BIOMASS

Biomass energy: how does it work?

Biomass energyisa renewable, zero-emissionenergy sourcethat reuses organic waste products, eliminating the need to store them or destroy them in incinerators. The process of converting them into energy is as simple as it is ingenious. Through photosynthesis,the sun’s energyis transferred and stored in plants in the form of chemical energy. Animals, by feeding on plants, in turn absorb the product of photosynthesis.Biomass plantsburn wood and other waste products to produce steam. Once channeled through pipes, the steam drives turbines, which in turn generate electricity for use in residential or industrial facilities.

Electricity generation from biomass: How does a biomass power plant work?

Biomass power plantsgenerate electricity using steam produced by the combustion of agricultural, industrial, and municipal waste. The materials are burned in a combustion chamber, producing the heat needed to turn the water in the thermodynamic cycle into steam. The steam drives a turbine, which in turn drives the rotor of a generator that produces alternating current. This current is sent to a transformer that steps up the voltage before it is fed into the grid. The steam exiting the turbine is converted back into water by a condenser and then sent to a storage tank.