Three UK bodies have agreed to contribute ‘up to £10 million (€12.5 million)’ to a Europe-wide scheme aimed at encouraging investment in bioenergy technology and fulfilling the EU’s target of seeing bioenergy make up ‘14 per cent of the EU energy mix and up to 10 per cent of energy demand in transport by 2020’.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is set to contribute up to £6 million (€7.4 million) over the next two to three years, while the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board set to contribute an additional sum of up to £4 million (€5.1 million).
The initiative will be coordinated by the DECC with support from the Technology Strategy Board.
The scheme, ERA-NET Plus BESTF, is reportedly worth in the region of £37 million (€47 million) in public money and hopes to encourage up to £78 million (€100 million) of ‘bioenergy innovation projects’ across the UK, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal.
ERA-NET Plus funds will be used to support bioenergy demonstration projects that utilise the following technologies:
- Synthetic liquid fuels and/or hydrocarbons and blending components via gasification
- Bio-methane and other synthetic gaseous fuels from biomass via gasification
- High-efficiency heat and power generation via gasification of biomass
- Bioenergy carriers via other thermochemical processes (e.g. pyrolysis, torrefaction)
- Ethanol and higher alcohols from ligno-cellulosic feedstock via fermentation
- Renewable hydrocarbons through biological and/or chemical synthesis from biomass containing carbohydrates
Bioenergy carriers from CO2 and sunlight through microorganism-based production and upgrading into fuels and valuable bio-products
Speaking of the UK’s contribution to the scheme, Energy Minister, John Hayes said: “Bioenergy has an important role to play in our energy mix, helping cut carbon as well as support jobs and spur on economic growth on a national and international scale.
“Britain has been the global engine room of innovation for centuries. I want to see that rich tradition continue in the energy sector. This scheme will help businesses develop a range of different innovative projects by combining public and private sector investment to make the most of this exciting technology.”
Calls to interested parties for demonstration-scale bioenergy proposals was launched on Monday (7 January) with a deadline of 27 March.
Projects are expected to start from January 2014 and all work, including all reporting, must be finished by 31 August 2017.
Grants are expected to be administered in early in 2014.
In addition to the funding it will provide for the ERA-NET Plus BESTF scheme, the DECC yesterday (10 January) announced that seven British entrepreneurs have been granted a share of £292,000 as part of its ‘£2 million three phase wetlands biomass to bioenergy competition’ launched in October 2012.
Read more about the ERA-NET Plus BESTF scheme and call guidelines.
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