Bioenergy

What is Bioenergy?

Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source globally and accounts for 13-14% of the total energy consumption. Biomass feedstocks include dedicated energy crops, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues, algae, wood processing residues, municipal waste, and wet waste (crop wastes, forest residues, purpose-grown grasses, woody energy crops, algae, industrial wastes, sorted municipal solid waste [MSW], urban wood waste, and food waste). Bioenergy refers to electricity that is generated from the above-mentioned organic matter known as Biomass.

How is bioenergy generated?

Most electricity generated from biomass is produced by combustion. Biomass is burned a boiler to produce high-pressure stream. This steam flows over a series of turbine blades, causing them to rotate. The rotation of the turbine drives a generator producing electricity.

The benefits of bioenergy

Cost savings

Using the right bioenergy technology in the right situation can help achieve greater cost savings than using fossil fuels.

Less landfill

Using waste streams to generate bioenergy saves the environmental and economic costs of disposal in landfills and reduces contamination risks.

Energy reliability and security

Rural and regional energy reliability and security can be enhanced by providing a domestic energy source that can run continuously or at peak times as required by the electricity market with greater flexibility to ramp up production at short notice than large coal-fired plants.

Better air quality

Bioenergy can provide air quality benefits where biomass residues that would otherwise be open-burnt in the field or forest.

Regional and rural economic development and employment opportunities

Bioenergy helps stimulate regional economic development and employment by providing new, decentralised and diversified income streams from bioenergy.

The future of bioenergy

There’s a growing range of proven, adaptable technologies available for converting biomass into electricity.Bioenergy is already a significant part of the global energy mix. Based on current trends and policies, it is likely to increase in the next decade or more. An appropriate policy frame work and strong policy measures will support the bioenergy in future. Over the period of three years (year 2023), bioenergy is projected to account for 30% of the growth in renewable energy production.