These plants work similarly to conventional power plants. Wood is used to fire a boiler, which produces steam that turns a turbine generator to make electricity.

Biomass energy projects play a key role in the management of Michigan’s forest resources by utilizing every fiber of this valuable asset. They glean wood from the waste stream in a “cradle-to-grave” manner. Fuel comes from the tops, twigs and other wood residues resulting from timber harvest, sawdust and slabs produced by mills, and wood wastes generated in the manufacture of lumber, plywood and wooden products such as furniture, crates and pallets. We even divert wood destined for landfills, where it would develop into methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Instead, we use it to make electricity.

Reduce, renew, recycle. It's how biomass energy is done.