Renewable Fuels

Solar, wind, hydro, and biomass are all renewable sources of energy capable of generating heat and power.

An issue with many renewable sources of energy is their inability to generate firm capacity energy. Renewable fuels that have inherent energy storage are:

• Large-hydro – reservoirs are employed as a means to store energy cost effectively.
• Biomass – energy is stored as carbon within the plant and/or animal tissues and can be released on demand to supply heat and power loads.

Biomass is considered to be a renewable fuel because it can be replaced quickly without permanently depleting the earth’s natural resources. In comparison, fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal, require millions of years of natural processes to be produced. The release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the combustion of biomass fuels is deemed to be neutral, since biomass is part of the natural carbon cycle.