Woody biomass factsheet

Biomass energy from wood (woody biomass) is a clean and renewable energy source. Because fossil fuels are likely to become increasingly expensive, woody biomass can play an important role by providing energy in the form of heat, electricity or transport fuels. Woody biomass is effectively a store of solar energy.
As a renewable energy source that can be grown and used sustainably, burning woody biomass has almost zero net greenhouse effect as the carbon dioxide given off during combustion is
absorbed by the growth of the next crop of woody biomass.
Woody biomass can be used to generate heat and electricity, and can also be converted into liquid fuels similar to petrol and diesel. When used as a substitute for fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) woody biomass reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by New Zealand.
Using woody biomass can also be very cost effective, particularly when the wood residue being used is a by-product of an existing process. It can often be used to provide some of the energy
for the production process itself.