The managing director of CPV, a UK manufacturer of district heating pipe systems, is calling for an end to the way in which the Renewables Obligation is incentivising electricity producers to use biomass fuels in inefficient, conventional power stations and effectively squandering the waste heat produced.
Mark Whettall said: '...using biomass is much better than simply burning fossil fuels such as coal, but to do it at such a low level of efficiency - and furthermore provide financial incentives for doing so - really has to be brought into question.'
'It's a finite resource and as such, we must make sure that we benefit from every milligram of the carbon saving inherent in the fuel, by utilising as much of the energy produced and not simply reject it into the atmosphere via a cooling tower.'
He pointed out that although, from April 2013, the UK Government will have started to reduce the level of ROC support for co-firing with biomass, the practice will still continue. Power stations will continue to consume vast quantities of biomass fuels and divert financial support from more efficient technologies.
Mr Whettall said: 'The Scottish Government has indeed taken this a step further and recently announced that it intends on withdrawing ROC support for wood-fuelled biomass stations with an installed capacity greater than 15 megawatts - if they fail to operate as a combined heat and power plant (CHP) - i.e. utilise the heat produced in the power generation process.'
'This has got to be applauded, however, whilst we still are faced with the challenge of decarbonising the UK's space heating and hot water supplies, we simply cannot afford to waste any heat energy, so why propose a 15MW threshold?'
He continued: 'We are expecting the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to shortly be unveiling its long-awaited strategy document that will outline just how it plans on tacking emissions from the UK's demand for space heating. It has already been vocal in its support for the role that district heating can play as a means of delivering low-carbon heating and hot water supplies to consumers - whether they are domestic or commercial, public or private sector.'
He went on to say that the case for decentralised electricity generation with biomass-fuelled CHP technologies has never been stronger and will tick many of the boxes in terms of the UK's energy strategy.
Concluding, Mr Whetall said: 'Whilst we can of course grow new biomass, there will come a point - as demand increases - when this is no longer sustainable and continuing to allow conventional power stations to squander vast quantities of this resource is simply irresponsible and cannot continue.'
