Urban Discoveries Baltimore

Until a few weeks ago we had never heard of biomass.  We considered ourselves plugged into a lot of environmental knowledge (we used to live with a hippie), but this term was new to us.  Curious, as always, we started asking questions.  What is it? How does it work?  And why?  Why?

Biomass, to make a long story short, is a renewable energy source composed of some living, but mostly recently-dead biological material.  It can be burned as fuel or used for heating either domestically or industrially.  While, yes, all heating releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, since biomass is an organic resource, it can be off-set by simply planting new fuel (re: crops, trees, grasses, really, any plant).  (Also, we feel that we should clarify something.  Since biomass, strictly speaking, releases CO2 into the air, it still has the potential to pollute the environment.  Only when it is replanted does it become carbon-neutral.)

There are two main ways in which you could bring biomass energy into your home.  One way is through a stand-alone stove for a single room.  Much like the wood-burning stoves of pioneer days (just in theory, not necessarily in looks), these stoves provide enough heat to warm a single room; handy if your living room is permanently drafty.  The other, more involved option is through installation of a biomass boiler attached to your central heating or hot water system.  Check out the Energy Saving Trust, a British based website, for some basic information on how to get started.

Lastly, if you go ahead and decide to heat your home via biomass, you should know about Baltimore Biomass, a local biomass cooperative.  They’re centrally located at the Mill Valley General Store in Remington (2800 Sisson Street); they’ve got all the information you need. They’re even talking about building urban grain bins next summer.  Urban grain bins!  That’s something we want to see, even if we don’t go biomass.

(And if you’re the sort who needs numbers to be convinced, a handy cost comparison sheet is available of on the Baltimore Biomass website.)

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