Editing Renewable resource (section)

===Biomass===
{{main|Biomass}}
[[File:Faz S Sofia canavial 090607 REFON.JPG|thumb|left|A [[sugarcane]] plantation in [[Brazil]] (State of São Paulo). Cane is used for [[biomass]] energy.]]

[[Biomass]] is referring to [[biomaterial|biological material]] from living, or recently living organisms, most often referring to plants or plant-derived materials.

Sustainable harvesting and use of renewable resources (i.e., maintaining a positive renewal rate) can reduce [[air pollution]], [[soil contamination]], [[habitat destruction]] and [[land degradation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Benefits of Renewable Energy Use |url=http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/impacts/public-benefits-of-renewable.html |website=Union of Concerned Scientists |access-date=2013-01-04 |year=1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325093405/http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/impacts/public-benefits-of-renewable.html |archive-date=2012-03-25 }}</ref> Biomass energy is derived from six distinct energy sources: garbage, wood, plants, waste, [[landfill gases]], and [[alcohol fuels]]. Historically, humans have harnessed biomass-derived energy since the advent of burning wood to make fire, and wood remains the largest biomass energy source today.<ref name="online.wsj.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303740704577524822063133842 |title=Wood-Fired Plants Generate Violations |first1=Justin |last1=Scheck |first2=Ianthe Jeanne |last2=Dugan |newspaper=WSJ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2012-04-12}}</ref><ref>Global biomass fuel resources, Matti Parikka, in Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 27, Issue 6, December 2004, Pages 613–620, Pellets 2002. The first world conference on pellets
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However, low tech use of biomass, which still amounts for more than 10% of world energy needs may induce [[indoor air pollution in developing nations]]<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Duflo E, Greenstone M, Hanna R |title=Indoor air pollution, health and economic well-being |journal=S.A.P.I.EN.S |volume=1 |issue=1 |year=2008 |url=http://sapiens.revues.org/index130.html}}</ref> and results in between 1.5 million and 2 million deaths in 2000.<ref name="Ezzati">{{cite journal |vauthors=Ezzati M, Kammen DM |title=The health impacts of exposure to indoor air pollution from solid fuels in developing countries: knowledge, gaps, and data needs |journal=Environ. Health Perspect. |volume=110 |issue=11 |pages=1057–68 |date=November 2002 |pmid=12417475 |pmc=1241060 |doi=10.1289/ehp.021101057|bibcode=2002EnvHP.110.1057E }}</ref>

The biomass used for electricity generation varies by region.<ref name=ODI1>Frauke Urban and Tom Mitchell 2011. [http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5792&title=climate-change-disasters-electricity-generation Climate change, disasters and electricity generation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920024704/http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5792&title=climate-change-disasters-electricity-generation |date=2012-09-20 }}. London: [[Overseas Development Institute]] and [[Institute of Development Studies]]</ref> Forest by-products, such as wood residues, are common in the [[United States]].<ref name=ODI1/> Agricultural waste is common in [[Mauritius]] (sugar cane residue) and [[Southeast Asia]] (rice husks).<ref name=ODI1/> Animal husbandry residues, such as poultry litter, are common in the [[UK]].<ref name=ODI1/> The biomass power generating industry in the United States, which consists of approximately 11,000 [[Megawatt|MW]] of summer operating capacity actively supplying power to the grid, produces about 1.4 percent of the U.S. electricity supply.<ref>{{cite web
 |url     = http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table4.html
 |title    = U.S. Electric Net Summer Capacity
 |date    = July 2009
 |publisher  = U.S. Energy Information Administration
 |access-date = 2010-01-25
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100110013735/http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table4.html
 |archive-date = 2010-01-10
}}</ref>