Solid biomass resources come in a variety of forms: wood, grasses, crops and crop residues. All of these resources, and municipal solid waste (MSW), can be used for heat or electricity. A large number of projects are underway to determine how to use biomass even more cost-effectively for energy production. Biomass-based electricity has the important advantage of being a baseload technology and can be CO2 neutral.

a. Power Generation

Biomass can be burned to produce electricity and combined heat and power via a steam turbine in power plants. These plants are usually about ten times smaller than coal-fired plants, making them more suitable for distributed generation in rural locations. Availability of local feedstock is important to avoid transportation cost. Countries with an agricultural-based economy are particularly well-suited to expand the use of biomass resources for electricity. Further, carbon emissions per unit of electricity from plants running on biomass are about a tenth of emissions from fossil-fuel plants.

b. Cooking Fuels

The International Energy Agency in Paris, France estimates that 2.5 billion people in developing countries rely on wood, crop residues and animal waste for heating or cooking, with adverse consequences for health and the environment.. Charcoal and agricultural residue briquettes have higher energy content than these resources and so reduce the amount of fuel needed. Even less polluting than charcoal and briquettes are modern biomass fuels such as ethanol gel, plant oils and biogas.