Biomass energy is renewable or nonrenewable?

• A. Nonrenewable
• B. Renewable
• C. Not renewable
• D. It depends on the resource

Answer: (B)

Biomass energy is renewable because it comes from organic material that can be replenished on a human timescale. Plants capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis and store it in their tissue. When we burn biomass or convert it into biofuels, that stored energy is released as heat or power. Since new plants can be grown or forests can regrow, the supply can be renewed, unlike fossil fuels that take millions of years to form and are depleted as they’re used. The idea is that, with sustainable harvesting and replanting, the carbon released during use is balanced by the carbon the plants absorbed while growing.