Europe is striving for zero carbon electricity production by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous climate change. To meet this target a large variety of options is being explored. Biomass is such an option and should be given serious consideration. In this paper the potential role of biomass in a NW-European electricity mix is analyzed. The situation in NW-Europe is unique since it is a region which is a fore runner in renewable technology promotion but also an area with little sun, almost no potential for hydro and a lot of wind. This will result in a substantial need for non-intermittent low-carbon options such as biomass. The benefits and issues related to biomass are discussed in detail from both an environmental and an economic perspective. The former will focus on the life cycle of a biomass pellet supply chain, from the growth of the trees down to the burning of the pellets on site. The latter will provide detailed insights on the levelized cost of electricity for biomass and the role of biomass as a grid stabilizer in high intermittent scenarios. During the discussion, biomass will be compared to other competing electricity technologies to have a full understanding of its advantages and drawbacks. We find that biomass can play a very important role in the future low carbon electricity mix, the main bottleneck being the supply of large amounts of sustainably produced feedstock
