Bioenergy Strategy
The Government's Bioenergy Strategy was published last week by DECC, Dept for Transport and DEFRA .
For those who want to read the whole thing, here is the link.
Unless you suffer from insomnia, here is a summary:
In 2010 bioenenergy provided 3% of the UK's primary energy. 65% of this was used for power generation. There will be a nearly fourfold increase to about 11% by 2020. If not, the cost of achieving the same carbon reduction by other means is estimated to be £44 bn.
Unlike other renewables, bioenergy is a solution for all major primary energy sectors: heat, electricity and transport. Also, it is not an intermittent supply.
The strategy is based on 4 principles:
- it must deliver genuine carbon reductions
- it must be cost effective in terms of energy goals
- it must maximise the benefits and minimise the costs to the economy
- it will be subject to frequent reviews to assess its impact on food security and biodiversity both nationally and internationally.
Without careful management, the use of bioenergy can have negative consequences. The Government will seek to:
- improve domestic supply
- promote sustainable supply markets
- deploy low risk technologies
- minimise the impact on clean air standards
The bioenergy sector will be an important source of new employment opportunities.
