Bioenergy is the combination of the terms biomass and energy.

Bioenergy is gas or electricity that comes from renewable sources, such as plant matter or animal waste.

This is known as biomass.

Biomass contains energy stored from the sun. This energy is absorbed during the photosynthesis process.

When biomass is burned, its chemical energy is released as heat.

Biomass is often burned on a local scale to heat homes and to provide heat for cooking (mainly in less developed countries), and as such is an important part of many peoples’ livelihoods.

However, bioenergy is more often spoken about in terms of the large-scale and intensive harvesting and burning of wood from forests in the US, Canada, and Europe. Today, most biomass which is burnt for energy on this scale comes from trees, and more worryingly, from forests.

The following FAQ will explore the links between bioenergy and deforestation, the implementation of bioenergy in Europe and wether bioenergy is renewable or carbon neutral.