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Defining biomass and waste
The types of biomass vary considerably, from forestry and animal waste through to energy crops. In more advanced FIT laws, different tariffs (or prices) are established for different biomass types. This is an issue on which advice from regional experts is desirable. From a policy maker's perspective it is necessary to decide whether impure biomass or waste material is considered eligible under the FIT law. We do not recommend including the non-biodegradable section of waste under the definition of waste and biomass.
For example: a complex definition has been adopted in Ontario, distinguishing between renewable biomass, bio-gas and bio-fuel, and this can be contrasted with a simpler definition applied in Ireland, based on EU law.
Ontario
Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program 2006, Appendix: Definitions, paragraphs 73 and 7-9 provide that:
(73) 'Renewable Biomass' means organic matter that is derived from a plant and available on a renewable basis, including, without limitation, organic matter derived from dedicated energy crops, dedicated trees, agricultural food and feed crops and waste organic material from harvesting or processing agricultural products, forestry products (including spent pulping liquor) and sewage including manure, provided that:(a) such organic matter is not Municipal Solid Waste;(b) such organic matter is not peat or a peat derivative;(c) such organic matter shall not contain any treated by-products of manufacturing processes, including, without limitation, chipwood, plywood, painted or varnished wood, pressure treated lumber, or wood contaminated with plastics or metals;(d) such organic matter shall not include hazardous waste or liquid industrial waste, nor contain any materials that can adversely affect anaerobic processes or cause liquids or solids produced through anaerobic processes to become hazardous waste; and(e) supplementary non-renewable fuels used for start up, combustion, stabilization and low combustion zone temperatures shall be no more than 10.00% of the total fuel heat input in any calendar year for Electricity generation units with a Gross Nameplate Capacity of 500 kW or less and 5.00% of the total fuel heat input in any calendar year for Electricity generation units with a Gross Nameplate Capacity of greater than 500 kW;
(7) 'Bio-fuel' means a liquid fuel or product made solely from Renewable Biomass and includes, without limitation, ethanol or Biodiesel as well as the direct utilization of vegetable oils or animal fats;
(8) 'Biodiesel' means the mono-alkyl esters of fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats;
(9) 'Bio-gas' means a gaseous fuel or product made solely from Renewable Biomass, and for greater certainty, includes gaseous output from anaerobic digestion of Source Separated Organics, livestock manure, energy crops, livestock feed ingredients, food and feed processing by-products, off-specification food and feed materials and organic by-products from Biofuel production;
Ireland
Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff (RE-FIT - 2006), section 2.1 provides that:
'Biomass' means the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste;
EU
Directive 2001/77/EC, Article 2(a)-(c) provide that: