Biomass Woodchip Fuel: A Sustainable Energy Solution for the UK

The Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle

As plants grow, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere in the form of CO2 by using energy from the sun. If the plants are eaten by animals then the carbon is converted into animal biomass. If plants are not eaten, then the plant material is broken down, either by rotting or by burning; thus carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. This process is known as the carbon cycle. Burning biomass fuels causes a Closed Carbon Cycle, as we are taking carbon out of the atmosphere while it is growing, and returning the same amount as it is burned. There are CO2 emissions associated with harvesting, processing and transporting timber fuels, so biomass is classed as a low Carbon fuel. The key difference between burning fossil fuels and burning biomass is one of time scale. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that was locked up in biological material millions of years ago, which leads to increased CO2 levels in today’s atmosphere.
ENERGY COSTS

ENERGY COSTS

Heating with biomass can lead to significant annual cost savings, particularly for users that have high heat usage requirements. The cost of heat generated by logs, wood chips, or wood pellets can be significantly lower than the cost of heat generated by oil, gas, or electricity.
ENERGY USAGE

INCREASED CONTROL OVER ENERGY USAGE

The market price for traditional fuels (heating oil and gas) fluctuates, and trends indicate that there is an overall price increase. Comparatively, biomass fuel prices are stable, ensuring that you have increased control over your energy costs.
SUSTAINABLE WOODLANDS

SUSTAINABLE WOODLANDS

The increasing demand for wood fuel is leading to better woodland management, with associated benefits for wildlife and biodiversity. Indeed, in the past a great deal of wood fuel would have simply rotted, which in turn would have generated, not only carbon dioxide, but also methane: a harmful greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than CO2.
LOCALLY SOURCED

LOCALLY SOURCED

Our locally sourced wood fuel enhances the security of the supply in terms of both its availability and its cost. Local sourcing secures clients against ‘fuel shocks’ caused by increasing global demand for fuel and political instability overseas. A localised nature of the supply chain minimises the financial and environmental costs of transporting fuel.
MINIMAL POLLUTANTS

MINIMAL POLLUTANTS

Modern biomass boilers are extremely efficient and sophisticated. They offer levels of efficiency and emission levels comparable to the best fossil fuel boilers. They minimise levels of atmospheric pollutants. Indeed, with good quality dry fuel, they verge on being ‘smokeless’. New methods of filtration in the systems reduces down any small particulates to almost zero levels (electrostatic filters)