Environmental Benefits of Biomass / Wood CHP

The environmental impacts of a TNCC biomass CHP scheme are overwhelmingly positive. Global warming is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing us today. Biomass schemes can make a real difference to the UKs global warming emissions by displacing fossil fuel use. Because the energy produced in a TNCC biomass CHP scheme is carbon neutral it prevents the release of CO2 from burning fossil fuels such as oil or gas. Biomass power schemes improve the environment and may help prevent the construction of less environmentally friendly technologies such as nuclear power stations

Sources of Wood:
Biomass grown by local farmers may be used, helping to provide work and income for the rural community. Short rotation willow coppice is more environmentally beneficial than mono-crop agriculture with greater biodiversity and less pesticide use.

Forestry thinnings and sawmill co-products may be used as fuel. Forestry thinnings are currently often left to rot releasing their CO2 with no benefit.

Recycled wood may be used as a fuel. This takes a fuel source that is currently wasted by landfilling it and harnesses the energy present to provide power. Recycled wood comes from a variety of sources including old furniture, garden clearings, packaging such as pallets, wood used in construction and wood separated out during demolition. This has a double environmental benefit as it will no longer take up landfill space and contribute to methane emissions from the landfill.

Example CO2 savings from a scheme:
The emissions of carbon dioxide from a biomass power scheme are offset by the intake of carbon dioxide into the trees grown for the scheme in the first place and have no net impact on CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

A gas fired boiler replaced by a 300 kW TNCC biomass scheme will save up to 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. This is equivalent to driving 600,000 miles per year in a typical family car.
An oil fired boiler replaced by a 10 MWt TNCC biomass CHP scheme will save up to 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. This is the equivalent of the entire CO2 emissions from 2,100 households.

A gas fired boiler replaced by a 20 MWt TNCC biomass CHP scheme will save up to 32,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. This is the equivalent of the CO2 emitted by a full jumbo jet flying 150 times between London and New York.