Biomass energy

• 1.4 percent of Canada's electricity comes from biomass
• Biomass is the third largest renewable source of electricity in Canada
• Electricity generated from biomass increased 54% from 2005 to 2015
• Locations of most biomass plants in Canada

  • British Columbia
  • Ontario
  • Quebec
  • Alberta
  • New Brunswick
• Canada is the world's second-largest exporter of wood pellets
• Biomass


  Organic material that comes from recently dead plants and animal waste, contains energy from the Sun
• Fossil fuels are not considered biomass
• Common types of biomass

  • Wood
  • Waste from crops
  • Landfill gas
  • Municipal solid waste
• In Canada, industrial wood waste is the most common type of biomass
• Using biomass to generate electricity

  1. Biomass is burned

  2. Biomass is broken down by bacteria

  3. Biomass is converted to a gas or liquid fuel
• Burning biomass


  The most used method, also called combustion, thermal generation
• Generating electricity from burning biomass


  1. Burning solid biomass materials heats giant boilers filled with water

  2. Transforms liquid water into steam

  3. Steam creates pressure in the boiler

  4. Force of steam rotates a turbine

  5. Turbine moves a wire coil in a generator
• Fuels made from biomass can run engines or heat homes
• Biomass power plants


  • Can generate anywhere from 2 to 1000 megawatts of electricity
  • Canada had 70 biomass power plants at the end of 2014, producing 2,043 megawatts of electricity
• Atikokan Generating Station


  North America's largest 100% biomass power station, located in Northwestern Ontario, used to generate power by burning coal, now burns wood pellets to generate 205 megawatts of electricity enough to power about 70,000 homes
• Biomass Electricity Generation


  • Can generate power all the time, not reliant on intermittent sources like wind or sun, making it reliable
  • Consumed plant material needs to be replaced as quickly as it is used to be renewable, otherwise increases greenhouse gas levels
  • Can prevent some types of waste from going to landfills
• Burning biomass produces similar greenhouse gases to burning fossil fuels, contributing to rising global temperatures, and releases other pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide
• Air pollution from biomass electricity generation can cause respiratory issues, heart disease, cancer, and other health issues
• Biomass electricity generation can also impact the environment through deforestation, soil quality and water usage issues, and reduced biodiversity
• 1.4 percent of Canada’s electricity comes from

  biomass
• TRUE OR FALSE: Fossil fuels are not considered biomas

  TRUE
• Wood, waste from crops, landfill gas, and

  municipal solid waste are some of the common

  types of biomass
• In Canada, industrial wood

  waste is the most common type of biomass.
• Biomass is either: burned, broken down by bacteria, or converted to a gas or liquid fuel to create energy
• Burning biomass is the most used method
• Burning biomass is called combustion.
• The term for burning matter

  to generate electricity is thermal generation.
• Some biomass plants generate electricity by burning

  methane.
• This diagram shows different types of biomass, label the types

  A) Landfill gas

  B) Municipal waste

  C) wood

  D) crop waste

  
• electromagnetic induction is the transfer of energy from one electrical circuit to another through the use of a magnetic field
• Biomass facilities can generate anywhere from 2 to

  1000 megawatts of electricity.
• Atikokan Generating Station is North America’s

  largest 100% biomass power station.
• Biomass is the most reliable form of energy
• To make biomass renewable the

  consumed plant material needs to be replaced

  as quickly as it is used
• Burning biomass produces similar greenhouse gases

  to burning fossil fuels