Bioenergy could help meet net-zero goal and fill nuclear gap

An increase in “sustainably sourced” bioenergy can plug the looming nuclear generation gap and meet two-thirds of the projected shortfall of the fifth carbon budget, according to a new report by the Renewable Energy Association (REA).

A combination of biomass and biofuels produced from wood, crops and food wastes can provide an additional 60TWh of heat and 57TWh of power, more than the level required to close the impending 72TWh gap in low carbon electricity that is expected to be created by the closure of the UK’s ageing fleet of nuclear power stations.

The report, entitled Bioenergy in the UK – vision to 2032 and beyond, finds that the UK could almost triple the use of bioenergy as a source of heat.

And it could provide “instantaneous” carbon reductions in the hard to decarbonise areas of heat and transport.

Wood fuels could make a much larger contribution to meeting heating needs for buildings and industry, particularly for providing low carbon heating in off gas-grid properties and where the use of heat pumps is more challenging.

Increasing the deployment of sustainable bioenergy by a factor of 2.5 by 2032 could provide an additional 117TWh of energy across heat, transport and power.

This level of increase would see bioenergy’s overall energy contribution increase from 5.5 per cent in 2020 to 15 per cent in 2032, creating more than 100,000 jobs, according to the study.

Bioenergy could deliver energy security and mitigate future strain on the electricity system by simultaneously decarbonising the grid and reducing demand for power.

And bioenergy is the “cheapest and most technologically available route” to achieve immediate carbon reductions in the heat and transport sectors.

Bioenergy can provide a cheaper alternative to nuclear as a low carbon, dispatchable source of electricity, which can be built more rapidly and privately financed without the problems associated with nuclear waste storage.

In addition, bioelectricity generation can be tied to carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS), providing the scope for a “negative emission” technology.

The deployment of bioenergy CCUS will be essential to enabling the UK to meet the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, recently recommended by the Committee on Climate Change.

The strategy envisages that the share of heating for homes, businesses and industry energy provided by bioenergy will increase from 6.6 per cent in 2020 to 16.3 per cent in 2032.

Bioelectricity’s contribution to the grid would rise from 11 per cent in 2020, to more than 17 per cent by 2032.

The strategy relies on making full use of waste food and other plants as well as developing fast growing energy crops. However the report says growth on the scale that it anticipates would require a doubling in the import of wood pellets.

By replacing fossil fuels, the strategy could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 41 MTCO2e in 2026 and 65 MTCO2e in 2032. This would enable the UK to close the anticipated emissions overshoot of 10-65 MTCO2e by the 2032 end date for the fifth carbon budget.

A further 23 MTCO2e, could be saved by 2032, due to CCUS of CO2 separated from bioenergy processes, it claims.

Nina Skorupska, chief executive of the REA, said: “Increasing the deployment of bioenergy is the only realistic solution to affordably and sustainably bridge the anticipated energy gap and rapidly decarbonise the UK in line with legally binding targets.

“Bioenergy is a no regrets solution to achieving these targets due to its ability to provide immediate and affordable GHG [greenhouse gas] savings through existing infrastructure whilst facilitating the development and commercialisation of future technologies.”

Richard Burrell, chief executive of AMP Clean Energy, said: “Biomass is a proven, world-renowned technology which can continue to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of heat in the UK.

“With the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) coming to an end in 2021, there is an opportunity to install new systems before that date as well as to look at new and innovative ways of financing the decarbonisation of heat. We need to find a way to deliver the much-needed transition to renewable heat generation to build on some of the positive steps that have already been taken and to avoid a cliff-edge for new renewable heat installations after 2021.”

The report has been published as part of an industry-led review of bioenergy ‘s potential and the policies needed to maximise this by 2032, which AMP Clean Energy has contributed to.