Bioenergy & Waste News

Monday 15 February 2010

RAB said biomass could provide half of the UK’s 2020 renewables target but raised concerns over air quality and sustainability - in 2008 the UK imported 92% of feedstock for transport biofuels

The public must be won over before the potential of bioenergy can be realised, the Government's Renewables Advisory Board has said.

The board, which advises Energy and Climate Change minister Ed Miliband and his department, has said that air quality and sustainability concerns must be addressed, but that the technology promised great rewards.

At the Renewables Advisory Board (RAB)'s first meeting of 2010 (January 25), David Williams of renewable energy company Eco2 and John Seed of biomass company Helius Energy told Mr Miliband, who chaired the meeting, that with the right policy and support measures, the UK's bioenergy sector could expand four-fold and provide fully half of the UK's 2020 renewables target.

In 2008 bioenergy provided around two-thirds of the renewables contribution to UK energy demand but without support now, there was a risk that bioenergy would not make a significant contribution, they said.

The benefits of achieving this 2020 vision included cumulative investment of £18 billion in the heat and power sectors, turnover of around £9 billion a year, and the creation of up to 65,000 jobs; all of which they claimed would provide a major boost to rural economies.

On RAB's suggestion, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) agreed to prepare a "myth-busting" document to support the Government's approach and, since the meeting, Mr Miliband has spoken of the need to win public support for renewable energy (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story).

RAB also challenged the Government to publically state its support for biomass and to resolve the current shortage of investment caused by uncertainty over it policy on ‘grandfathering' biomass.

And, last week, Lord Hunt made a statement to the House of Lords announcing DECC was to review its policy on biomass under the Renewable Obligation and reiterating the Government's support for bioenergy (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story).

Bioenergy

Emissions control was seen as an area of particular concern. RAB said that if the biomass market is to expand rapidly it requires effective, workable legislation for regulating emissions to air and called the current situation "untenable."

In terms of sustainability, RAB said it believed that indigenous UK production could meet almost half of the fuel demand for heat and power projections, while the remaining demand would be met from energy crops and imported biomass. It suggested up to 10 million tonnes of energy crops could be grown without affecting food production.

However, it expected that 53% of biomass in 2020 would be imported or energy crops, raising doubts about long-term sustainability.

RAB said it believed biofuels could meet the 10% renewable fuel level required under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) by 2020 but again, sustainability standards were uncertain.

In the transport sector only 8% of biofuels consumed originated from the UK in 2008 and a previous Renewable Fuels Agency report revealed that over two fifths of previous land-use for feedstocks was unknown (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story).

A limited contribution from electric vehicles towards the RTFO targets was feasible but, in RAB's view, very challenging. It said that meeting even 10% of the transport target - i.e. 1% of transport fuels - from electricity would be very difficult.