Grow wood for lumber then gasify it into the hydrocarbons we need when it eventually gets thrown away. This is a big spreadsheet that tries to account for all the factors above and many more besides. The paper calls this a “living, humming, forest-destroying symbol of the shameful absurdity of European energy policies”. Others have looked at similar variables and reached different conclusions about biomass’ carbon profile. Or it might not. Webinar: Is climate change making wildfires worse? Experts: How do diets need to change to meet climate targets? Drax says it uses wood from thinnings and off-cuts, and that this reduces emissions by 80 per cent compared to burning coal. “We’ve always said there’s a right and a wrong way to source biomass. Thanks. Dovetail Partners, a nonprofit research group based in Minneapolis, for example, concluded in a 2012 study that biomass harvesting gives landowners an incentive to maintain forests rather than converting them to agriculture. When trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide and lock it away in wood. Iowa researchers see wasted potential in agricultural biofuels, Wood heat pits ‘environmentalists against environmentalists’ in Vermont, First-of-its kind wood pellet plant leaves North Carolina community wondering, ‘Dark money’ group raises fears in Illinois energy negotiations, Power from the Prairie aims to link West Coast sun with Midwest wind, New Hampshire nears compromise on how to spend $5.2 million clean energy fund, Retroactive energy efficiency loans offer pandemic lifeline for some businesses, Indiana task force report could slow state’s transition from coal, critics fear, As wind energy prices plunge, Xcel refunds customers who paid a premium, Michigan task force makeup suggests the future of transportation is still cars, N.C. elections left ‘status quo’ in power, but some still see hope for clean energy. “Based on what we’ve found, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution in terms of emissions,” says Gunn. This includes harvesting wood from naturally regenerating forest, with emissions of up to 5,174 kilograms per megawatt hour – a staggering five times that of coal. Last year we wrote about this DECC biomass calculator, before it had been formally published, but we weren’t able to reach any firm conclusions on the climate impacts of burning wood. 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It’s a misconception that wood fuels are carbon neutral, minus the energy spent to harvest, process, and transport them, he says. As for the environmental benefits, obviously, when you burn wood you’re not burning fossil fuel. All of these questions matter. Burning wood releases more CO 2 than gas, oil and even coal for the same amount of heat, so to make it climate neutral we need an increase in forests Wood fires … It may be on the right track by focusing on sustainably harvested wood for thermal energy in areas not currently served by natural gas, but even so, Gunn says it’s not a given that its vision would be beneficial or even benign in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. But what about demand for wood? By entering your email address you agree for your data to be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. When we burn wood, we’re releasing carbon into the atmosphere that might have otherwise been stored in that form for years, decades or centuries. The UK is burning nearly four million tonnes of wood a year to generate power, and Drax is the single largest user. Does it come from the cold northern forests of Canada or the warm, moist forests of the southern US? “The degree to which biomass energy system can reduce carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels is directly related to establishment and management of harvesting regimes, forest types, fuel transport, and efficiency,” the biomass group’s paper says. Let’s try to unpack things a little. © Copyright 2020. Gunn co-authored a 2010 study that concluded the amount of carbon released per unit of energy is actually greater for forest biomass than it is for fossil fuels. Supporters think the state’s forests have an important role to play in transitioning from fossil fuel heating sources. 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