Is biomass worse than fossil fuels?

Emissions produced by biomass energy are too variable to rubber-stamp the technology as a way to solve the UK's emissions problems, according to a new report released today by the UK's Environment Agency.

Highly efficient biomass plants could produce just 27 kilograms of CO₂ per megawatt-hour—98 percent less than coal. But growing energy crops on current fields of grassland could produce more emissions by 2030 than burning fossil fuels instead, the report said.

The Environment Agency called for the mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by biomass companies to determine the most efficient methods.

"Biomass is a limited resource, and we must make sure it is not wasted on inefficient generators," EA spokesman Tony Grayling told the BBC.

The UK considers biomass one of the major elements of any emissions-reductions strategy. Biomass plants could power the heating sector, which makes up the largest single proportion of the UK's energy demand at approximately 49 percent (see U.K. unveils clean energy plan). 

It would be up to the government to pass such an edict for publicly funded biomass plants. The report said the lowest-emission biomass feedstocks are waste wood and medium-density fiberboard. Some of the highest emissions came from using willow, poplar and oil seed rape.

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