You’d be forgiven for thinking that Bio Energy and Biomass are in fact relatively new or even futuristic concepts, but you’d be wrong…big time! It may only be as of late that attention is really turning to these seemingly alternative sources of energy production, but Biomass is in fact the oldest and most important fuel source in the history of mankind.
For example, there’s evidence suggesting that human beings have been using wood as a fuel for warmth and cooking for over half a million years. Of course, to continue using woods as our ancestors did is simply impossible due to on-going shortages and waste, which is why fossil fuels would eventually take over and wreak havoc on the environment.
As for the solution – the world needed to come up with a new approach by which efficient fuel could not only be manufactured, but also sourced from renewable sources in order to ensure supplies do not and will not run out.
And that’s where the term Biomass as we know it today comes from.
A Rough Definition
Roughly defined, the term Biomass refers to a wide variety of fuels that can be used to produce renewable and eco-friendly energy. From photosynthetic organisms to organic wastes and to all manner of land and water-based vegetation, all such sources demand that no fossil fuels be used and come from 100% sustainable sources. The idea is that no detrimental environmental impact is made, while at the same time the fuels deliver equal or better energy efficiency than fossil fuels.
A few examples of Biomass fuels include:
- Wood
- Crops
- Agricultural Waste
- Grasses
- Oils
If it’s a wholly natural, sustainable and environmentally-friendly fuel source, then it technically qualifies as a Bio Energy source.
The Benefits of Bio Energy
The biggest problem with conventional energy as we know it today is that we have a habit of taking it for granted. We assume it just comes out of the wall and has no detrimental impact on anyone or anything, when in fact it does. And once you’ve really started to get to grips with the benefits of Bio Energy, you begin to understand the important difference.
For example, Bio Energy’s key benefits include:
- CO2 Output Reduction – As a carbon neutral energy source, Bio Fuel has no detrimental effects on the environment which most certainly cannot be said for fossil fuels and other energy sources.
- Renewable Energy – Bio Fuels are also wholly renewable, which means that if sourced responsibly and used in accordance with guidelines, they need never run out or fall into short supply.
- Efficiency – In terms of efficiency by way of both energy output and costs, Bio Fuels perform consistently better than all other traditional energy sources.
- Job Creation – The Bio Energy industry contributes enormously to local and national economic infrastructures, creating thousands of jobs and spurring the creation of new businesses.
In a nutshell, there really isn’t a single facet to Bio Energy that isn’t vastly superior in every way to conventional energy production methods. It may be some time before the technology takes over as standard on a global basis, but it’s largely guaranteed to happen eventually for the simple reason that traditional energy production methods cannot and will not last forever.