Biomass can help deliver much-needed UK heat decarbonisation

Biomass could play a pivotal role in heat decarbonisation and help the UK meet its renewable heat targets, AMP said today.

Around 6% of heat in the UK currently comes from renewable sources, but EU targets require it to double to 12% by 2020.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) report ‘Bioenergy in the UK – vision to 2032 and beyond’ has found that the UK could almost triple the use of bioenergy as a source of heat – from 6% to 16% by 2032 – with biomass a major contributor.

The report found that wood fuels could make a substantially larger contribution to meeting heating needs for buildings and industry, playing a particular role in providing low carbon heating in off gas-grid properties and those where heating via heat pumps is more challenging.

It concluded that bioenergy, which uses sustainable biomass and biofuels produced from wood, crops and food wastes, is the lowest cost route to heat decarbonisation, while also providing a pathway to the development and commercial deployment of future technologies.

In January 2019 the REA launched an industry-led review of bioenergy ‘s potential and the policies needed to maximise this to 2032. AMP is one of the industry partners contributing to the review.