Burning question

Biomass power generation has been the Cinderella of alternative energy technologies. Compared with the clean energy potential of the natural elements of wind and wave, generating power by burning wood seemed hopelessly old-fashioned. Yesterday, however, biomass took centre stage with the announcement that a new £100m plant in Markinch is to be jointly financed by the energy company RWE npower Cogen, the papermaker Tullis Russell, and the Scottish Government.