Significance of Biomass Power Generation
Definition of biomass
The word “biomass” is originally an ecological term meaning the entire stock of biological resources. However, this paper focuses on biological resources as a category of energy resource and limits the term “biomass” to any fuel derived from plants or vegetables. In addition to fuels converted directly from plants, such as firewood and charcoal, also includes such plant-derived wastes as waste paper, wood-derived wastes and agricultural wastes.
Fossil fuel, which is a general term covering coal, petroleum and natural gas, is in contrast to this concept of biomass. Fossil fuel is believed to be originated from organisms that lived a long time ago and is a non-renewable energy source representing a stock of past biological activity. On the other hand, the biomass is a renewable energy source that can be consumed within the volume of production. This renewability makes biomass fuel markedly different from fossil fuel.
Renewable energy
Renewable natural energy includes biomass, solar energy (photovoltaic power generation and solar thermal electric power generation), geothermal energy, wind energy, wave energy, tidal energy, ocean thermal energy and hydraulic energy. Biomass is the only one of these energy types that is composed of organic substances. From the viewpoint of power generation, this means that the existing power generation systems developed for fossil fuels can also be used for biomass fuel.
Carbon cycle on the earth
Both biomass and fossil fuels are organic substances, and thus both generate carbon dioxide upon combustion. However, their effects on increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration are different.
Concept of biomass power generation
Biomass is one of the most promising sources of renewable energy. The estimate forecasts that the total primary energy consumption by industrialized countries over the next 100 years will stay virtually unchanged, while that by developing countries will increase sharply. On the other hand, the consumption of the fossil energy will decrease in both industrial and developing countries, while that of renewable energy, notably biomass, will increase.