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 today supplies about 14% of UK electricity. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) describes fossil fuels as “ancient biomass”, formed from the buried remains of ancient plants and animals. Their carbon was locked away over geological time, whereas modern biomass recycles carbon from recent organic matter.
Today, biomass is a dispatchable energy source that can run when wind and solar output is low.
How it works
Biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. The EIA’s definition includes wood and wood waste, crops and residues, biogenic municipal waste, and manure and sewage. When burned or processed, the chemical energy stored in this organic matter is released as heat, electricity or transport fuel.
Combustion releases heat that boils water to drive turbines, or the material is processed into liquids and gases for engines. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass releases carbon that growing plants absorbed recently, rather than carbon stored for millions of years.
Real-world examples
Fire was the first biomass energy. Burned bone and ashed plant remains in Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa, show in-situ burning about 1 million years ago (a 2012 study). A 2026 study reports burned bones in the same cave dated between 1.79 and 1.07 million years ago, though the date range is wide and the authors suggest fire was used opportunistically rather than controlled. At Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in Israel, burned flint, seeds and wood clustered in spots interpreted as hearths are at least 790,000 years old.
Wood then fuelled early industry. The first English blast furnace, recorded at Buxted in the Weald around 1490, smelted iron with charcoal. Charcoal gave way to coke after Abraham Darby first smelted iron with coke at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, in 1709.
The transition from wood to coal in Britain was gradual. According to economic historian Robert Allen, coal supplied 10% of energy in England and Wales in 1560, 35% by 1660 and 64% by 1760, and by 1860 it supplied 93%. Allen’s shares include food and fodder. Comparing coal with firewood only, Cambridge historian Paul Warde finds that coal supply overtook firewood during the 1660s and 1670s; other accounts put the crossover in the early 1600s.
In the United States, wood was the main source for heating, cooking and lighting in 1776, and coal surpassed wood as the largest energy source around 1885. The EIA notes that biomass was the largest source of total annual US energy consumption until the mid-1800s.
In 1826, Samuel Morey built an engine running on ethanol and turpentine. In 1896, Henry Ford’s first car, the Quadricycle, was built to run on pure ethanol, and by 1908 the Model T could run on ethanol, petrol or a mix. At the 1900 Paris Exposition, a Diesel engine ran on peanut oil at the French government’s request. It was not built specially for that fuel: Diesel later said the engine was built for mineral oil and ran on peanut oil “without any alterations”. In 1937, G. Chavanne received a Belgian patent for ethyl esters of palm oil as diesel fuel, the first “biodiesel”.
Biogas development followed a similar path. Alessandro Volta identified methane in 1776 or 1778 (sources differ). The first known anaerobic digester was built in Bombay in 1859. In England, a septic tank in Exeter reportedly produced gas for a street lamp in 1895, and a dual-purpose sludge tank was reportedly built in Hampton, London, in 1904. After feed-in tariffs, Germany’s digesters rose from 20 in 1991 to 8,625 by 2014, when the UK had 259 facilities.
What the numbers say
In the United States, biomass accounted for about 5% of primary energy consumption in 2025. Globally, according to Ember, low-carbon sources made up 40.9% of electricity generation in 2024, but Ember does not break out bioenergy alone. After hydro, nuclear, wind and solar, about 2.6% is left for bioenergy and other renewables combined, by our calculation.
In the UK, total electricity generation in 2025 was 293.6 TWh. Bioenergy generation rose 2.2% to 41.0 TWh, which by our calculation is about 14% of the total. Plant biomass, mainly wood pellets, set a record of 27.8 TWh, up 4.8%, and made up about 18% of renewable generation.
Biomass also has a high capacity factor. In 2025, bioenergy achieved a load factor of 63%, compared with 11.1% for solar and 36.4% for offshore wind.
Pellet stoves and boilers have been marketed since the mid-1980s. Global wood pellet production more than doubled between 2006 and 2010, to over 14 million tonnes. The UK used about 9.8 million tonnes in 2023–24, compared with 3.4 million tonnes in Germany.
Limitations / honest assessment
Biomass is controversial, and its sustainability depends heavily on sourcing.
Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire has been central to the UK’s biomass expansion. It converted four of its six units from coal to biomass between 2013 and 2018. Drax calls itself “the UK’s largest single source of renewable electricity”. In February 2025, the government reportedly agreed to support Drax for 2027–2031 with a maximum load factor of 27%, running “less than half as often” as before, at a strike price of £113/MWh in 2012 prices (about £155/MWh in 2025 money).
Sustainability concerns have also surfaced. In 2024, Drax paid £25 million after Ofgem found “an absence of adequate data governance and controls” over its Canadian wood-sourcing data, although Ofgem regarded the failings as technical rather than deliberate. A BBC Panorama programme in October 2022 made allegations about old-growth forest logging, which Drax disputed. An FCA investigation into Drax’s sustainability statements began in 2025, and in February 2026 Drax said it would stop burning Canadian biomass from 2027.
Traditional biomass remains a serious issue globally. According to the IEA, more than 2 billion people lacked access to clean cooking in 2023, relying on traditional solid biomass, kerosene or coal. Household cooking smoke is linked to about 3.7 million premature deaths a year. Modern bioenergy is usually grouped with non-conventional or renewable sources, while traditional burning is usually classed as a conventional energy source.
The UK angle
The UK has moved decisively away from coal. 2025 was the first full year with no coal generation, after Ratcliffe-on-Soar, the last coal plant, closed on 30 September 2024. Biomass played a part in this transition: bioenergy generation doubled between 2012 and 2016 as several large power stations converted from coal to plant biomass, mainly wood pellets.
In 2025, renewables produced a record 153.0 TWh, or 52.1% of UK generation (see the live GB electricity mix). Renewable fuels were used for electricity (72%), heat including domestic wood (18%), transport biofuels (8.8%) and biogas injected into the grid (1.6%). Policy has shaped this landscape: the Renewables Obligation, which began in 2002 and closed to new capacity in April 2017; the UK Bioenergy Strategy of 2012; and the Biomass Strategy of 2023.
Frequently asked questions
When was biomass energy first used?
Burned bone and plant remains in Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa, show in-situ burning about 1 million years ago, and a 2026 study suggests fire was present there 1.79 to 1.07 million years ago, though that range is wide. Hearths at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in Israel are at least 790,000 years old.
Who invented or discovered biomass energy?
Nobody invented biomass energy. Burning plant matter is humanity’s oldest energy technology. The timeline is marked by firsts: fire use, charcoal smelting, and the engineering of digesters and engines.
What is “ancient biomass”?
The EIA describes fossil fuels as ancient biomass, formed from the buried remains of ancient plants and animals. Coal, oil and gas are in effect biomass whose carbon was locked away over geological time.
What is traditional biomass, and how many people still rely on it?
Traditional biomass means burning wood, charcoal, dung or crop residues in open fires or simple stoves. In 2023, more than 2 billion people lacked access to clean cooking, relying on traditional solid biomass, kerosene or coal.
Is biomass a conventional or non-conventional energy source?
It depends on how it is used. Traditional biomass (firewood, dung) is usually called a conventional energy source. Modern bioenergy (biogas, pellets, biofuels) is usually grouped with non-conventional or renewable sources.
How much of the UK’s electricity comes from biomass today?
In 2025, bioenergy generation reached 41.0 TWh, about 14% of total UK electricity generation. Plant biomass alone contributed a record 27.8 TWh.