LONDON, England, 2004-05-19 (Refocus Weekly) Biomass energy is “close to carbon neutral” and is a controllable renewable energy, unlike other renewables, says the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.
If Britain is to reduce its CO2 emissions by 60%, “it is vital for the
government to concentrate on encouraging low- or non-carbon electrical and heat
generation.” says the special report, ‘Biomass as a Renewable Energy Source,’
released by RCEP. “As a component of a renewable energy generation mixture,
biomass should play an important role.”
The report examines three types of indigenous biomass fuel: forestry materials,
energy crops and agricultural residues. It notes that biomass can also be
imported in the form of pelleted sawdust, which is an internationally traded
commodity.
“Sufficient biomass is already available to initiate the development of the
sector, in the form of forestry products and by-products, straw and municipal
arisings,” it notes. “Systematic use of this material will have the
additional benefits of providing additional income streams for farmers and
foresters, improving forest management, and diverting materials from landfill.”
“In the longer term, the use of biomass for energy will depend at least
partially on the production of energy crops,” which would require significant
changes in agricultural land-use by 2050. Existing government support measures
for biomass are “complex and can conflict with each other,” and the report
recommends that “all possible technical measures should be utilised to reduce
noise and emissions and to increase efficiency and therefore reduce
transportation of fuel.”
“There is a significant gap in government energy policy regarding heat
production,” it adds. “Using heat instead of, or as well as, electrical
energy could increase conversion efficiencies substantially - from typically 30%
to around 80%. Biomass can be a reliable, controllable source of both heat and
power and the utilisation of this additional benefit should therefore to be
central to biomass exploitation.”
“The scope for biomass as a source of renewable heat needs further
investigation,” it concludes. “The introduction of a green heat credit would
help to raise the profile and profitability of schemes that use biomass. It
would also encourage better efficiency in energy generation and increase the CO2
savings of the UK energy sector.”
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent advisory group
that, in 2000, recommended that Britain reduce CO2 emissions 60% by 2050.