Policy News

The government has announced an extension to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) deadline from 31 January 2020 to 31 January 2021. The REA (Renewable Energy Association), as part of a coordinated industry effort, has campaigned for the extension since 2018 and welcomes it as a signal from Government that they are committed to the sector. Under previous RHI regulations, all plants with a Tariff…
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A new report from the UK Renewable Energy Association (REA) has found that the sustainable use of bioenergy is core to the UK meeting its legally binding 5th Carbon Budget. The report Bioenergy in the UK – Vision to 2032 and Beyond has found that sustainable bioenergy can meet two thirds of the projected shortfall of the 5th Carbon Budget, bioenergy can provide an additional 60…
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The American Biogas Council (ABC) released the following statement in response to the Administration’s continued attempts to erode the Renewable Fuel Standard by indiscriminately granting of small refinery exemptions.  “The continued issuance of small refinery exemptions undermines the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard and imperils the ability of biogas and other renewable…
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The UK trade body for anaerobic digestion (AD) is highlighting the need for universal food waste collections in England to reduce food waste levels and allow inedible food waste to be recycled into renewable energy and natural fertiliser. Responding to the government consultation on recycling consistency in England, the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association…
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The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has announced the launch of its Call for Evidence report into the future of UK bioenergy. According to the association, the report, Bioenergy Strategy, follows the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) estimation that bioenergy’s contribution to the UK’s total energy could more than double by 2050. Bioenergy Insight received a statement from…
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A new multi-landmark report has been released by government-led, multi-stakeholder initiative Biofuture Platform detailing how biofuels and bioproducts ‘must play an integral role’ in the future of the global energy transition. Entitled Creating the Biofuture: A Report on the State of the Low Carbon Bioeconomy, the report uses models and scenarios outlined by the International Energy…
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The Commission on Climate Change have issued a report to the UK Government, detailing the achievements of sustainable policy while highlighting areas of industry that are falling behind. According to the report, a 40% drop in emissions has been recorded since 1990 – complemented by a boom in economic growth. 75% of emissions reductions has been attributed to the efforts of the power sector,…
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The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has set out its new draft Clean Air Strategy to achieve air pollution goals. So far, the UK has failed to meet its obligations under EU regulation, and fails to meet World Health Organisation standards. According to the strategy, the government will introduce legislation ‘at the earliest opportunity’ to formalise a…
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In the US, the American Biogas Council (ABC), the Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) and the Biomass Power Association (BPA) have come out against the H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill. Over the past two years, these organisations have been working to advance the Farm Bill, legislation that supports the use of biomass and agricultural residues to…
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The National Audit Office has found that by changing auction rules and limiting the participation of biomass projects to 150MW, contracts for renewable power capacity are costing consumers £100 million more each year. As these contracts typically cover a 15-year period, the total cost is expected to be £1.5 billion over their lifetime. The auction the NAO investigated was for…
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A 23 April policy statement announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will consider all biomass used for energy production carbon neutral. In what it called a pragmatic approach, the EPA will consider biomass a carbon neutral source of power in future decisions. However, it added that the policy statement ‘does not represent a final agency action’. “To…
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The Commission approved the support 1 March, saying that it was in line with the EU’s rules on state-aid. The scheme will run from 2018 to 2022 to help the fuels compete with their fossil-based counterparts. The funding is designed to allow producers of biomethane and advanced biofuels, who have significantly higher production costs, to compete with fossil fuel producers. It will be…
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While the scheme is on-budget, it has drastically reduced its goals for participation and emissions savings. The responsibility for these savings will now fall to other policies like the Clean Growth Strategy as the initiative focuses on combating non-compliance and other means of exploiting its financial incentives. The National Audit Office (NAO) has released its report on the Renewable Heat…
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A study published in the journal Nature has found that removing subsidies for fossil fuels will have less of an impact than previously thought. Other scientists have insisted that the removal of economic support for fossil fuels is still a necessary step towards a carbon-free economy. The paper says that the demand for energy is just too high for cutting subsidies to have a game-changing impact.…
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