RHI timetable holds back coalition promises
DECC’s timetable of milestones for the Renewable Heat Incentive will hamper delivery of the Government’s promises, Lord Redesdale, Liberal Democrat peer and chair of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association has said today [28 March].
The timetable, announced earlier this week, says that the Government will consult on extending support to new technologies in the non-domestic sector in September 2012, with changes taking effect in summer 2013.
Lord Redesdale, who was named as ‘Environmental Parliamentarian of the Year’ by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management in November, has warned that this will leave important issues unresolved for too long to allow the coalition to deliver its green commitments.
Alongside the timetable of milestones, DECC published a consultation on interim cost control measures, which showed uptake of the scheme remains well below budget.
Lord Redesdale said:
“The timetable for the RHI announced by DECC this week is deeply disappointing, and risks breaking the Government’s commitments on renewable energy, including their promise to support a ‘huge increase in energy from waste’ through anaerobic digestion.
“For example, support for heat use from biogas combustion is limited to 200kWth, which means many AD projects are unable to make full use of the heat they produce. When DECC brought that limit in they said it was temporary – so to hear that it may stay until summer 2013 is a source of huge frustration.
“As well as putting the Government’s commitments at risk, it is fundamentally wrong not to support good uses of renewable heat which replace fossil fuel energy. More widely, the AD industry offers excellent value for money, and could deliver 35,000 jobs and a £3 billion industry which would help green growth enormously.
“Instead of progress on issues such as support for biogas combustion, Government are proposing policy on cost control which risks putting off investment and which their own consultation document shows is unnecessary.
“ADBA will be working hard to see if we can get an earlier decision on extending support for heat use from biogas combustion, which would help countless AD projects, heat users who want to switch to green energy, and the economy more widely.”
Five facts you need to know about ADBA
- ADBA stands for The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association
- The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association was founded in September 2009
- Since its launch ADBA has acquired nearly 300 members, including AD plant operators, suppliers, local authorities, farmers including the NFU, utility and energy companies such as E.ON and United Utilities, food producers such as Waitrose and Branston, fleet operators such as Coca Cola and Howard Tenens.
- ADBA’s chairman is Lord Redesdale, former Liberal Democrat energy spokesman
- ADBA’s aim is to help enable or facilitate the development of a mature AD industry in the UK and to represent all businesses involved in the anaerobic digestion and biogas industries, to remove the barriers they face and to support its members to grow their businesses and the industry to help UK plc meet its renewable energy, climate change and landfill targets, as well as the preservation of critical natural resources.
Key facts you need to know about anaerobic digestion and biogas
- Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a natural process which converts organic matter such as household food and garden waste, farm slurry, waste from food processing plants and supermarkets, and sewage sludge, into biogas.
- Biogas (which is approximately 60% biomethane, 40% CO2) can be utilised to generate electricity and heat, or, upgraded to biomethane, either used as a transport fuel or fed directly into the UK’s gas grids
- According to the Carbon Trust the generation of biomethane would save twice as much carbon dioxide as producing electricity by 2020
- AD is the only renewable that can be scaled up fast enough to enable the UK to reach its 2020 renewable energy target
- The AD industry has the potential to be worth £2-3bn in the UK alone and employ 35,000 people
- Overseas potential is significant and the UK could be a world leader - with the right support now.
- AD reduces greenhouse gas emissions by treating organic wastes which would otherwise emit methane (landfill, slurries) and reducing our use of energy intensive commercial fertilisers and fossil fuels
- AD preserves critical natural resources such as Nitrates and Phosphorus. Phosphorous is a finite resource for which there is no known alternative. It is critical for plant growth and world resources are already running out. Nitrates are one of the key components of fertilisers.
- AD significantly improves Britain’s energy security - we will soon be importing over 70% of our gas
- Unlike other renewables, biomethane is generated constantly and can be stored in the gas grid
- Biomethane is one of the few renewable fuels for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) which cannot run on electricity
- The AD industry has the potential to generate around 40TWh of energy, equivalent to over 10% of the UK’s domestic gas demand
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