Biomass Energy on the Urban Fringe ‘Fire from forests and fields beyond the edge of town’

An outline of the talk The energy gap An importance for carbon Biomass for energy Some future perspectives

Energy gap There may be issues related to the following: Lack of electricity Lack of heat Energy security

UK energy already comes from some unexpected places Cable supply from France UK nuclear, present and future Biomass Gas, by ship from North Africa And in the future… Solar, locally produced and from North Africa Wood chip and sawdust

But where ever we are we may care to be mindful of issues relating to global carbon distributions A transfer of carbon from the terrasphere to the atmosphere

Are there any UK solutions and are there any that a particularly relevant to the urban fringe? Waste conversion to heat and power Plant-based power generation combined with carbon sequestration

Newly established industries may be addressing some of these issues Require a supply chain comprising: biomass processing facilities facilities for energy conversion And suitable economic incentives

UK Operational Biomass Processing Facilities: June, 2010 Source: www.PowerPlants.co.uk

Example 1 UK-grown cereals grain human and animal consumption straw use for local heating (directly) Make use of energy densification and then use for the production of heat However there is a requirement for speciality boilers characterised by ‘rolling grids’ and lower temperatures of combustion

Example 2 Dedicated energy crops eg. SRC willow and poplar [Harvest, dry for a year and then use] ‘Energy grasses’ [Harvest in the Spring and use directly]

Example 2 (continued)

Example 2 (continued) In many cases issues with energy densification remain to permit the exploitation of near zero- carbon energy production

Some future perspectives Processing/pelleting factories in the UK- should there be more on the urban fringe? nb. Bishops Castle This may be OK for farmers and land owners but what about others who may wish to have be involved in decentralised energy production? 0.3ha Miscanthus can heat a domestic house Biomass.Centre@forestry.gsi.gov.uk Food vs. fuel (qv. animals vs food) also the RHI Not everyone likes renewable energy

A future vision for the urban fringe…

Acknowledgements Colleagues in the Biorenewables and Environmental Change Division, IBERS Biomass Chemistry Group: Gordon Allison, Barbara Hauck, Samantha Gill and Jose Carli Geraint Evans at NNFCC