The government has today unveiled a new strategy that highlights the importance of using biomass – materials from living sources like crops and waste – in a sustainable way.
The strategy aims to help the UK reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and move towards cleaner energy sources.
One key aspect of the strategy is making sure that the use of biomass is environmentally friendly.
The government wants to set strict rules to ensure that when biomass is used, it doesn’t harm the environment.
The strategy also looks at where the UK gets its biomass from – this includes sources within the country as well as from other parts of the world.
The goal is to make sure that the UK uses biomass wisely and in the right places.
Another important focus of the strategy is a technology called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). This technology captures carbon dioxide, a harmful gas that contributes to climate change and turns it into low carbon energy.
The strategy sees BECCS as a way to tackle emissions in sectors that are difficult to make cleaner.
In response to the publication of the strategy, Dr Nina Skorupska, Chief Executive of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said: “Bioenergy is the UK’s largest source of renewable energy across power, heat and transport and the Biomass Strategy provides important confidence to these established low carbon industries, maintaining skills, supply chains and jobs.
“In a context of increasing international competition for the green industries of the future, the Biomass Strategy provides certainty which will help drive investment in strategically important innovations including BECCS, sustainable aviation fuels and bio-hydrogen production pathways.”
