There are a wide range of biomass resources that can be used as fuels. Wet wastes, particularly from farm slurries, can be digested to produce biogas, which can then be burned as a fuel. Dry fuels such as wood from forestry, or willow coppice, can be burned to produce heat and/or power. This fact sheet examines the potential for wood as a fuel in Northern Ireland.
Wood is an extremely versatile fuel that has been used for centuries to cook and produce heat. Traditionally people burnt wood in open fires. However the efficiency of open fires is very low at about 20%, with around 80% of the heat going up the chimney. Advances in technology now mean that wood can also be used for power generation.
