About Biomass

Biomass is a general term for material derived from growing plants or from animal manure. Bioenergy refers to the technical systems through which biomass is produced or collected, converted and used as an energy source. A wide variety of conversion routes can be distinguished that produce a variety of  energy carriers either in a solid, liquid or gaseous form. These energy carriers address all types of energy markets: heat, electricity and transportation.

Bioenergy already provides the majority of renewable energy worldwide and is considered to have the potential to provide a large fraction of world energy demand over the next century. At the same time, if biomass systems are managed properly, bioenergy will contribute to meet the requirement of reducing carbon emissions.

In the EU-27, bioenergy contributes only to 3.7% of the total primary energy supply; however, it plays a considerable role in several European countries such as Finland and Sweden for instance, where its contribution amounts respectively 20% and 16% of the gross inland consumption.

Copyright: WIP, Rainer Janssen

back

top of page

    print page