REHEAT – INSIGHTS FROM INDUSTRY REQ
WOOD FUEL
Economic and environmental
A
s energy derived from fossil fuels becomes unavoidably more expensive, logs as a source of energy are comparatively stable
in price. In addition, the burning of fossil fuels, such as heating oil and natural gas, has a much greater impact on the environment. businesses are now turning to wood fuel to service their energy needs. Biomass Timber Solutions specialise in the
supply of premium grade wood chip and logs UK-wide from our depot in Derbyshire. We the UK and support them with a constant supply of fuel from well-managed woodland.
Is wood fuel clean? Unlike oil, gas or LPG, wood fuel presents no risk if it is accidentally released into the environment and there are no harmful the content of ash is between 0.5% and 1.5%, which by volume is minimal.
Wood as a fuel carbon neutral? As it burns, wood produces carbon dioxide – one of the main greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. With sustainable forest management practices, this CO2
John Marriott, Managing Director of Biomass Timber
Solutions discusses the advantages of burning logs
is carbon neutral. Although more CO2 is
released into the atmosphere during process, this is negligible. UK woodland is a renewable resource and therefore as the trees are felled new trees are planted or re-grow as coppice. During this process of photosynthesis carbon is stored in the growing tree and in the woodland soil. UK woodlands are managed in line with the UK Forestry Standard and all felling is controlled by the Forestry Commission. The standards ensure that woodland is managed sustainably and to the best environmental standards.
will be absorbed by new growth..
This means that no extra carbon is put into the atmosphere – which is why wood fuel
Does using wood fuel for boilers damage woodland? Quite the opposite. A demand for logs and woodchip generates a market for timber,
Is there enough timber in the country? The Forestry Commission has calculated that there is an estimated 2 million tonnes per year of timber which is being produced by our unmanaged woodlands every year. Managing in terms of employment and biodiversity – and wood fuel is believed to be a way of facilitating this. This additional timber is enough to produce c. 5million MWh of heat. In addition, many hundreds of thousands year, mainly from the construction industry. Many of the large biomass electricity
will take large volumes of timber will be located on the dockside, so that they can use imported timber. There is certainly in the number of small to medium scale heat-only boilers. It is true that biomass installations can be more expensive than fossil-fuelled alternatives. The upside is that the payback period for a wood fuel system is often much lower compared with fossil fuel.
REQ
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
www.biomasstimber.co.uk
which can make the difference between viable and not.
economy? local economy because it generates income for owners, contractors, processors and suppliers. The increased forest management improves future productivity and asset value. Woodland management activities increase local employment, as well as improving habitat and biodiversity.
Brynkinalt Hall and Business Centre
20 REQ RENEWABLE ENERGY QUARTERLY |
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AUTUMN 2014
www.r-e-a.net
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