Increasing supply of biomass fuel from under-managed UK woodlands will support an acceleration in the growth of wood-fuelled boilers, according to a new report from the Building Research Establishment.
“Biomass energy: wood fuel for space and water heating” examines the use of logs, pellets and chips as a renewable energy source in housing and larger buildings.
“The opportunity for renewable energy, and biomass energy as a key strand of this provision, is substantial given the focus and incentives to reduce carbon emissions and that more businesses and households are spending more on energy as vulnerabilities in the existing energy supply chains continue to increase unit price,” said the report’s author Ed Suttie
“The UK has a significant biomass resource, estimated at an annual 20 million tones, although only a fraction of this is effectively captured for energy.”
The security of biomass fuel supply is expected to be improved as under-managed woodlands are brought back into active forest management.
