A new £4.8m project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to increase biomass crops grown in the UK will soon launch.
Biomass Connect is a new initiative that will showcase best-practice and innovations in biomass feedstock production at sites across the UK and through an information hub.
The platform is a knowledge sharing initiative to showcase best practice and innovations in land-based biomass feedstock production.
Biomass crops are non-food plants cultivated for the purposes of energy production. Sometimes referred to as energy crops, they have a high potential energy content or calorific value.
The project compares how well different crops and varieties grow in regions across the UK and demonstrates innovations which have the potential to maximise their economic and environmental benefits.
Dr Jeanette Whitaker, Biomass Connect lead and principal scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), said the project is about supporting land managers to plant more sustainable biomass crops.
“Our project will act as a focal point for the biomass industry, supporting the expansion of sustainable biomass production in the UK," she said.
“The Climate Change Committee indicates that expansion of biomass feedstock cultivation from 10,000 ha to 730,000 ha by 2050 is required to deliver net zero for the UK.
"This will require significant changes in agricultural land use over the coming decades."
