NEWS All the latest news from around the building industry
Gas and CHP ‘still have big futures’
The government’s recent Energy Statement has confirmed that gas will remain a key part of energy policy in the future, according to the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) sector. The Energy Minister Chris
Huhne stated that ‘energy saving is now an equal priority with energy production’ and that ‘gas will continue to feature strongly in our energy mix’. The CHP Association (CHPA)
estimates that CHP could provide up to 13% of the UK’s total electricity supply and displace 5% of its primary energy consumption in the next decade. It is calling for the government
to back up its policy statements with a series of practical steps, including exempting fuel used for heat production from the carbon price support levy and retaining climate change levy exemption certificates (LECs) for CHP until the introduction of an alternative feed-in tariff incentive. The sector also wants to see
the introduction of a tariff for micro-CHP of at least 15p/kWh and for this to be extended to include plant up to 50 kWe capacity. Energy Minister Greg Barker
has stated that there would be ‘a new ambitious role for CHP’.
Bioenergy’s role in cutting carbon ‘still controversial’
l Tighter regulations needed for biofuels says Committee on Climate Change
The role of bioenergy in reducing carbon emissions remains ‘highly controversial’, according to a new expert review, which has said no public subsidies should be paid for biomass power generation. The Committee on Climate Change – independent
advisers to the government – believes more bioenergy will be needed to meet carbon targets, and that its share of total energy production should rise from the current 2% to 10%. However, it says that the regulations around biofuels need to be strengthened because some of the ways it is currently used actually create more emissions. It recommends that bioenergy be used with
carbon capture and storage (CCS) to achieve higher reductions in emissions than are currently achieved. A 10% share is feasible, but any higher than this
could be unsafe ‘given sustainability concerns’, the review says.
Some key recommendations
l Regulatory frameworks should be strengthened, including reducing the emissions benchmark for the use of biomass in power generation from 285g CO2/kWh to 200g CO2/kWh.
l CCS should be demonstrated as a matter of urgency.
l The government should delay setting any new targets until new regulatory arrangements have been put in place.
l Subsidies should not be provided to new, large-scale
biomass power generation projects under the Renewables Obligation – because they are costly and unsustainable.
l Other low carbon options should be developed, including energy efficiency improvements.
‘ There is a crucial role for bioenergy in meeting carbon budgets, but within strict sustainability limits’
Even at the 10% level, there may need to be trade-
offs with wider environmental and social objectives. David Kennedy, chief executive of the
Committee on Climate Change, said: ‘The extent to which bioenergy should contribute to economy decarbonisation is highly controversial. Our analysis shows that there is a crucial role for bioenergy in meeting carbon budgets, but within strict sustainability limits.’ He pointed out that it was hard to account fully for
all emissions resulting from the use of bioenergy, and that life-cycle emissions are often excluded. See the biofuels feature, page 42
For more information visit:
www.theccc.org.uk
8
CIBSE Journal January 2012
www.cibsejournal.com
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