The Devon Biomass Opportunities Statement and Enquiry Services

The term biomass refers to a wide range of organic matter such as timber, straw and energy crops. In this case the investigation focused on Miscanthus, SRC (Short Rotation Coppice) and Wood fuels. Energy can be used for electricity generation in CHP systems; however it is most economical and commonly applied for space and water heating directly from special wood-fuel boilers/stoves. Typically wood fuel comes in one of three main formats: chip, log or pellets, each having advantages that make them more or less suitable for different applications. As a general rule of thumb, chip is the norm for large industrial usage, (75kWth+); where-as pellet and log are usually found in smaller installations, including domestic systems.

The urgent need to reduce UK CO₂ emissions is almost universally accepted in the UK, energy crops could play an important role in offsetting this. Climate change is having increasingly detrimental impacts on rural landscapes and economics in the UK and internationally. Rising demands for low carbon energy sources will make energy crop production an increasingly profitable business, which could have some positive implications for rural economies and the agricultural sector in particular, if developed appropriately.

The Devon Biomass Opportunity Statement was written to report on an extensive mapping process, which took place to assess the scale in which certain crops can be grown in Devon without having a detrimental impact on the rural environment. This project was developed with the backing and support of many local and national organisations. These agencies are Natural England, The Wildlife Trust, Forestry Commission, Environment Agency, Devon County Council, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Devon AONB, English Heritage, National Farmers Union, Exmoor National Park and the South West Regional Development Agency.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy was commissioned to produce a map of Devon, highlighting the areas of opportunity by integrating what we currently know about our wider environment objectives; for example biodiversity, ecology, visual appearance, landscape character, the historic environment, archaeology and agricultural diversity. This set alongside the needs for crop growth has allowed us to pinpoint areas where energy crop growth can take place in Devon, whilst managing possible impacts on the countryside.  

To download a copy of the Devon Biomass Opportunity Statement: http://www.cse.org.uk/pdf/pub1090.pdf 

What are we offering?

A designated officer will operate an advice service, whereby your request for information will be processed on a weekly basis.

How do I access this information?

Step one: Step one: If you have a fast broadband internet connection it is possible to download an interactive map, to find out the types and number of constraints you have on growing energy crops on your land. These maps are in the form of a multi layered pdf, this can be access as a package from www.cse.org.uk/projectdata/dbwos/. Download all maps into one folder and do not change any of the file names, then open the file with home in the title, this pdf will hyperlink to all the other layers.

Alternatively just download the file of the particular district you are interested in from the map below:

N.B. Only the biomass status layer is available to download above; no hyper linked features will work on the pdf maps. 

Help documents: The support document contains instructions on how to use and interpret the map image: Support Document

Step two: If you do not have a fast enough internet connection, or wish to make a further enquiry about energy crops, you may contact us for free information and advice in one of three way.

Telephone Enquires:

Please phone the help line number and leave a message and someone will get back to you.

Tel No. 01837 510005

Email:

Please include your name, contact telephone number, grid reference and/or postcode of the site you are enquiring about. In addition to this the type of crop you are interested and the size of the proposed site. Email to:  biomass@devondare.org

Postal Enquires:

You may print and send a form to:

Devon Association for Renewable Energy,

12a The Square,

North Tawton,

Devon

EX20 2EP  

Frequently Asked Questions.

Q. What is Miscanthus?

A. Miscanthus or "Elephant grass" is a perennial grass from the Subtropics, it is characterised by rapid growth, low mineral content and high biomass yield. This crop takes 3 years to mature to full height at 3.5m, after this time it can be harvested annually with a resulting yield of approximately 15dt/ha/y on average and will re-grow from the same root system for over 20 years.  

Q. What is SRC?

A. SRC or Short Rotation Coppice is the term used to describe a system of harvesting a timber crop. Some tree species, when cut back to ground level, re-grow from the cut root with a large number of thin stems. Once the crop is established, stems are cut on a three-year rotation with a yield of approximately 8dt/ha/y.

Q. How much wood can I harvest from my existing woodland sustainably?

A. Existing woodland in Devon can be sustainably harvested, year on year, to produce 2-2.5 dt/ha/y. Please take professional advice prior to harvesting.

Q. What information will I receive as a response to my enquiry?  

A. You will receive a tailored answer to your enquiry, highlighting the opportunity to grow biomass on your land. This is accompanied with a map and a summary of restrictions.  From this point further enquires may be referred to the relevant bodies to gather more information.  

Q. Do I need a license to grow biomass?

A. There is no licence needed to grow Miscanthus, however, you may need to seek advice if your land lies within a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or within other protected areas of landscape. This question will be addressed during the enquiry process. 

Q. What market is there for biomass as a fuel? 

A. Biomass can be sold for use in boilers and CHP plants, these are both in domestic and commercial buildings across Devon. Biomass as a fuel is a growing market, with the development of biomass cooperatives offering small communities good energy security and value. From an economic and environmental prospective it is best to grow and use biomass locally. 

Q. What is a CHP plant?

A. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is the simultaneous generation of usable heat and power (usually electricity) in a single process. It can either be fuelled by renewable sources such as biomass or fossil fuels. CHP systems make use of the heat produced during the electricity generation process. They can achieve overall efficiencies in excess of 70% compared to conventional processes, which are between 38-48% efficient at point of use. 

Q. My land is subject to constraints, what are they?

A. To find out what the constraints are that have been identified on your land please submit an enquiry by email.   

Q. My land seems to have no crop growth potential what does this mean?

A. Some land will be identified without potential for growing Biomass. This may be for a number of reasons, often that the potential yield is too low, in this case it may be worth making an enquiry to the help line, this will allow you to make a judgment on whether you wish to grow biomass or not on the site.