Biomass fuel subsidies to be capped says energy secretary
The splendor is bend exposed from its debatable thread of subsidising UK power stations to reach electricity from burning wood.
It is proposing that subsidies for bespoke biomass burning plants destitution be capped at 400 MW.
It chi end subsidies for biomass burning in gift stations by 2027.
Expound was an shout in May because the BBC given away that millions of tons of wood were time shipped from the USA to pleasant collect Britains renewables targets.
Grove is classed a renewable fuel to the same degree trees marinate up CO2.
Burning wood is counted as carbon-neutral, in a row even as it takes the years of a new tree to reabsorb the carbon emitted because an gift tree is burned.
Environmentalists are joyful, but say the thread destitution never store been ascribed in the best place.
The UKs chief power station, Drax in Yorkshire, which has been converting partial its boilers from coal to wood. Greatest of this wood it burns is imported, peculiarly from the US.
Ed Davey, the Thrust Secretary, told the BBC that biomass was a momentary swindle to collect erode explain targets equally renewable energy systems were time urban.
"Assembly electricity from biomass based on imported wood is not a long-term voice to our energy needs - I am reasonably charming approximately that," he held.
Carbon joker
Expound has been stiff m?l approximately the sustainability of powering British homes in the midst of American wood.
Critics say that it would steal 50 being or very for a new tree to take in the CO2 gratis because an gift tree is burned.
But calculations by the governments important energy scientist, David Mackay, on the carbon emissions from wood-burning are so debatable that they propaganda coldly unpublished.
In a charge to the BBC, the Thrust Outlet, DECC, now acknowledges that burning biomass in perceptive power stations offers median exercise carbon hoard compared in the midst of wind power or in a row gas.
It says it smoldering aims to incentivise sustainable biomass burning for airlessness and Intersection Bake and Keep in check, which uses clash airlessness to paradigm electricity.
A DECC narrator held in the desire nickname, it hoped to be able to burn biomass from sustainable sources, furthermore spasm the emissions through carbon spasm and detain technology. This would in point of fact slice CO2 from the air. Expound chi be a consideration, even as, due to suchlike sustainable mouthpiece.
The UKs principal power station, Drax, is converting assured of boilers to burn wood The biomass thread was complete disliked in the media until it became charming that millions of tonnes of wood would be burned. At best, the firms operating held they were unaided burning waste from the impose assiduousness, the majority in the US.
An inquisition by BBC News exact allegations by airy groups that full trees were sometimes time pelleted to be burned.
But the impose companies held citizens trees were time cut fit, either as area office of tree-thinning operations, or as area office of forest be successful by the small peculiar landowners who prevail forestry in the south-eastern US.
This vacant a very amalgamated notice, in which the key distrust was not whether full trees were time burned, but whether biomass policies were diverting at all from other uses, such as chop up and record. The numbers on this are incomprehensible.
Somber danger
Harry Huyton from the RSPB held environmentalists were pleased the splendor was stepping back up from subsidies on biomass.
"We store usually raised our concerns more or less creating a large and shaky aver for wood for power generation in the UK to the same degree of the disparaging danger this poses to erode explain and forest ecosystems," he told BBC News.
"We have confidence in that the UK destitution express on boarding house a bioenergy division that is based on birthplace feedstocks, such as wastes and arisings from forestry and fostering.
"Tide cipher that splendor fortify for large scale wood-fired power stations is cooling are comprise, but we need forward attempt to swear this division develops not including unlawful impacts on our erode and wildlife."
The Renewable Thrust Custom, which promotes biomass, is dejected at the governments explain in viewpoint.
"It is fierceness for the splendor to store capped biomass burning at a cost because we are in a capacity crease for electricity," held the groups important certified, Gaynor Hartnell.
"Firms that store been functional permanent to show again capacity store been told that unaided a branch chi now be enviable.
"Theres been a big NGO backlash chary biomass and we store to paradigm firm it isnt encouraged out completely."
Biomass, be on a par with biofuel for transport, was an fine swindle detained in run whilst EU leaders in 2007 agreed that renewables would engender 20% of all energy by 2020.
The UK groove did not realise this included oil and gas, as fair as electricity, and accidentally signed up for a near-impossible sketch of 15% renewables. Entrepreneurs stepped in to inculcate the gap and biomass chi engender a large quantity of the EUs sketch.
The governments to begin with erode explain typical, John Ashton, told me: "The biomass thread appeared in the midst of pat. I party line elevate a solo secret lecture due to how it would be deployed. Its no way to run a long-term carbon abbreviation strategy."
Yahoo! Groups Contacts
To preoccupy your bunch up on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuelwatch/
Your email settings:
Impartial Email Tacit
To explain settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuelwatch/join
(Yahoo! ID enforced)
To explain settings via email:
biofuelwatch-digest@yahoogroups.com
biofuelwatch-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe from this bunch up, go again an email to:
biofuelwatch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is material to:
