Biomass energy not always green, Environment Agency warns

The Environment Agency is concerned that, in its effort to meet ambitious renewable energy targets, the UK might be tempted to embrace biomass energy at any price – even if it’s the environment that ends up paying.

The report – ‘Biomass: Carbon Sink Or Carbon Sinner’ – says biomass energy could play a key role in delivering the UK’s greenhouse gas emission targets, but only if action is taken to ensure that it is genuinely low carbon. It urges the Government to reward good practice, but wants it to ensure that biomass production and use that is harmful to the environment does not benefit from public support.

The Environment Agency’s research shows that biomass generally produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels – for example, it says using short rotation coppice chips to generate electricity can produce 35 to 85 per cent lower emissions. On the other hand, it says using straw can, in some cases, produce at least 35 per cent more than a combined cycle gas turbine power station for each unit of energy delivered.

Even if potentially low emission biomass fuel is used, the way it is produced also has a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions, the report says. It estimates that transporting fuels over long distances and excessive use of nitrogen fertilisers can reduce the emissions savings made by the same fuel by between 15 and 50 per cent compared to best practice.

Biomass is currently the largest source of renewable energy in the UK, accounting for 2.3 per cent of our electricity and one per cent of our heating needs, the Environment Agency says. By 2020 at least 15 per cent of all energy generation will have to come from renewables – 30 per cent of this will come from biomass, according to the Government’s renewable energy strategy. This means biomass energy production will have to increase significantly over the next few years.

The Environment Agency is concerned that this drive for quantity should not be at the expense of quality.  Its head of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Tony 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.

“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.”

The Environment Agency is urging Government to ensure all generators publicly report the greenhouse gas emissions from producing, transporting and using biomass fuels and be ready to set minimum standards if required.