Biomass is the general name for materials that come from plants and animals, such as wood (from trees), and it has been a source of energy for thousands of years. The first fire was estimated to have been lit around half a million years ago! Burning wood is the most common form of biomass energy in the world in fact one third of the world?s population relies on biomass energy.

Other than wood, biomass fuels include crops of plants grown especially, such as ?Elephant Grass? (Miscanthus), which grows very tall, very quickly. Even waste from agriculture such as straw (the stalks of a wheat crop) can be burned to create energy to heat water e.g. in Denmark.

In Western Australia 12 million Mallee Shrubs (a type of eucalyptus) are being planted to provide biomass fuel. The leaves will be used to make eucalyptus oil and the stalks for biomass. Nothing will be wasted. The roots of the plant will also help prevent soil erosion and improve the quality of the soil by reducing the salt levels.

In the USA paper factories burn the waste sawdust to provide heat and power to neighbouring districts. This is known as ?combined heat and power? generation. It is better than normal power stations because waste from the paper industry is put to good use and no new fossil fuels are required.

Biogas Energy-

A very similar idea to using biomass is to burn the gas that comes off rotting plant and animal remains, rather than burning the matter itself. It is used just like Natural Gas in conventional power stations: to heat water to create steam, which is then used to turn turbines and generate electricity.

The gases – usually methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) - are gathered by slowly heating the biomass in an airtight container called a biodigester. Gases are given off, which are then collected and used to produce energy. This process is called ?gasification?. The waste left is often used as fertiliser for farmland.