There have been huge advances in wood burning technologies in recent years, mainly driven by a number of European countries, especially Scandinavian countries and Austria.

Wood burning systems, unlike other renewables, do emit carbon dioxide. However, as the wood fuel is cultivated, it absorbs the exact same amount of carbon dioxide as is released when burnt. As such it does not add to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
 
Wood pellet burning stoves were first introduced in the United States in the 1980's and there are now over half a million of them installed across the country. Pellet stoves have many of the advantages of fossil fuel heating systems but without the associated environmental damage. Pellet stoves come in lots of different shapes and sizes. Whilst traditional designs dominate the American market, Europeans have turned pellet stoves from an appliance suitable for a country home into something that fits just as easily into a modern apartment.