Canadian and World Studies (CGC1W) Practice Exam

Biomass energy is the energy produced by burning organic matter. It comes from chemical energy stored in recently living materials such as wood, food scraps, and fermentable crops like alcohol. When burned, this energy is released as heat that can be used for heating or converted to electricity. Biomass is renewable when grown or collected sustainably because new plant material can replace what is burned, though burning releases CO2 and the environmental impact depends on how the biomass is produced and used. Examples include firewood, wood pellets, ethanol from fermentation, and agricultural residues. This differs from nuclear power, which relies on fission of Uranium; oil sands, which are fossil fuels; and wind energy, which uses moving air rather than combustion.