UK not harnessing bio-energy potential
Posted on 20 Mar 2014 and read 857 times
A study carried out by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University has found that the UK could generate 44% of its energy needs from bio-mass sources — including household waste, agricultural residues and home-grown bio-fuels — by 2050. The study paper argues that the UK’s “abundant bio-mass resources are currently under-utilised and are totally overlooked by the bio-energy sector”. It warns that the UK is heading towards greater reliance on bio-mass resources that will have to be imported from abroad.
Study author Andrew Welfle said: “The widely discussed barriers for energy from bio-mass include the competition for land that may otherwise be used to grow food and the ‘narrative’ that bio-mass will have to be imported to the UK if we want to use increased levels of bio-energy. However, our research has found that the UK could produce large levels of energy from bio-mass without importing resources or negatively impacting the country’s ability to feed itself.”