wind energy need to be collected first if you want to use them. Biomass on the other hand is readily available while solar and wind energy completely depend on the weather.


It is a good think if you can use organic waste to produce electricity. This is the key that makes biomass different than other green energy sources. When biomass is used extensively, the government can save a considerable amount of money for reduction in waste disposal. Furthermore, they can reduce their dependency toward foreign oil to power their plants.

However, biomass also has a downside that should be considered carefully. In order to produce biomass, you need to burn waste and organic materials to produce energy. This process will add to the pollution that has already been in atmosphere. One way to offset this downside is by planting more crops which will be a great help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. You will also need some initial investments for labors, transportation of materials, and storing purposes.

One thing for sure, biomass is a green energy source because it uses renewable resources to produce energy. This means that we will have an endless supply of biomass just like the sun and the wind. The biggest challenge is perhaps to find a suitable land with a sufficient water supply to make the system work. When water is not abundant, it is very difficult to rely on biomass technology to generate energy.

In conclusion, biomass is only one example of green energy sources. There are many ways that we can do to save the environment. We have the capability and we have the technology to make a different. We just need to have a willingness to do it.

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