EA calls for more CHP capacity in biomass

The 'Biomass: Carbon sink or carbon sinner' report, which was published on Tuesday (April 14) by consultants AEA Technology on behalf of the EA, said that there was an “urgent need” to ensure that new biomass plants were designed to produce usable heat from the outset.

It said: “The only way electricity production from biomass can keep within the Committee on Climate Change's recommended trajectory is if the heat generated at the same time is put to domestic or industrial use.”

It explained that facilities needed to have CHP systems fitted from the outset as it is “impossible in some cases to retrofit a CHP system” and warned that if plants did not have CHP systems and could not be retrofitted then their “operators risk being left with stranded assets in 20 years”.

Tony Grayling, head of climate change and sustainable development at the Environment Agency, said: “Biomass operators have a responsibility to ensure that biomass comes from sustainable sources, and is used efficiently to deliver the greatest greenhouse gas savings and the most renewable energy.”

At present the majority of biomass facilities do not utilise the heat they create and generate only electricity. The EA has urged a more “strategic approach” towards biomass to ensure it is “put to its most efficient use”.

In its report the Agency also revealed that some forms of biomass energy production, such as those that use straw, produce more greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-fueled power stations. It said by 2030 biomass electricity will need to be produced using “good practice” if the UK is to avoid emitting more greenhouse gas emissions than necessary.

Recommendations

The Agency made a number of recommendation to improve efficiency and reduce emissions from biomass energy facilities. It recommended:

• The Renewables Obligation, the Renewable Heat Incentive and other relevant policies should ensure that combined heat and power and heat only plants are built rather than electricity only, as is currently the case
• Mandatory reporting on greenhouse gas emissions by generators receiving public support through the Renewables Obligation and the Renewable Heat Incentive should be introduced
• Mandatory minimum standards for the greenhouse gas savings achieved by fuels used to generate heat and power should be developed
• A review of energy conversion efficiency in biomass heat and power generation should be carried out to ensure current standards are adequate in ambition and scope
• Further research needs to be carried out to understand which uses of limited biomass resources will maximise renewable energy generation and greenhouse gas emission reductions

The recommendations are important because the government's Renewable Energy Strategy has said the UK needs to generate 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. This means 30% of renewable heat and electricity will need to come from biomass facilities.

Explaining the reasoning behind the report and recommendations. Mr Grayling said: “The biomass heat and power sector can play an important role in helping the UK meet its renewable energy and greenhouse gas commitments but only if it meets high standards.

“We want to ensure that the sector's growth is environmentally sustainable and that the mistakes made with biofuels are avoided, where unsustainable growth has had to be curbed.”

He added: “The Government should ensure that good practice is rewarded and that biomass production and use that does more harm than good to the environment does not benefit from public support.”

The EA is now conducting further research into greenhouse gas emissions from biomass with the aim of producing a hieraching setting out the conversion technologies which offer the greatest greenhouse gas savings.