bioenergy

noun

bio·​en·​er·​gy ˌbi-(ˌ)ō-ˈe-nər-jē 

: energy for industrial or commercial use that is derived from biological sources (such as plant matter or animal waste)

We also are pursuing many energy supply technologies with comparatively low or zero CO₂ emissions profiles, such as solar, wind, geothermal, bioenergy, and combined heat and power.

—Spencer Abraham

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

One, called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, involves planting trees or crops, which take up carbon from the air, and then burning them to produce energy. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 11 May 2023

There are concerns over the amount of land required for mass tree planting or for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and the possibility that could clash with land needed to grow food. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 11 May 2023

Focus on investing in backup sources, like nuclear and bioenergy, to pick up the slack that renewables can’t cover. —Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2017

During his previous job running the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the department granted permits to mills but also required them to address air pollution and recommended against including wood bioenergy in the state’s clean energy mix. —New York Times, 19 Apr. 2021

In Fife, for example, Scotland's largest distillery is almost done constructing an on-site bioenergy plant that will meet most of the distillery's energy needs. —Patrick Morgan, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2011

The bioenergy industry, however, is lobbying to water down these proposals. —Jason Thomson, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 June 2022

Cushman and his team are also looking at it as an alternative bioenergy. —Bridget Shirvell, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2022

China alone accounted for 121GW of that, including 53GW of solar energy and 6GW of bioenergy capacity. —Dominic Dudley, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above