Bioenergy
Biomass, biogas, algae and hemp fuels, waste-to-energy plants and microbial fuel cells, with the sustainability questions they raise.
5 explainers1 news stories
Biomass energy: how it works, where it is used and the debate
Biomass energy explained: how wood pellets, AD and biofuels work, the UK's 14% share of electricity, Drax's subsidy deal and the carbon accounting debate.
Read the guide
Explainers
Algae biofuel: why the great green hope stalled
Algae biofuel was once promoted as one of the most promising green fuels, yet today it remains an experimental technology. Despite more than a decade of heavy…
Microbial fuel cells: can bacteria make useful electricity?
Yes, but only a little. A microbial fuel cell (MFC), sometimes called a bacterial battery, uses bacteria to turn organic matter such as urine or wastewater into…
Waste-to-energy technologies: incineration, gasification and beyond
Waste to energy in the UK mostly means one thing: burning residual rubbish in energy-from-waste (EfW) incinerators that raise steam and drive a turbine.…
Hemp as an energy source: biofuel, biomass and the hype
Yes, hemp can be used as fuel, but the reality is more modest than the headlines suggest. Industrial hemp (low-THC Cannabis sativa grown under licence) can…
The evolution of biomass energy: from ancient fire to modern power stations
The history of biomass energy is, in large part, the history of human civilisation. It began with fire, gave way to coal during the Industrial Revolution, and…
Key terms
Glossary →- Anaerobic digestion
- A process in which microbes break down organic material such as food waste, slurry and crops without oxygen, producing biogas and a fertiliser called digestate.
- Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)
- Burning or processing biomass for energy while capturing the resulting carbon dioxide and storing it underground, with the aim of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
- Biomethane
- Biogas that has been cleaned and upgraded to almost pure methane, so it can be injected into the gas grid and used in place of fossil natural gas.
- Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS)
- A government scheme that pays tariffs to new anaerobic digestion plants in Great Britain for biomethane they inject into the gas grid, funded by the Green Gas Levy.