Leading UK renewables trade body calls for new plans, for a world-leading bioenergy industry
Bioenergy using sustainable biomass and biofuels produced from wood, crops and food wastes, is already the UK’s leading source of renewable energy, meeting 7.4% of the total energy needs. Only wind exceeds its output in the renewable power sector.
The Committee on Climate Change projected bioenergy doubling, as a proportion of the UK primary energy supply by 2050. However, promises made in 2012 by the Coalition government to renew its strategy by 2017 failed to be fulfilled.
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) released a report showing bioenergy cutting emissions and boosting green jobs. The report is part of a wider REA review of bioenergy and states bio-based fuel technologies are estimated to cut 19.7 million tonnes of CO2e per year, replacing £21 billion worth of fossil fuels and supporting 46,000 jobs throughout the UK.
Talking about the innovation in the UK alone, REA Chief Executive Nina Skorupska, says, “We need to think carefully about how these sectors work together to get competitive, sustainable energy from our domestic and global bio-resource. This means securing existing bioenergy markets in the UK and addressing the widening policy gap to ensure skills and supply chains are maintained to deliver future growth.”
The report is the first instalment in the REA Bioenergy Strategy, an industry-led review of bioenergy’s potential and the policies that will maximise potential through to 2030 and beyond.
