Bioenergy in brief
Bioenergy produces electricity and heat from organic matter: wood and energy crops, agricultural residues, food waste and sewage.
Its climate value depends on where the feedstock comes from and how it is managed, which makes sustainability standards central to the industry.
How it works
- Feedstock is collected. Wood pellets, crops, residues or waste are gathered and prepared.
- It is burned or digested. Combustion makes steam; anaerobic digestion makes biogas from wet waste.
- Steam or gas drives a generator. Steam turbines or gas engines produce electricity.
- Heat is often used too. Combined heat and power plants supply homes and industry.
Main technologies
- Dedicated biomass: Power stations burning wood pellets or crops.
- Anaerobic digestion: Biogas from food, farm and sewage waste.
- Energy from waste: Incinerators recovering power from residual waste.
Strengths
- Dispatchable, can run on demand
- Uses waste that would otherwise rot or be landfilled
- Can be paired with carbon capture (BECCS)
Challenges
- Sustainability of feedstock supply
- Air quality and emissions
- Competition for land and biomass
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