- Biomass power plants are fueled using biomass energy that comes from plants and animals
- There are 226 power plants using biomass to generate electricity in the UK
- More than 4,800 of these power plants exist in the world
Biomass power plants are fueled using biomass energy that comes from plants and animals, and can be burned directly for heat or converted to liquid or fuel. There are currently more than 4,800 around the world, and approximately 266 in the UK.
Biomass fuel and power plants are one of the most discussed alternatives in our rush to find an alternative to coal and gas. Many people across the world have started using it as an alternative to traditional fuels for heating their homes.
In this guide, we’ll dive into what exactly biomass fuel is, why power plants are using it and whether it’s as environmentally-friendly as it claims to be.
What is a biomass power plant?
Unlike power plants that run on traditional fuels, such as coal or gas, a biomass power plant runs entirely on, well, biomass. Biomass is a renewable organic resource that we can use as fuel, including in boilers for homes.
When these power plants burn fuel, they create steam that turns turbines to create electricity. This is very similar to how coal or gas-fueled power plants generate electricity, with the main difference being the fuel used.
Burning biomass as fuel isn’t the only way to generate electricity with it. Other methods, such as gasification, treat the biomass differently to create power. During gasification, the biomass is heated with less oxygen than is needed in proper combustion. This produces hydrogen, which can then be used as fuel in the power plant.
The majority of power plants that use biomass use combustion to create energy, which creates the task of ensuring the combustion is as clean as possible.
How many are there in the UK?
Right now, there are 226 biomass plants using biomass to generate electricity in the UK. These 226 power plants have an estimated power output of 1.58GW, which is enough to power more than 8.3 million homes for an hour.
These power plants include Ironbridge power plant, the largest in the world with a capacity of 740mW, and Ferrybridge, which has a capacity of around 79mW.
Bioenergy is also currently the second largest source of renewable energy in the UK, generating 12.9% of the total UK energy supply in 2021.
Are biomass power plants popular around the world?
As the world moves towards more sustainable methods of generating electricity, biomass power plants have definitely increased in popularity. Just over 10 years ago, there were around 2,000 biomass power plants, generating roughly 22 GWel (gigawatt electrical)* of electricity.
As of early 2023, there are more than 4,800 biomass power plants, with a combined output of 81.5 GWel. This is still some way off the number of coal power plants in the world (8,500 as of 2021), but the signs are there that biomass power plants are quickly catching up.
Projections, however, indicate that by the end of 2032, there will be approximately 5,870 power plants using biomass, with a capacity of around 95.5GWel.
*Gigawatt electrical (GWel) is a term used exclusively when talking about the electrical output of a power plant. It has essentially the same meaning as gigawatts per hour.
Are they eco-friendly?
Using a biomass boiler is (usually) more eco-friendly than burning coal in power plants. Per kilowatt hour, biomass produces 230g of carbon dioxide – compare this to the 1,100g of carbon dioxide produced by burning coal, and the difference is clear.
But at the end of the day, the majority of biomass plants still burn biomass, which releases pollutants into the atmosphere.
So no matter how often biomass is touted as a green alternative to traditional fossil fuels, it’s still a carbon emitter, even if these emissions aren’t quite as bad. On average, biomass produces around 80% less carbon emissions than coal, and around 50% less than gas (which emits 412 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour).
There are outliers though, which we imagine some of the big biomass power plant owners would want to keep hidden. One government study into biomass fuel emissions revealed that biomass carbon emissions can actually be higher than either coal or gas emissions.
This is because biomass is sometimes imported, a process that comes with all the carbon emissions you’d expect from maritime shipping or other forms of transport.
What advantages do they have over other renewables?
Power plants using biomass have a key advantage over other renewable energy sources: they don’t rely on intermittent power. Whereas wind power requires wind in order to work, biomass power plants simply use more biomass to keep the electricity flowing.
Solar power operates similarly to wind power, even when paired with a solar battery. Once the sun’s gone, it either doesn’t work at all, or it relies on what energy was stored in the solar battery during the day.
Basically, these power plants have what’s called reliable dispatchability, meaning that the electricity they generate is controllable and fully available on demand. You could argue this is what’s made biomass an increasingly popular choice for countries looking to clean up their carbon emissions.
You can find out more in our helpful guide: The advantages and disadvantages of biomass energy.
How much power do they produce?
Power plants using biomass have a capacity of between 2–1,000 megawatts (MW), though most range from 20 MW to 200 MW.
There isn’t actually a biomass power plant that has reached 1,000 MW yet – this is just an estimate of what a larger plant would be capable of.
The UK is not too far off that already – in fact, the Ironbridge power plant in the Severn Gorge is by far the biggest biomass plant anywhere in the world. It clocks in at a staggering 740 MW, eclipsing the second largest biomass power plant (Alholmenskraft in Finland, with a 265 MW output capacity).
Do we expect more of these power plants in the future?
Many countries are convinced of the merits of biomass power plants, even if green campaigners aren’t entirely sure it’s the right option.
On top of the existing 4,850 or so plants around the world, it’s estimated that a further 1,000 are already in the works.
Summary
- Biomass plants are here to stay and, we suspect, eventually take over traditional gas and coal power stations
- Biomass is cleaner than both gas and coal, but only when managed properly
- We must also figure out how to continue improving the efficiency of biomass power plants to reduce the emissions they currently produce – even if they are usually far lower than the emissions of power plants using fossil fuels
- On top of the existing 4,850 or so plants around the world, it’s estimated that a further 1,000 are already in the works
- These power plants have a key advantage over other renewable energy sources: they don’t rely on intermittent power.
