What Role does Bioenergy Play in the UK’s Future Energy System?

17 Feb 2016

SCI’s Energy Group will be holding their first event on 10 March at SCI, London, on the role of bioenergy in the UK’s future energy system.

Bioenergy can play a significant and valuable role in the future UK energy system, especially when combined with Carbon Capture Storage. Together they can deliver net negative emissions of c.-55 million tonnes per year, and meet around 10% of UK energy demand in the 2050s. This would ultimately reduce the cost of meeting the UK’s 2050 Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets by more than 1% of GDP.

Yet the bioenergy sector is immature, reflecting both its complexity, in terms of the multiple value chains that could be deployed; and the political and scientific uncertainties around land use change and the sustainability of using biomass for energy. The UK Government has highlighted the need to ensure that bioenergy delivers genuine carbon savings, and that the impact of direct land use change (dLUC) to biomass production is better understood.

The work to be presented at the event on 10 March seeks to address these issues for bioenergy crops in the UK. It has enabled the ETI (Energy Technologies Institute) to identify options for delivering GHG emission savings through UK bioenergy value chains.

The event will comprise a keynote presentation by Geraint Evans, Programme Manager - Bioenergy, ETI, on its recent report on bioenergy. This will be followed by a panel Q&A session. On the panel will be Namdar Baghaei-Yazdi, University of Westminster; Adam Brown, IEA; Niall MacDowell, Imperial College London; and Richard Stark, AB Agri. There will also be time to network with fellow delegates and speakers during the wine reception which will follow the event.

The event will take place at 18:00, for an 18:30 start, at SCI’s prestigious Belgrave Square premises. It is free, but please register online to secure your place by clicking on the link below.

Did you know...?
SCI is uniquely positioned to provide an independent, multidisciplinary science-based perspective on the energy trilemma - sustainability, affordability and security of supply - and to bring together critical inputs and thinking from industry, academia and the public sector.

Related Links:

• The Role of Bioenergy in the UK's Future Energy System, 10 March 2016, SCI, London, UK
  - Book Your Place Now
• SCI Publications