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Biomass

The development of viable and cost-effective energy crop fuel supply chains is essential to the long-term future development of bioenergy in the UK. A barrier to bioenergy deployment is the high level of capital and operating costs, which makes it difficult for bioenergy to compete in the Renewables Obligation without additional support. In the short term, the most promising way forward may be to develop clusters of smaller-scale energy-generation plants based on energy crops.

Proposals should address these immediate R&D challenges and the underlying issues in developing cost-effective technology. In particular:

Fuel supply chain development and reduced delivered fuel cost

Projects to reduce the delivered cost and improve the reliable supply of energy crops, forestry residues, and other biomass materials (including wastes) for energy production. Typically, this would be achieved by developing, and subsequently evaluating, innovative equipment and techniques within the fuel production, harvesting and supply chain.

Energy generation

Strategies for cost-effective deployment of multiple, small electricity-generating stations (typically less than 20 megawatts fuel input); R&D into commercial deployment of advanced biomass conversion devices.

The impact of energy crops on combustion process

Research that will improve understanding of the behaviour of energy crops in combustion systems (including co-firing).

System studies

Optimisation studies that model the deployment of clusters of related bioenergy installations, with respect to their size, technology, costs, environmental and social impacts, and other factors.

Biofuels

Proposals examining next-generation transport biofuels, including the use of ligo-cellulosic feedstocks. This will not include the translation of existing biofuel production processes to the UK.