Biomass energy spans electricity, heat, industrial fuels and gases made from biological material. The measures below distinguish power capacity, electricity output, final energy consumption, fuel consumption and project economics because these units describe different populations and outcomes.
Key Biomass Energy Statistics
The most broadly useful biomass energy figures include:
- 151 GW of global bioenergy power capacity was installed at the end of 2024 worldwide.
- 4,443 GW of renewable power capacity was installed globally at the end of 2024.
- Renewables represented 46.2% of the world’s 9.6 TW installed power capacity in 2024.
- Bioenergy added 5.1 GW of renewable power capacity worldwide in 2024.
- U.S. utility-scale biomass generation reached 47 billion kWh in 2023.
- Wood supplied 31 billion kWh of U.S. utility-scale biomass generation in 2023.
- Landfill gas supplied 8 billion kWh of U.S. utility-scale generation in the United States in 2023.
- Modern solid bioenergy consumption was 16 EJ worldwide in 2023.
- Traditional biomass consumption added 19 EJ globally in 2023, mainly for cooking and heating in developing countries.
- Modern solid bioenergy consumption is forecast to reach 18 EJ worldwide by 2030.
- Global biogas and biomethane demand is forecast to grow 30% from 2024 to 2030.
- Global biogas and biomethane demand is forecast to reach almost 2,270 PJ per year in 2030.
- Bioenergy fuels account for 95% of renewable-fuel growth in the IEA forecast for 2024–2030.
- The global weighted-average installed cost of newly commissioned bioenergy projects was $3,242/kW in 2024.
- The global weighted-average bioenergy capacity factor was 73% in 2024.
- Global weighted-average bioenergy LCOE was $0.087/kWh in 2024.
- U.S. wood and biomass-waste consumption totaled 2,306.8 trillion Btu across all sectors in 2024.
- U.S. industrial biomass consumption was 1,484.6 trillion Btu in 2024.
Contents
- Global biomass energy capacity and renewable-power trends
- U.S. biomass electricity generation by fuel
- Modern solid bioenergy consumption
- Biogas and biomethane forecasts
- Biomass power costs and capacity factors
- U.S. biomass consumption by state and sector
Global Biomass Energy Capacity and Renewable-Power Trends
At the end of 2024, global bioenergy power capacity reached 151 GW, equal to 3.4% of renewable capacity. The International Renewable Energy Agency revised its historical capacity series, and this is power capacity rather than energy output (IRENA, Renewable energy highlights, July 2025).
| Global capacity measure | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable power capacity | End of 2024 | 4,443 GW |
| Bioenergy power capacity | End of 2024 | 151 GW |
| Renewable share of total installed power capacity | 2024 | 46.2% of 9.6 TW |
| Renewable capacity additions | 2024 | 582 GW |
| Bioenergy share of additions | 2024 | About 1%, or 5.1 GW |
Renewable additions rose 19.8% from 2023 to 2024, but that growth covered all renewable technologies, not biomass alone. Asia added 413.2 GW, or 71.0% of global renewable additions, while Europe added 71.9 GW and Africa added 4.7 GW in 2024 (IRENA, Renewable energy highlights, July 2025).
The five largest countries for installed bioenergy capacity—France, China, Japan, India and the United Kingdom—accounted for more than three-quarters of the global total in 2023. This is a reported estimate rather than an exact percentage.
U.S. Biomass Electricity Generation by Fuel Type
The U.S. Energy Information Administration defines utility-scale generation here as plants with at least 1 MW. Preliminary 2023 utility-scale generation totaled 4,178 billion kWh, of which biomass contributed 47 billion kWh, or 1.1% (EIA, What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?).
| U.S. utility-scale source | 2023 generation | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Biomass total | 47 billion kWh | 1.1% |
| Wood | 31 billion kWh | 0.8% |
| Landfill gas | 8 billion kWh | 0.2% |
| Biogenic municipal solid waste | 6 billion kWh | 0.1% |
| Other biomass waste | 2 billion kWh | 0.1% |
The fuel breakdown shows how biomass electricity is distributed across feedstocks. Biogenic municipal solid waste excludes the non-biogenic portion of waste, while the other-waste figure is rounded.
For scale, all U.S. utility-scale renewables produced 894 billion kWh, or 21.4%, in 2023, while natural gas produced 1,802 billion kWh, or 43.1%. EIA separately estimated 73.62 billion kWh from small-scale solar PV beyond utility-scale totals; that comparison is not biomass.
Modern Solid Bioenergy Consumption Statistics
The International Energy Agency estimated renewable-fuel demand in industry, buildings and transport at 22 EJ in 2023, equal to 5% of energy demand in those sectors. Modern solid bioenergy supplied 75% of renewable-fuel demand, compared with 20% for liquid biofuels and 5% for biogases (IEA, Renewables 2024: Renewable fuels).
Modern solid bioenergy consumption was 16 EJ, or 3.5% of total final energy consumption, in 2023. The series excludes traditional biomass uses, which the IEA reported separately at another 19 EJ, mainly for cooking and heating in developing countries.
| Bioenergy measure | Period | Value | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern solid bioenergy | 2023 | 16 EJ | Worldwide; modern uses |
| Traditional biomass | 2023 | 19 EJ | Worldwide; mainly cooking and heating |
| Modern solid bioenergy forecast | 2030 | 18 EJ | Worldwide; main case |
| Modern solid-bioenergy growth from industry | 2024–2030 | More than 70% | Worldwide; projected growth |
The IEA main case projects modern solid bioenergy consumption to rise about one-fifth to 18 EJ by 2030. More than 70% of projected growth comes from industry, while total annual solid bioenergy consumption is expected to decline 5% over the outlook period as traditional use becomes more efficient.
That apparent contrast reflects different populations: modern use grows, while the combined total includes efficiency effects in traditional use. In the IEA Net Zero by 2050 Scenario, modern solid bioenergy consumption expands 2.4 times faster than in the main outlook.
Biogas and Biomethane Energy Forecasts Through 2030
Global biogas and biomethane demand is expected to grow 30% from 2024 to 2030, reaching almost 2,270 PJ per year in 2030, approximately 59 bcm-equivalent per year (IEA, Renewables 2024: Renewable fuels). These are IEA main-case forecasts for combined biogas and biomethane.
The policy and scenario picture is broader than the main forecast:
- The IEA Net Zero by 2050 Scenario requires biogas production to grow 3.7-fold by 2030.
- The 2030 main-case biogas demand forecast is 64% below the level required by the Net Zero Scenario.
- More than 80 countries had liquid-biofuel policies in the 2024 policy landscape; this is a policy count covering liquid biofuels, not biogas alone.
- Bioenergy fuels account for 95% of renewable-fuel growth in the IEA 2024–2030 forecast, including liquid, gaseous and solid bioenergy.
- Solid bioenergy alone contributes 2.6 EJ of additional renewable-fuel demand by 2030 in the main case.
Renewable hydrogen and e-fuel energy use is projected to reach 0.17 EJ by 2030 from near zero today. That figure is contextual and does not describe biomass.
Biomass Power Costs, Capacity Factors and Investment Metrics
IRENA reported a global weighted-average installed cost of $3,242/kW for newly commissioned bioenergy projects in 2024. The 2024 value was 5% higher than in 2010, using IRENA’s cost database and comparison (IRENA, Renewable power generation costs in 2024 – Executive summary).
| Bioenergy project metric | 2010 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted-average capacity factor | 72% | — | 73% |
| Weighted-average LCOE | $0.086/kWh | $0.073/kWh | $0.087/kWh |
| Installed cost | Baseline | — | $3,242/kW |
The global weighted-average capacity factor increased from 72% in 2010 to 73% in 2024. LCOE means levelised cost of electricity, not a retail electricity price; the 2024 global weighted average was 1% higher than 2010 and 19% higher than 2023.
Regional 2024 weighted-average LCOE ranged from $0.062/kWh in India to $0.106/kWh in North America. China recorded $0.065/kWh and Europe $0.096/kWh; these are regional weighted averages, not universal plant costs.
U.S. Biomass Consumption by State and Sector
EIA’s State Energy Data System estimated U.S. wood and biomass-waste consumption at 2,306.8 trillion Btu across all sectors in 2024. Biomass waste includes biogenic municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge, agricultural byproducts and other biomass, while nonrenewable waste is excluded (EIA, Table F45: Wood and biomass waste consumption estimates, 2024).
| U.S. sector | 2024 consumption |
|---|---|
| Residential | 358.2 trillion Btu |
| Commercial | 143.8 trillion Btu |
| Industrial | 1,484.6 trillion Btu |
| Electric power | 320.1 trillion Btu |
| All sectors | 2,306.8 trillion Btu |
The sector estimates may not sum exactly because components were independently rounded. State totals also show how consumption differs by local industrial and power profiles:
- Alabama consumed 169.3 trillion Btu, including 164.4 trillion Btu industrially.
- California consumed 111.2 trillion Btu, including 49.3 trillion Btu in electric power.
- Virginia consumed 118.4 trillion Btu, including 62.3 trillion Btu industrially and 25.9 trillion Btu for electric power.
- Pennsylvania consumed 100.8 trillion Btu, including 49.2 trillion Btu industrially and 15.8 trillion Btu for electric power.
- South Carolina consumed 99.4 trillion Btu, including 90.6 trillion Btu industrially.
- Washington consumed 91.4 trillion Btu, including 72.3 trillion Btu industrially.
- Wisconsin consumed 82.3 trillion Btu, including 48.8 trillion Btu industrially and 14.4 trillion Btu for electric power.
- Texas consumed 79.9 trillion Btu, including 67.5 trillion Btu industrially.
- Vermont consumed 11.6 trillion Btu, including 5.9 trillion Btu for electric power.
These state figures are 2024 estimates of wood and biomass-waste energy consumption, not electricity generation alone. Comparing them with global capacity, U.S. utility-scale generation or project LCOE requires retaining the original unit, geography, sector and measurement definition.