Planning for Renewable Energy in Worcestershire Research Paper

Biogas (Anaerobic Digestion)Biogas is a renewable fuel generatedthrough the processing of biodegradablewastes. If the waste is not biodegradable,it is not considered renewable; thus,many incinerators which generate energyfrom burning waste are beyond theconsideration of national renewablespolicy or the guidance in this paper 40 .Issues relating to non-renewable energyfrom-wastewill be addressed through theCounty Council's Waste DevelopmentFramework.Landfill GasNationally, landfill gas provides by far thelargest contribution to renewable energygeneration, accounting for 33.5% of allrenewable energy generated in 2005(according to DTI's UK Energy in Brief,2006). In Worcestershire, there arecurrently energy from landfill generatorsat Throckmorton, Martley andBromsgrove, with a total combinedinstalled capacity of 4.85MW. Thiscurrently represents the largest renewablegenerating capacity in the County, butlandfill gas cannot be expected to providea long-term energy source, as bestpractice in waste management will seethe resource being depleted in futureyears.40It should be noted that the EU does not consider wastecombustion to be 'renewable'. It does allow that thebiodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal wastecan justifiably constitute 'biomass', but states that "theincineration of non-separated municipal waste shouldnot be promoted under a future support system forrenewable energy sources, if such promotion were toundermine the [waste] hierarchy" (Paragraph 8 andArticle 2(b), Directive 2001/77/EC).Sewage SludgeAccording to the 'Renewable EnergyProspects in the West Midlands' report,sewage sludge could yield 10.7GWh/year of electricity in Worcestershire,based on a County population of 538,000generating 13,450 tonnes of sludge peryear.The Companion Guide to PPS22 states atparagraph 3 that: "Energy from AD is alsoeffectively carbon neutral in that thecarbon it releases is approximately equalto the carbon absorbed from theatmosphere by the plants which constitutethe origin of the organic waste"."A study conducted for Defra in 2005 byAEA Technology (AEAT) and FutureEnergy Solutions concluded that the mainchallenge to anaerobic digestion in theUK was an economic one, resulting frommarket failure. Public intervention maytherefore be necessary to pump-primeearly adopters of the technology and todisseminate knowledge of its potential".(Extract from paragraph 140, DEFRADraft Rural Development Programme2007-2013)Farm SlurryOrganic farm wastes (animal slurry) canbe processed to produce a gas that canthen be used to generate renewable heatand/or power. Anaerobic digestors can beoperated on the relatively small, 'on-farm'scale to provide localised energy for thefarm estate, or can be operated as 'centralised' anaerobic digestion, whichtakes in slurry from many different farms.Using slurry in this way can haveenvironmental benefits beyond simplyreducing carbon emissions, includingavoiding the pollution watercourses.APPENDIX A ● Planning for Renewable Energy in WorcestershireTechnical Research Paper 43