Calor condemns 'biomess' of UK renewables plan

Calor, the bottled gas company, has slammed the UK's Renewable Energy Strategy, arguing the plans are expensive and don't take into account the full environmental impact of the initiative.

By Garry WhiteLast Updated: 1:18AM GMT 12 Jan 2009

The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) company said carbon emissions in sourcing wood for biomass – a key plank of the renewables strategy – were underestimated and that offshore wind targets were "heroic".
The Government wants to generate 15pc of the UK's energy from renewable sources by 2020.
A report by Calor, entitled Biomess, was particularly scathing on the use of biomass to generate energy. Biomass is biological material derived from living organisms. In the energy sector, this often means plant-based material, but it can also refer to material derived from animals.
Calor also argued that burning biomass such as wood to produce energy would mean depending on foreign imports and would therefore work against the aim of becoming less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
Should the wood be generated in the UK, the amount of biomass needed to achieve just a 15pc contribution to the renewable mix would require a solid feeder area of trees of 207,746 square kilometres – more than the total area of England and Wales combined, according to Calor.
It also claimed that the cost to the UK would be a net £61bn by 2030, when carbon benefits are taken into account, which would drive up energy prices, food prices and the general rate of inflation.
The report also stated that the argument that all biomass was zero-carbon was "absurd" and breached Kyoto obligations, arguing that the mistakes made in this area could be compared with recent controversies over biofuels.
Gaynor Hartnell, Director of Policy at the Renewable Energy Association, said: "The Biomess report was bizarre. It simply knocks renewable energy without offering any solutions of how the UK is to meet its energy needs. The recent gas crisis illustrates the huge importance of energy security.
"Renewables represent the solution – using our own biomass wastes and complimenting this with home-grown materials saves us from importing fossil fuels, as well as assisting our waste management objectives.
"Other renewables such as wind – which the report also criticises – deliver themselves to the power station. Neither geopolitics nor terrorism could stop the wind, waves or tides. One thing is for certain: bottled gas isn't the answer to a sustainable energy future."
Juliet Davenport, chief executive of Good Energy, the UK's only 100pc renewable electricity supplier, said: "The report appears to assume that only biomass from trees can be used, but you can also use rubbish, pig waste and forestry waste."
There has been mounting criticism of renewable energy in the last few years, particularly when it comes to wind farms. In December, the botanist and TV presenter Dr David Bellamy hit out at what he called "wind vandals".