History repeats itself as ADBA sends out a letter largely repeating at least 5 anaerobic digestion advantages UK Tory Ministers really should not ignore if they are serious about:
- complying with their own Net-Zero 2050 promises
- helping the nation cope with the current extremely high energy prices
- supporting UK food security and farming in general.
For readers who have limited time, the following is our summary of the 5 most important benefits which could massively gain from government support:
- While reducing the UK's dependence on gas imports, rapid growth of the industry could help reduce UK annual greenhouse gas emissions by 6%
- Separate food waste collections going to AD, the rapid deployment of AD infrastructure and the lifting of red tape for biogas producers would secure a greater output of biogas
- Raising biogas output as a replacement for natural gas is an essential response to the Russian gas crisis, and would be consistent with action being taken by other nations in support of the Ukrain war effort
- Not managing organic waste is releasing more of the potent greenhouse gas methane and causing human health issues
- With good management organic ‘wastes’ are turned into a storable, always available/non-intermittent flexible green gas (biogas), bio-CO2 and a rich-in-nutrient bio-fertiliser (digestate)
These are all explained in the first press release below.
In March 2019 we posted here the archived 5 benefits which follow, below the latest press release.
ADBA Press release 9 September 2022:
Biogas has a key role to play in addressing energy and climate crises, says the anaerobic digestion trade body in letters to the new government
- Chris Huhne, former Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State and now chairman of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) – writes to the PM and key members of the Cabinet setting out the benefits of anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas to achieve economic growth, energy independence and decarbonisation
- It could take less than two years to build an AD plant – in addition to reducing the UK dependence on gas imports, rapid growth of the industry could help reduce UK annual greenhouse gas emissions by 6%
- ADBA calls for government support in separate food waste collections going to AD, the rapid deployment of AD infrastructure and the lifting of red tape for biogas producers to secure greater output of biogas.
In letters welcoming them to their new roles, Chris Huhne, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and now Chairman of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), has urged Prime Minister Liz Truss, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena and Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan to recognise the value of AD and biogas as shorter-term solutions to the huge challenges facing the new government.
“Biogas derived from organic wastes can provide a substantial alternative to gas imports while also generating revenue for the Treasury that could be used to alleviate consumer bills”, he writes.
Pointing out the benefits of biogas as a constant rather than intermittent source of energy, he emphasised the rapid contribution AD plants could make to achieving energy security. With the right help, the existing fleet could produce more energy, and new plants could be built even faster than the current two-year turnaround, he explains, before lamenting the government’s failure to even mention biogas or biomethane in the UK’s Energy Strategy published in April.
“More biogas is as an essential response to the Russian gas crisis, as many of our neighbours are proposing,” he says.
“The EU plans to double biogas output to meet 9% of last year’s gas demand. By contrast, in the UK, current government plans would meet less than 1% of our 2021 consumption”.
He also describes the role of AD and biogas technology plays in decarbonising the economy by transforming organic wastes into valuable bioresources and capturing harmful greenhouse gas emissions in the process.
“If the organic wastes used to make biogas and biomethane are not managed” he explains,
“they release the potent greenhouse gas methane and cause human health issues. When recycled through AD, these emissions are captured and the organic ‘wastes’ turned into a storable, flexible green gas (biogas), bio-CO2 and a rich-in-nutrient bio-fertiliser (digestate).”
“Fully deployed, the AD and biogas industry could also reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 6%”, he states.
To support the growth of the AD and biogas industry as a significant solution to these challenges, he calls on the UK government to:
- Accelerate the implementation of mandatory separate collections of food waste across the UK and its treatment through AD to produce biogas and biomethane
- Support the rapid deployment of biogas and biomethane infrastructure through contracts for difference (as applied to turbo-charge the wind and solar sectors). At present gas prices, this would lead to a windfall for the Treasury
- Reduce unnecessary red tape on biogas producers, including time-consuming and onerous planning processes, to enable sharp short-term increases in biogas output.
He concludes by inviting the PM and cabinet members to engage with ADBA to discuss the sector’s potential in addressing today’s challenges and visit a biogas plant to see the technology in action.
Read Chris Huhne’s letter to the Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP
-ENDS-
5 Anaerobic Digestion Advantages UK Tory Ministers Ignored by Closing the FiT
Five Anaerobic Digestion Advantages were in our opinion completely ignored by UK Tory Ministers when they decided to close the UK FiT (UK Feed-in-Tariff), at the end of March this year (2019).
Surely they failed to take a complete overview of anaerobic digestion technology when they decided to withdraw the FiT?
Read the 5 advantages of AD/ anaerobic digestion advantages, below.
Note: The following article is the author's interpretation of the ADBA document available here. This article is not endorsed by ADBA, and the opinions expressed are those of the author of this article. To read the ADBA response we recommend that our readers read the original ADBA pdf document.
The UK Feed-in-Tariff ends for new applicants in March 2019, without a replacement.
By imposing this new austerity measure on the biogas industry as well as other renewable energy sources, not only will renewable energy output (as biogas) be reduced as time progresses.
Energy production will be lost which could have been used to generate base-load electricity (green gas) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) offers an excellent return on the nation’s investment.
The video below is a presentation which contains the same text as the anaerobic digestion advantages article here on this page:
This investment return includes the following 5 Benefits:
1. Energy security from domestic green electricity or gas.
Biogas is good for UK energy security. It is generated in the UK, and supplies are constant and reliable. Anaerobic Digestion is already delivering significant amounts of homegrown (green) electricity and gas now. And, has the potential to deliver around 30% of clean domestic electricity or gas demand, while also reducing imports. Plus, it is curbing carbon emissions, and improving the UK's Balance of Payments.
2. Cost-effective carbon abatement
Supporting AD could reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by 4%. Our calculations suggest that continuing to support the technology would reduce government expenditure by £755m from 2017 to 2040 in greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement This is when compared to the average renewable heat technology.
3. Economic productivity and global competitiveness
A sector already employing 3,500 people, with the potential to employ over 30,000 more. Many of these jobs are in rural areas and include manufacturing jobs, which are worth protecting. A thriving UK anaerobic digestion sector can export to the world. The global AD market is worth £1 trillion. BSI and HSE standards are sold and adopted abroad providing the opportunity to pull more UK business through the UK AD supply chain. A supply chain that has developed over the last 5 years.
4. Strengthening the Rural Economy
Recycling AD digestate improves Britain’s soils, which strengthens the rural economy. The poor quality of Britain's soils is costing the UK £1.4bn a year according to a recent Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology estimate. Integrated into farming, AD also helps stabilize farming businesses, improving their ability to withstand fluctuations in global commodity markets.
5. Meeting recycling targets
The UK government will not be able to meet its recycling targets without separate food waste collections. When introduced, these will require more food waste AD capacity, to treat and recycle the resulting separated food waste.
Anaerobic Digestion Advantages – Conclusion
Those are the 5 anaerobic digestion advantages which we ask to be given careful consideration by anyone who believes AD is JUST about renewable energy.
Finally, some say that Anaerobic Digestion's contribution is really so small as to be negligible. However, following strong growth in recent years, the UK’s AD sector now has a capacity of almost 750MW electrical equivalent. This is more than double the capacity of a conventional power station, such as the Uskmouth coal plant, and enough power for 850,000 homes.
With big opportunities for growth in AD. Is that really so small?
Data Source: ADBA Response to BEIS calls for Evidence on the UK Bioeconomy, with additional text by the video author shown in the video in italics. Read the original ADBA response here.
[First published March 2019. Updated September 2022.]
I truly enjoy the thrust of this blog.
But, you waste your breath.
UK politicians only think of I think these days.
Do you know what it is.
It is what Brits call the BREXIT!
Just another example of British JOKE Government……Not Fit for Purpose …