The pressing need to address climate change is
driving developments across a host of policy areas, particularly
energy.
Renewable energy policy
As part of its Climate Change Delivery
Plan, the Scottish Government has set ambitious
targets for renewable energy to help reduce our carbon emissions.
Securing the target of sourcing 11% of heat demand from
renewable resources by 2020 is a priority, and biomass (including
woodfuel) is critical to delivering that goal.
Renewable heat can also help address energy security issues,
offering new and exciting opportunities for investment and growth
in Scotland, in the same way that we benefitted from cheap and
abundant coal, oil and gas in the past.
Woodfuel is a significant and uniquely responsive source of
renewable energy, particularly for heat generation which currently
accounts for 53% of energy demand in Scotland. Woodfuel already
provides around 30% of the renewable energy production in the
European Union. It is most efficient when locally sourced.
Current policy is for biomass to be used in heat-only or
combined heat and power (CHP) schemes, off-gas grid, at a scale to
make best use of both the available heat, and of local supply.
New Scottish Government policy on green heating was announed in
June 2015. This sets out plans for Scotland to have an affordable
green heating plan and to help the country reach a largely
decarbonised heat system by 2050.
Growing demand for biomass
The biomass industry is now rapidly growing and there is an
increasing demand for timber, from local markets to major energy
generation plants.
The
Woodfuel Demand and Usage Report 2011 calculated that demand
for woodfuel in 2010 was approximately 1.2 million green tonnes,
and estimates that demand will continue to rise to around 1.6
million green tonnes in 2011. Current initiatives, such as the
Renewable Heat Incentive should further increase demand.
For many years a clear message has
been broadcast from the UK forestry sector to politicians and to
the wider public that production from Britain's forests is
increasing. Potential production is indeed set to increase, however
the information behind the 'headlines' has to be carefully
considered and understood, so that the subject of future
availability and production can be put into context given the
rapidly changing dynamics in the demand for timber products and the
finite resource available. See the 'Wood
Fibre Availability and Demand in Britain 2007 - 2025'
report commissioned by Confor.
The Woodfuel Task Force was set up in
2007 to look at how to further generate supply from traditional
forestry, such as forest residues, and new sources such as
arboricultural residues or short rotation forestry.