About Bioenergy
 


Clean Power From Renewable Resources

Bioenergy is a very important topic and it affects us all. It is often referred to as alternative energy, green energy, renewable energy, renewable power sources, sustainable energy, etc. Between global warming and high energy costs, the topic of bioenergy and other sources of clean power and renewable resources have been in the news and on our minds. Going green is something that pertains to all of us and no longer a topic engaged only by "tree huggers." High gas prices stemming from increased global demand of fossil fuels have helped to make these topics mainstream. Young and old alike are discussing ways on how each of us can reduce our carbon footprint.

Erratic weather, melting ice caps, increased flooding, warmer temperatures, stronger hurricanes, and various other occurences have increased our desire to find new sources of renewable energy, in the hopes that we may stabilize and reverse the effects of global warming.

The truth is that each and everyone of us can make a difference. There are things that we can do in our everyday lives that in the long run may pay dividends. We can turn the lights off when we walk out of a room. We can turn off the television when we're not watching it. We can cut down the idling time of our cars. We can plan ahead and do more on each trip, rather than make 10 trips to get 10 different items from the store. We can turn off the lights when we exit a public restroom. We can look to each other to waste less and be more mindful of the harm that our actions might cause to our planet. All of us have a stake in this, and since this is a predicament that took the entire planet to create...inversely, it's going to take the efforts of the entire planet to combat and reverse.

What is bioenergy?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture - Economic Research Service:

"Bioenergy is renewable energy derived from biological sources, to be used for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel. Biofuel derived from plant materials is among the most rapidly growing renewable energy technologies. In the United States, corn-based ethanol is currently the largest source of biofuel as a gasoline substitute or additive, and recent energy legislation mandates further growth of both corn-based and advanced biofuels from other sources. Growing biofuel demand has implications for U.S. and world agriculture." ers.usda.gov/features/bioenergy

Definitions of Bioenergy on the Web:

• Renewable energy produced from organic matter. The conversion of the complex carbohydrates in organic matter to energy. ...
  www.drivingethanol.org/ethanol_facts/glossary.aspx

• Renewable energy made from organic matter. The organic matter may be used directly as a fuel or processed into liquids or gases.
  www.greatlakesbioenergy.org/research/bioenergy-glossary/

• Energy derived from any biological material that can be used as fuel; this fuel is burned or converted in systems that produce heat, electricity ...
  www.biobasednews.com/glossary/10

• Energy or electricity produced using biomass as a fuel.
  www.mtpc.org/cleanenergy/energy/glossarytechfuels.htm

• Description: Energy made available by the combustion of materials derived from biological sources. Source: European Commission CUB
  ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/library/glossarylist_en.cfm

• Energy mainly produced from biomass and which can be used as a fuel or heat.
  www.veoliaenvironnement.com/en/glossary/b.aspx

• Bioenergy is actually solar energy—it uses organic (living) materials, which ultimately get their energy from the sun. For example, plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make food, in the form of sugars and starches. ...
  engineering.suite101.com/article.cfm/biofuels_a_glossary_of_terms

• Energy produced from renewable biomass (plant derived organic matter) resources, can yield electricity, liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels, heat ...
  www.offsetopportunity.com/common/Glossary.htm

• Bioenergy is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources. In its most narrow sense it is a synonym to biofuel ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenergy

• Energy produced from a biological resource such as biomass or biofuel en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bioenergy

From all of the definitions above, it can be surmissed that bioenergy is fuel or energy that is produced from biomass. Biomass is any organic matter - wood, crops, seaweed, animal wastes - that can be used as an energy source.