United Kingdom – Innovative biomass projects from across the UK can apply for a share of £26 million starting on December 20, as the government ramps up plans to increase the use of materials like grasses, hemp, and seaweed to help the UK reach net zero emissions.
Biomass is a term that refers to plant material that has been sustainably harvested and can be used as a fuel to generate energy for heating and powering homes and businesses. Biomass, which has the support of the independent Climate Change Committee, will be a critical component of the UK’s renewable energy mix in order to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The selected projects will boost biomass productivity in the UK by breeding, planting, cultivating, and harvesting organic matter, which ranges from water-based materials like algae to whole trees harvested through sustainable forestry operations.
Projects that were previously supported under Phase 1 of the government’s Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme with government funding to design new ways of boosting biomass production in the first round of the scheme will be able to apply for additional funding to bring their projects to life.
Each project will be able to compete for funding of up to £4 million, or up to £5 million for multi-site demonstrator projects that will showcase new biomass feedstock production projects in multiple locations across the UK.
Phase 1 of the programme has already awarded £4 million to 25 projects across the country, ranging from start-ups and family-run businesses to research institutes and universities. Phase 2 will see the projects progress from concept to full demonstration, showcasing new methods for growing biomass materials that can be used to generate low-carbon energy.
The Biomass Feedstocks Innovation program, which is part of the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, aims to boost the production of sustainable UK biomass feedstocks and speed up the commercialization of the program’s supported innovative biomass production technologies.
Phase 1 projects included a variety of biomass production ideas, such as growing algae from wastewater from breweries and dairy plants, farming seaweed off the coast of North Yorkshire, and increasing willow planting and harvesting capacity.
The Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme, which received £26 million in government funding today, will result in a greater supply of organic materials from domestic sources rather than imported matter, with successful projects supporting rural economies across the UK, providing jobs and encouraging private investment, all while assisting the UK on its path to net zero emissions.
