DECC Press Notice: £2million bioenergy scheme opens to applications

08 October 2012

“As well as providing a valuable habitat for a range of plants and wildlife, our wetland areas produce a diverse mix of clean green energy sources which in many cases are currently going to waste."
Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker

Entrepreneurs across the nation are today being invited to bid for a share of £2million aimed at spurring on innovation in bioenergy.

As set out in the Government’s 2012 bioenergy strategy, sustainably sourced bioenergy could contribute around 8-11% to the UK’s total primary energy demand by 2020. More investment is however needed in research, development and demonstration projects to drive forward innovation and improve efficiency, from methods used to harvest plants for energy production to the systems used to generate power from these sources.

The Government’s £2million scheme is aimed specifically at encouraging innovation in bioenergy production on wetlands. Wetland areas are currently maintained in several parts of Britain to provide a rich environment for wildlife such as wading birds, water voles and warblers and the harvested material from these sites can be used to produce energy. This new investment is aimed at inspiring innovation in harvesting and energy generation methods, using plants already being grown which would otherwise go to waste.

Read the full press notice on the DECC website