ETI Insights Report - Insights into the future UK Bioenergy Sector, gained using the ETI’s Bioenergy Value Chain Model (BVCM)

Abstract:

Bioenergy has the potential to help secure UK energy supplies, mitigate climate change, and create significant green growth opportunities if deployed effectively. The BVCM toolkit enables us to assess the sensitivities of the system to different parameters, drawing on the best available data. The ETI is using the BVCM toolkit to help determine the role that biomass should play in achieving the UK?s energy and GHG emissions targets in 2050.

Headline insights are shown below

• Biomass combined with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) remains the only credible route to deliver negative emissions, necessary to meet the UK’s 2050 GHG emission reduction targets.
• Without targeted intervention and leadership, the opportunities to realise the full benefits of this negative emission potential could be missed
• Bio-hydrogen and bio-electricity are produced inpreference to biofuels and bio-methane
• Bio-heat is deployed across the UK, especially in earlier decades
• Gasification technology is a key bioenergy enabler, producing both hydrogen and syngas, and is one of the most flexible, scalable, and cost-effective bioenergy technologies
• Locational preferences for resource production are apparent: with Short Rotation Coppice Willow (SRC-W) in the west / north-west of the UK and Miscanthus in the south and east of the UK. Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) when grown is preferred in the south and east of the country, along with the collection of waste for making Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).

Publication Year:

2015

Publisher:

ETI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5286/ukerc.edc.000881

Author(s):

Newton-Cross, G.