| The increasing scarcity and cost of conventional | | | | actually producing any energy or electricity, worm |
| energy is leading to both generators and | | | | farms are an excellent way to ensure that food |
| consumers searching for new sources of power | | | | waste is put to good use. Though there are a |
| supply. One such emerging area that fits the | | | | number of ways to configure a worm farm, the |
| present desire for energy from renewable origins | | | | fundamental idea for each is the same: left-over |
| is biomass, namely the production of energy and | | | | food is placed in the container housing the worm |
| electricity from plant waste, or in some cases | | | | farm and the worms inside consume it. The |
| plants grown specifically for energy provision. Not | | | | worm castings produced as a result of this |
| only does biomass have the benefit of being a | | | | process are excellent as a fertiliser, and can be |
| renewable source of energy, it is favoured | | | | used to augment the growth of fruit and |
| because it can be utilised by homeowners and | | | | vegetables. In this way what would have been |
| small businesses as well as large companies and | | | | discarded is transformed into freshly grown food, |
| governments. Furthermore, it can be implemented | | | | negating the need for this food to be grown |
| relatively cheaply: the set up costs for certain | | | | elsewhere and saving the energy that would have |
| types of biomass systems are a fraction of the | | | | been used to do so. |
| cost of solar and wind energy systems. | | | | Of course, the exploitation of biomass as a |
| One of the simplest biomass energy systems to | | | | resource is not confined to homeowners. Biofuel, |
| set up is a biomass-fuelled boiler. Designed to | | | | fuel made from plant mass from sources as |
| provide hot water for one or more buildings, | | | | diverse as sugar cane, algae and wood, is now |
| these boilers are fuelled by pellets of wood chips | | | | being promoted by some governments as a way |
| that are produced as a by-product of the | | | | to reduce reliance on external oil supplies and also |
| construction and timber industries. Since they use | | | | to fuel vehicles in a renewable manner. Brazil, for |
| materials that would otherwise be discarded, | | | | example, already powers a sizable proportion of |
| these systems are cost-effective and also | | | | its vehicles using bioethanol. Going further, biofuels |
| contribute to the drive to ensure that whatever | | | | such as biodiesel can be used to produce |
| resources we consume are utilised as efficiently | | | | electricity, providing a true renewable fuel source |
| as possible, with waste kept to a minimum. With | | | | for both large and small scale generators. When |
| wood-fuelled electricity generators also available, | | | | used as a back-up to solar power and wind |
| homes and businesses with regular access to | | | | power systems, this enables businesses and |
| wood refuse can use biomass to provide a | | | | private individuals to rely completely on renewable |
| substantial amount of their energy needs. | | | | energy for their electricity and heating, something |
| Another way homeowners can utilise biomass is | | | | every person and organisation should work |
| by maintenance of a worm farm. Although not | | | | towards. |