Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution¹. today announced that it is to carry out a short study that will investigate energy crops and their potential as sources of heat and energy in the UK.

The Chairman of the Royal Commission, Sir Tom Blundell, said today:
“The issue of energy crops is particularly timely given the failure of the ARBRE project² . Other countries are already utilising crops as a source of renewable energy – both heat and power - and are developing complex technologies and infrastructure to enable them to do this.

The UK is being left behind. If the government is to reach its stated targets for the reduction of Greenhouse Gases, it is imperative that sources of renewable energy are fully researched and given the necessary support by the government”.

The Royal Commission made a number of recommendations for renewable energy in its Twenty-Second Report: Energy – The changing climate. This new study will update these recommendations and expand upon the applicability of new technology and offer practical and detailed advice to the government regarding its renewables policy.

The Commission welcomes views from anyone who wishes to contribute. The closing date for submissions is 26 September 2003.

NOTES TO EDITORS

¹   The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent standing body. Its terms of reference are to advise on matters, both national and international, concerning the pollution of the environment; the adequacy of research in this field; and the future possibilities of danger to the environment. The Chairman is Sir Tom Blundell FRS. Members of the Commission are appointed by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve part time.

²The future of energy crops was selected as a subject for a short study following the success of the Commission’s first short study on the environmental impacts of aircraft in flight. The study announced today will draw, where appropriate, on conclusions reached in previous reports by the Commission. The report of the study should be published in December.

The Government’s NFFO (Non Fossil Fuel Obligation) scheme is falling short of reaching a number of major targets, its key failing being the focus purely on electrical output regardless of heat producing capacity. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants were recommended in the Commission’s Twenty-Second Report: Energy – The changing climate. The opportunity to combine CHP with energy crop fuelled plants will be investigated in the course of the study.

The study will address the wider implications for biomass schemes; for example, biomass fuelled plants do not only use woody materials but also have implications for waste management. Simple CHP plants can co-fire biomass with solid waste. This has the further advantage that it enables energy from waste to be uncoupled from requiring a guaranteed waste stream and thus inhibiting waste reduction.

In the course of this study, the Commission will be drawing on the examples of countries with successful energy crop schemes such as Sweden and Denmark.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The contact for all enquiries about this announcement, or about the new study, is:

Rhian Enright, Secretariat to the Commission
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, 5-8 The Sanctuary, London SW1P 3JS
Tel 020 7799 8980 Email rhian.enright@rcep.org.uk

Back to Index of News Releases