In a report released this week, the ETI argues that bioenergy could be deployed to meet around 10 per cent of energy demand in the UK, offering flexibility to the energy system.
While bioenergy is at its most valuable when used with CCS, the ETI says that without CCS, it can still deliver greenhouse gas emissions savings given the right choice of crop type, location and end use in the energy system.
Strategy manager and report author for ETI, Geraldine Newton-Cross said: “Numerous bioenergy value chains can deliver genuine system-level carbon savings, across all key vectors of power, heat, liquid and gaseous fuels.
“The planting of 30,000 hectares a year of second generation bioenergy crops and short rotation forestry on marginal arable land or appropriate grassland, would keep the UK on the trajectory for scaling up domestic biomass production out to the 2050s, making bioenergy a significant contributor to a future low carbon energy system.
“Therefore this option should still be considered in the long term solutions the country adopts if it still aims to meet its emission reduction targets”, she added.