Renew On Line (UK) 51

4. Biomass Heat Gap

In its major new report ‘Biomass as a Renewable Energy Source’, the influential Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) claims that heat from biomass is the ‘missing link in Renewables policy’  and that so far government policy has not succeeded in developing this resource.  In its earlier report ‘Energy- the Changing Climate’, which called for a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, the Commission suggested that biomass could provide up to 12% of UK energy- with 16GW of energy conversion capacity in place by 2050, but so far progress has been very slow. 

The Commission notes that biomass differs from other renewable energy sources in two important respects: it is controllable and it can provide heat as well as electricity.  and adds “Changing government policy to encourage the use of biomass fuels for both heat and power could provide the impetus that the sector needs”. Provocatively it calculates that the 16GW target could require up to 7m hectares of land- about 40% of UK agricultural land- although it settles for 5.5m ha. 

The RCEP say ‘there are significant existing resources of biomass in the UK that could be exploited for immediate progress on carbon dioxide reduction. Use of these resources would offer additional income streams for farmers and foresters and initiate the development of an infrastructure for biomass supply. Co-firing with wood in existing power stations could be a useful step in the development of the sector, but even here ill-designed policies have inhibited the use of biomass.’

In the longer term, it says that ‘the use of biomass for energy would depend largely on the production of energy crops (such as willow). This would require a significant change in agricultural land-use by 2050, and the Royal Commission recommends approaching this change in four distinct stages that provide opportunities for periodic assessment of the environmental impacts, the social acceptability and the economic viability of biomass utilisation. Following this approach, biomass could provide 10–15% of the UK’s energy by 2050.’

It adds ‘Biomass conversion technologies are adaptable; the scale, type of fuel and heat to power output ratio can all be varied according to local supply and demand. Distributed generation offers opportunities to engage local communities and to develop a sense of ownership of, and responsibility for, localised energy production.’

Green Heat

The Commission notes that heating systems using biomass ‘are common elsewhere in Europe and serve as  positive examples of integrated development that we need to see here. Our report calls for government support to exploit biomass’s value as a source of both heat and power. The introduction of a ‘green heat’ credit would help to raise the profile and profitability of schemes that use biomass. Use of biomass for heat or co-generation of heat and power (CHP) would also encourage better efficiency in energy generation (from typically 30% to 80%), and increase the CO2 savings of the UK energy sector. Failing to recognise the value of renewable heat, and dividing responsibility between government departments with resultant inconsistencies in policy, are hindering the development of a sector vital to the government’s climate change strategy.’

Action Required

At the launch of the report in May, Sir Tom Blundell said: “The government is missing out on an opportunity for cross-departmental policies to have a real, long term impact on climate change. At the Climate Group launch earlier this month, Tony Blair highlighted the importance of climate change policy during the British chairmanship of the G8 next year. This will be impossible in our current position- some ten years behind other Northern European countries. If Britain is to take the lead on climate change, renewables policy must be reviewed immediately.”

The Commissions press release says that ‘one of the first steps in developing the biomass sector would be to establish a government/industry forum to encourage the sharing of ideas and expertise and to provide support to early-stage projects. This forum should be open to all stakeholders including farmers, construction companies, local councils, power generators and environmental  NGOs.’

It concludes ‘Biomass energy and heat should be supported by the introduction of renewable credits for heat as well as electricity and by positive planning regulations. Biomass energy should be favoured in all new-build and retrofit projects. The assumption should be in favour of biomass energy in all projects; construction companies and councils should have to justify any decision not to adopt this option.’  It also called for ‘rigorous monitoring of impacts, with detailed assessments of social and environmental  consequences at each stage’.    Full review in Renew 152.

* The report can be accessed at www.rcep.org.uk Note that it deals with biomass for heat and power- not biofuels for vehicles.