Kneejerk RHI proposals could jeopardise renewable heat targets. The UK may be on track to exceed its renewable electricity targets by 2020, but just six per cent of our heat comes from renewable sources – less than half the required amount if we are to meet 2020 renewable heat targets. Heat decarbonisation is a central pillar of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy, yet proposals laid out by BEIS to restrict 80 per cent of the UK from accessing one of the most affordable sources of renewable heat would only take us further away from achieving climate targets, without making the meaningful impact on improving air quality that the proposals seek. plans for a blanket ban on RHI support available for all biomass boilers in urban areas threaten to jeopardise progress towards the UK’s clean energy targets. To date, biomass has been the preferred renewable heat technology, particularly for larger public and private sector buildings. Last year, 86 per cent of all renewable heat in the UK was produced by biomass installations, including 70 per cent of the heat generated under the RHI scheme. Modern biomass boilers are already strictly regulated, ensuring that their emissions are tightly controlled, with strict limits required to be RHI-compliant. What’s more, over 75 per cent of boiler models emit less than a third of the current UK legal limit, and the development of high-performance filters mean that particulate emissions from modern biomass systems are equivalent to that of conventional fossil-fuel boilers, while making significant carbon savings.
Business Green 20th Nov 2018 read more »