No Southampton Biomass

Biomass fuel refers to any source of organic material. Organic material is created through the life that exists on earth be it animal or plant. For the majority of Biomass Fuel power plants the main fuel source is plant material.

The sun is a massive nuclear reactor giving off vast amounts of light and heat energy. Life on Earth uses this source of energy to thrive by transforming the suns energy in to cell growth and reproduction. Trees for example grow and produce leaves that harvest and use the suns energy to photosynthesis and thus produce energy for growing and creating new cells as part of the tree structure growing new branches for further harvesting and increasing their trunk size to accommodate more branches and more energy sources.

This growth can be converted into a biomass fuel that can be burnt by us to provide a heat source that can then be converted into electrical power through use of steam turbines spinning to produce electricity.

This is a technology that has been used extensively in the 20th century with coal and oil burning furnaces providing the heat source for the steam production and source of power to spin the electricity creating generators.

Woody energy crops for Biomass fuel include short rotation forestry which is fast growing trees planted and managed specifically to produce a source of Biomass Fuel. This is environmentally friendly as long as the new forestry doesn't destroy existing wildlife habitats and diversity.

One of the anti green arguments is that to supply the wood energy Biomass Fuel certain countries are destroying long standing rainforest to grow short rotation forestry that provides an economical incentive to the countries to destroy natural habitats as the ecological benefit of the original habitat is outweighed by the financial benefit of selling sustainable fuel sources.

Perennial crops like coppiced willow and miscanthus (also known as elephant grass ) are also used as sources. As these crops can survive in a number of challenging environments they are seen as a good long term source of Biomass fuel. They are also better competitors than annual plants and as the dominant species thrive in a variety of situations.

The use of the land to produce a source of Biomass fuel can also reduce it's ability to provide a crop output for human food crops. This is another of the anti green concerns where the ability of countries to feed their population could be affected by replacing agricultural land use with production of Biomass fuel again for the associated cost benefit.

Other energy crops such as oilseed rape, sugar beet, wheat and maize can also be harvested to produce a source of Biomass Fuel. As in the case of oilseed rape straw to create the most efficient Biomass fuel the straw needs to be condensed into denser pellets for more economical transportation and Biomass fuel source.

There is additional energy to factor in when you take into account the harvesting, refining and the transportation of the Biomass fuel so more Carbon by way of fossil fuel burning is used over what is taken out of the atmosphere by the crop growth alone.

Agricultural residues such as cereal straw, manures and forest thinnings are Biomass fuel sources that are produced as a by product of agricultural activities such as farming or forestry management. As an unrefined Biomass fuel these are not as economical to use as a Biomass fuel but can be used all the same and when locally sourced have less of a need of additional fossil fuel consumption.

Wastes can be produced from places such as landfill gas, municipal solid waste, waste wood, poultry litter, abattoir waste and waste vegetable oils. These wastes are combustible and can therefore be used as a source of Biomass fuel.

Generating Energy from Biomass:

The Environment Agency believes that the biomass heat and power sector can play a key role in helping the UK meet its renewable energy and greenhouse gas commitments. To deliver this however, the sector needs to use sustainable feedstocks and maximise greenhouse gas reductions.

We regulate the operation of combustion plant above a specific threshold under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. These Regulations implement the IPPC Directive and Large Combustion Plants Directives which address the control of pollution caused by emissions from the combustion plant rather than the source of the fuel.

We believe that Government policies supporting the bio-energy sector, notably the Renewable Heat Incentive and the Renewables Obligation, should include sustainability criteria to ensure that unsustainable fuels are not used. We are encouraged that a consultation on this subject has been announced by the Government and will continue to push for a solution to the problem of unsustainable fuels.