Benefits
The main advantage of using "grown fuels", as opposed to "fossil fuels" such as coal, natural gas and oil, is that while they are growing they absorb the near-equivalent in carbon dioxide (an important greenhouse gas) to that which is later released in their burning. Whereas by burning fossil fuels we are increasing atmospheric carbon unsustainably, by using carbon that was added to the earths carbon sink millions of years ago in processes which took millions of years to complete, and this is a prime cause of global warming.
According to the FAO, compared to other energy crops, wood is among the most efficient sources of bioenergy in terms of quantity of energy released by unit of carbon emitted. Another advantage of generating energy from trees, as opposed to agricultural crops, is that trees do not have to be harvested each year, the harvest can be delayed when market prices are down, and the products can fulfil a variety of end-uses.
Yields of some varieties can be as high as 12 oven dry tonnes every year. However, commercial experience on plantations in Scandinavia have shown lower yield rates.
These crops can also be used in bank stabilisation and phytoremediation.
Read more about this topic: Energy Forestry
Famous quotes containing the word benefits:
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—Katherine Berman Mariano (b. 1957)
“Through all opposition the personal benefits of the reform [dress] [bracketed word in original] have compensated; but had it been mainly sacrifice, the thought of working for the amelioration of women and the elevation of humanity would still have been the beacon-star guiding me on amid all discouragements.”
—Susan Pecker Fowler (1823–1911)
“One of the benefits of a college education is, to show the boy its little avail.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)