Bioenergy Overview

Organic materials, including wood and crops, as well many human-generated wastes, can be used to generate heat and electricity. It currently accounts for approximately 4% of total U.S. energy production and is a primary source of fuel in many countries. In fact, bioenergy has represented the primary source of energy for most of human history.

What is bioenergy and how does it work?

The McNeil Generating Station in Burlington, VT, burns wood waste and recycled wood.

Bioenergy can be produced using a variety of materials that include wood, crops like corn and soy beans, and waste from consumer, municipal, industrial, and agricultural processes. Each of these materials are sources of fuels that can be burned to produce energy.

Some of the uses of bioenergy include:

Electricity Production: Wood, construction waste, landfill gas, and liquid biofuels like biodiesel and bio-oil can be used to produce energy that can be converted into electricity.

Heat: Essentially all bioenergy fuels can be used to directly produce heat.

A pump selling a 20% blend of biodiesel (B20), along with ethanol 10% (E10) and ethanol 85% (E85).

Transportation: Liquid biofuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and bio-oil can be used to power cars and other transportation.

Bioenergy technologies vary widely depending on their fuel and generation type. Visit the Bioenergy Technology section to learn more.

Why is bioenergy a clean, or renewable, technology?

Bioenergy is considered a renewable resource because it uses rapidly renewable materials like wood and crops as fuel as opposed to fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas that take thousands of years to regenerate. Some forms of bioenergy rely on waste from consumers, construction, landfills, and other human sources. These forms are considered renewable because they are produced on a continual basis, and using them as fuel is an effective way to put them to use.

Today's bioenergy technology can be used to generate electricity while decreasing emissions of harmful pollutants and greenhouses gases. However, individual bioenergy sources can have widely varying environmental effects. Advanced fuels and technologies are being developed that significantly reduce bioenergy emissions, positioning bioenergy as a key contributor to a sustainable energy future worldwide.

Where is bioenergy used?

Around the globe, bioenergy is most commonly used for heating purposes, with applications ranging in scale from cooking and home heating to industrial process heating. For example, some homeowners in Massachusetts burn biomass fuels in wood stoves, while most pulp and paper mills burn wood wastes in large boilers. At these large facilities, bioenergy is often used for electricity generation as well. To generate electricity using bioenergy, the fuel is burned to produce steam that is run through a turbine like those at fossil and nuclear power plants.

Why should people use it?

Bioenergy not only reduces emissions and depletion of fossil fuels but also has some immediate benefits for regional economies and power security. Because it is a local, renewable resource, bioenergy can displace use of fossil fuels from other countries and regions. Since bioenergy is in such abundance in New England and can come from many sources around the country, it can add significant diversity to our fuel supply. Visit the Benefits and Barriers section to learn more.

How can I get involved?

There are several ways to get involved in using and developing bioenergy. While many bioenergy plants are large-scale and owned by developers or municipalities, it is possible for individual consumers to use biofuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. In addition, you can support and encourage the use of municipal fuels like landfill gas to provide energy to your town. Visit the What You Can Do section to learn more.