UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources researchers respond to the government’s biomass strategy

In August 2023 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published their biomass strategy.

The UK government says biomass has a ‘major role to play’ in building a truly green economy. Biomass can be used as fuel for transport, heat and electricity generation, as well as being the starting material for decarbonising other important sectors, such as chemicals.

The key messages from the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources on the use of biomass in achieving net zero are:

1. Land is the primary resource. Bioenergy should not be viewed in isolation from other uses of land. The focus should be on land-use options which offer significant co-benefits in terms of biodiversity, socioeconomic impacts and ecosystem services as well as carbon removal. A coherent approach to land-use which ensures long-term environmental, social and economic sustainability should be developed collaboratively across government.
2. Biomass deployment should be limited to those sectors and specific applications which are harder to decarbonise using other routes such as electrification and hydrogen. Biomass should only be used in power generation, hydrogen production and fuel production if Carbon Capture and Storage is available.
3. Sustainable biomass feedstocks are and will continue to be in limited supply with significant supply-chain risks and high levels of international competition. Strategies that reduce the size of the overall energy system by rationalising, shifting, and reducing demands – for energy, materials, and specific transport modes – should be pursued in order to reduce the carbon emissions from the energy system and thus the pressure on biomass supply options. 

Read the response now

Links

• Learn more about the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Biomass strategy.

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