Boston – The use of sustainably harvested forest biomass to replace oil heat would likely begin to yield benefits in greenhouse gas emissions reduction in as little as five years, but electricity from biomass compares unfavorably with fossil fuels, including coal, according to a study commissioned by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER).
The six-month study of issues associated with biomass sustainability and carbon policy conducted by a team of scientists and policy experts led by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences shows that the use of biomass for heating and combined heat and power (CHP) facilities would result in a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 relative to oil, but biomass-fired electricity would result in a 3 percent increase in emissions over coal-fired electricity in 2050. Coal has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt-hour of energy produced of any fossil fuel.
Under the Global Warming Solutions Act, Massachusetts is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the economy 80 percent by 2050.