| The Cluster is keen to support the establishment of a commercially vibrant bioenergy sector in Scotland. The focus is on developing the energy market for woodfuel. It is doing this by:
Background
Bioenergy represents the majority of all renewable energy generated within the EU. The pie chart below illustrates its dominant market position relative to the other forms of renewable energy. It is interesting to note that the proportion of bioenergy is 26 times greater than that for wind energy, and most biomass energy is delivered as heat rather than electricity.
It is an anomaly that Scotland and the UK do not have a mature bioenergy market and it is an achievable challenge to bring Scotland into line with comparable EU nations and regions.
The markets
A key mechanism to deliver on this challenge is the Renewables Obligation. We know this is prompting the UK electricity generators to consider co-firing biomass with coal and to look at stand-alone electricity generating plants.
However, the heat market is the largest energy market in the EU – it exceeds both the electricity market and the vehicle fuels market in size. Recent findings of a detailed survey of the heat market - Heating with woodfuels in multi-family houses - a new trend - have come to three conclusions:
Significant market opportunity exists in Combined Heat and Power (CHP) schemes embedded within industrial plants. Although technically more complex than 'heat only' schemes, the inherent efficiencies of CHP can deliver cheaper, greener energy to firms with substantial heat requirements and the opportunity to work with the existing wood industries.
Actions
Articulating and disseminating the benefits
The Cluster has collaborated with the OPET Biomass CHP and BIOHEAT II EU programmes to produce the following three brochures (Spring 2004):
An information note, Woodfuel in Scotland - sources of information, has also been produced by NIFES Consulting Group to provide background information and key contacts.
Supporting project evaluation and pre-commercial development
The Cluster has collaborated with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Welsh Development Agency, the Forestry Commission and the Forestry Contracting Association to create an interactive website - www.woodfuelresource.org.uk - that provides national, regional and local forecasts of the woodfuel resource.
The Cluster has produced a report, Wood Pellet Manufacture in Scotland, on the economics of pellet production and the markets for pellets.
In collaboration with the OPET Network, the Cluster has produced a report, Renewable Electricity from Biomass.
Promoting bioenergy schemes
The Cluster has worked in partnership with many organisations to produce technical reports on fuel supply, conversion options and economic models for bioenergy schemes. Some of these are available in the Publications section of this site.
Forming new networks of interest and informing policy development
The Cluster is working with Forestry Commission Scotland and Highlands & Islands Enterprise network in a woodfuel group.
The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) was formed in October 2003 under the chairmanship of the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. The findings of the FREDS biomass subgroup are presented in Promoting and accelerating the market penetration of biomass technology in Scotland, January 2005, and the Cluster is seeking opportunities to help FREDS in its work to develop bioenergy.
Supporting the development of a database of woodfuel suppliers
The Cluster has been supporting the work being done by the National Energy Foundation to develop a database of woodfuel suppliers across the UK. Potential customers can find their local supplier of sustainable woodfuel by submitting their postcode. The LogPile website also contains a lot of useful information for anyone wanting to to use wood as a fuel. Suppliers of woodfuel are also welcome to register with the project to increase their customer base.
Further useful contacts for bioenergy and woodfuel can be found on the Links page of this website, and events related to woodfuel are included in the Forthcoming Events page.
Current activity
> Read a recent report on the forces that will influence the development of a biofuels industry in Scotland - Biofuels - a future perspective.
> The Cluster is working with Nifes Consulting Group on a European-funded bioenergy project, Biomass Partnerships. This is a multi-national collaboration, part-funded under the Intelligent Energy Europe programme, which seeks to grow the market for woodfuel heating systems. Further details about the project to develop clusters of woodfuel heating schemes can be found at www.biomasspartner.info
> The Cluster organised a woodfuel learning visit to Switzerland/France in October 2005. The purpose of this was to allow Scottish companies and policy-makers to learn at first hand how the most mature and largest renewable energy sector functions and, hopefully, to encourage changes and investment to emerge back in Scotland. Read the report of the European Wood Energy Road.
> The Cluster organised a second woodfuel learning visit to Sweden in March 2006.
> In April 2005 the Cluster, in partnership with the Scottish Enterprise Energy Team, commissioned a multi-disciplinary team of consultants led by the bioenergy experts, Econergy Ltd, to take a thorough look at how the Scottish biomass heat market could be stimulated. Specifically, the study sought to identify, evaluate and help develop the commercial opportunities for Scottish companies that are, or will be, associated with the emergence of a biomass heat energy market in Scotland.
The study had three components: (a) an evaluation of the current heat energy market in Scotland – to determine its size and consider the how it functions, in terms of market segmentation; (b) the collation of market data on the potential Scotland-based market players in the provision of products and services for the emerging biomass heat market; and (c) to provide broad conclusions on the scale of the economic and energy benefits and set out proposals for an action plan. Read the summary or full report.
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