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LONDON, England, May 03, 2006 (Refocus Weekly)
The British government will take 12 steps to
increase the use of biomass in the renewable energy sector.
Biomass is particularly suited for producing green heat,
according to the report from the ministers of the energy (DTI) and
environment (Defra), and the document forms the government's
response to the Biomass Task Force tabled last October by Sir Ben
Gill. The action plan emphasizes that electricity generated from
biomass and combined heat & power (cogeneration) are also an
important part of the future for biomass.
“There is enormous potential in biomass to generate renewable
energy, to help the environment and to provide another possible
market for our farmers,” says Lord Bach of Defra. “We know that
biomass is not the answer to every issue facing us but we should be
getting much more from this valuable resource.”
"This action plan provides us with a clear path forwards,” he adds.
“It has been drawn up by a cross-government team, building on the
excellent work done by the Biomass Task Force” which submitted 42
recommendations.
The government's formal response accepts most of the
recommendations, and the action plan is primarily intended for
England. The devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland
and Wales have helped to develop the response, which will contribute
to a UK biomass strategy to be published next year.
“We are aiming for 10% of our electricity to come from renewable
sources by 2010 and double that by 2020, so biomass will have an
increasingly important role to play in the UK's future energy mix,”
says energy minister Malcolm Wicks. “The plans we are announcing and
the biomass strategy that is being developed will supplement
initiatives such as the DTI's Low Carbon Building programme and the
bioenergy capital grants scheme to further increase the use of
biomass technology.”
“Biomass is recognized as an important contributor to renewable
energy, with potential applications in heat, electricity, combined
heat and power and transport,” the report explains. “We agree in
particular with the Task Force’s conclusion that renewable heat
provides important opportunities and is a particularly efficient way
of cutting carbon emissions, provided that development is planned
appropriately with a secure market for the heat generated.”
A key point of the response is a five-year program of capital grants
for biomass boilers, with funding of £10 to £15 million over the
first two years and more funding under the Bioenergy Infrastructure
Scheme. It also calls for government leadership through public
procurement, including a commitment to map the potential use of
biomass across the main procuring departments of government.
The planning system will be used to stimulate development of
renewables, including support for planning authorities which apply a
minimum percentage of renewables in new developments, and agreement
in principle to support for energy crops under a new rural
development program for England to be introduced next year that will
be closely integrated with the bioenergy market.
New Building Regulations will be introduced with new procedures and
tougher standards to encourage use of low- or zero-carbon systems
such as biomass, and further measures to integrate environmental
assessment in the planning of energy crop development. The action
plan will also work with regional development agencies to ensure
coordinated delivery of policy and advice, action to address
regulatory barriers and to develop standards to improve confidence
in biomass, action to improve the Renewables Obligation and
implementation of associated procedures, and announcement of a new
Biomass Energy Centre as a major hub for bioenergy advice and best
practice for industry and the public.
Biomass provides 84% of Britain's green power generation and 1.4% of
the country’s total electricity generation.
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