How much power do biomass power plants produce?
Biomass power plants can generate between 2-1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, though most range from 20 MW to 200 MW. To put this into perspective, 20 MW is enough to power around 15,000-20,000 homes for an hour.
There isn't actually a biomass power plant that has reached 1,000 MW yet - this is just an estimate of what a larger plant would be capable of.
The UK is not too far off that already - in fact, the Ironbridge power plant in the Severn Gorge is by far the biggest biomass power plant anywhere in the world. It clocks in at a staggering 740 MW, eclipsing the second largest biomass power plant (Alholmenskraft in Finland, with a 265 MW output).
Do we expect more biomass power plants in the future?
Many countries are convinced of the merits of biomass power plants, even if green campaigners aren't entirely sure it's the right option. On top of the existing 4,500 or so plants around the world, it's estimated that a further 1,000 are already in the works.
Summary
There's no two ways about it: biomass power plants are here to stay and, we suspect, eventually take over traditional gas and coal power stations. Biomass is cleaner than both gas and coal, but only when managed properly.
For instance, importing wood pellets from Canada to the UK is a great example of how not to be sustainable when it comes to biomass. The main question then is how to sustainably (and consistently) provide biomass power plants with locally sourced fuel. We must also figure out how to continue improving the efficiency of biomass power plants to reduce the emissions they currently produce - even if they are usually far lower than the emissions of power plants using fossil fuels.