Why is biomass the best energy source?

Answer 1

Why is biomass the best source of energy?

Biomass is the best energy source because it is renewable, natural and clean energy.

Consuming fossil fuels is actually releasing energy harvested by plants and animals that came from the sun many years ago. This energy is a pollutant because it is in excess of what the sun would naturally add to the environment. It is the rapid rate of release of this "old" energy that is the biggest contributor to the current global warming problem. Harvesting biomass energy prevents greenhouse gas emissions, and it does not add to the energy already put into the atmosphere from the sun.

Biomass grown in one production period is the result of harvesting nutrients, water and the available energy for the plant. Each species of plant, and each variety of any plant, has a different capacity for harvesting sunlight energy. Energy harvested by biomass is renewable and can be grown again in each growing season.

When biomass is decomposed it releases energy in the form of methane gas into the environment. Essentially, the gas released from any biomass can contribute to global warming. The biomass energy is produced, and contained can be used to produce electricity, or heat. When this heat or electricity can used in an environmentally responsible manner. Fewer greenhouse gases are released into the environment, and the energy can be available for multiple uses. This energy replaces the need for fossil fuel.

Harvested biomass energy is considered a clean energy because the harvested energy does not result in releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It is also "clean" because the energy available is no more energy than the energy the sun naturally provided to that area where the plants were grown. The release of energy from biomass does not add to the energy provided naturally by the sun. The release of this energy could not be more natural. When grown in a sustainable manner the result of harvesting biomass energy is a carbon neural energy source that can be grown again and again, and not add to the carbon load of the atmosphere.