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Renewable energy sources are energy sources which are not expected to be depleted in a timeframe relevant to the human race, and which therefore contribute to the sustainability of all species.

Renewable energy sources are most often regarded as including sources, such as solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power, tidal power and others.

BIOMASS
Biomass is all non-fossil organic materials that have an intrinsic chemical energy content.

Biomass is renewable in the sense that only a short period of time is needed to replace what is used as an energy resource, unlike fossil fuels, which have taken millions of years to be created.

Biomass fall into two main categories:
Woody biomass includes forest products, untreated wood products, energy crops and short rotation coppice (SRC), which are quick-growing trees like willow.

Non-woody biomass includes animal waste, industrial and biodegradable municipal products from food processing and high energy crops. Examples are rape, sugar cane, maize.

For small-scale domestic applications of biomass the fuel usually takes the form of wood pellets, wood chips or wood logs.

Although biomass produces CO2 it only releases the same amount that it absorbed whilst growing making it a carbon neutral process. Furthermore, biomass can contribute to waste management by harnessing energy from products that are often disposed of at landfill sites.

It is most cost effective when a local fuel source is used, which results in local investment and employment and also minimises transport miles to your home.

There are two main ways of using biomass to heat a domestic property:

Stand alone stoves providing space heating for a room. These can be fuelled by logs or pellets but only pellets are suitable for automatic feed. Generally they are 6-12 kW in output, and some models can be fitted with a back boiler to provide water heating.

Stand alone room heaters generally cost around £3,000 installed. Savings will depend on how much they are used and which fuel you are replacing. The cost for boilers varies depending on the system choice; a typical 15kW (average size required for a three-bedroom semi detached house) pellet boiler would cost around £5,500 - £12,000 installed, including the cost of the flue and commissioning. A manual log feed system of the same size would be slightly cheaper. A biomass powered boiler could save you around £200 a year in energy bills and around 8 tonnes of C02 per year.

Unlike other forms of renewable energy, biomass systems require you to pay for the fuel. Fuel costs generally depend on the distance from your supplier and whether you can buy in large quantities.