Sustainable biomass is a key component of the European power mix, providing a carbon beneficial source of energy to power homes throughout the continent.

Sustainable Wood Pellets vs. Traditional Fossil Fuels

The UK Environment Agency found that “switching to bioenergy from coal can reduce carbon emissions between 74 and 90 percent”. The use of sustainably produced wood pellets in place of fossil fuels keeps that quantity of fossil fuel and its embedded carbon deep underground, preventing it from ever entering the earth’s atmosphere. Industrial wood pellets are part of the climate change solution. U.S. forestry stocks are consistently growing, with the number of new trees exceeding the number of harvested trees, which means the country’s carbon stocks are steadily increasing.

Industrial wood pellets key to Carbon Emissions targets

Industrial wood pellets can be used in the same furnaces that currently fire coal. Co-firing industrial wood pellets alongside coal enables utilities to use existing infrastructure without having to make costly investments in new technologies and facilities. This keeps costs low and stable for consumers. European utilities require a full suite of energy sources to deliver needed supply and lower emissions. While no one technology or energy source provides a single solution, industrial wood pellets have proven to be an important part of the renewable energy equation.

Sustainably Managed forests are essential to protect the environment

The industrial wood pellet industry gets its supply from forest thinnings, parts of trees that other industries leave behind or that lack a local market for pulp and paper, or parts of trees that cannot be used for wood converted to lumber. The U.S. has more than 750 million acres of forest. The net volume of trees per acre has increased in all regions of the U.S. for more than 50 years, and the total acreage of forestland in the U.S. is within one percent of what it was 100 years ago.