Bioenergy is planned to play an important role in the UKs ability to reach its 2020 renewable energy targets. It will play such an influential role in our future that it is also being touted as contributing to our longer term carbon reduction targets to 2030 and beyond.
Bioenergy is essentially renewable energy made from material of some sort of biological origin, known as biomass; so derived from a wide range of materials from plant or animal matter for example wood residues, and natural waste from the management of trees, through to organic biodegradable commercial and industrial waste.
Biomass is projected to contribute upwards of 30% of our 2020 target. The cost effectiveness and flexibility of this technology makes it far more attractive than other renewable sources currently under investigation.
If you want to play a part and heat your home this winter with a cleaner renewable energy source, then biomass may be an option. You would be one of the many families, schools and organisations switching to biomass boilers.
But all the crackles is not gold. Lobbyists argue the carbon given off from burning the wood will take too long to be absorbed by the trees, not to mention the transportation of the biomass product itself around the globe. This debate is certainly primed to continue.