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We want an increasing proportion of regional energy to come from renewable sources.
The Government has committed itself to the Kyoto process, which requires reducing carbon emissions and the impact they have on the global and UK environment. The UK Energy White Paper sets out the Government’s policy for moving towards a low carbon future.
The key mechanisms to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions are to reduce energy consumption through increased energy efficiency and moving to renewables. Biomass, which includes wood and short rotation coppice, is seen as the second most significant resource for the country behind wind.
In the White Paper, great importance is placed on the role of renewables in the production of electricity. At a regional/local level however one of the most efficient ways of using woodfuel is in the generation of heat, or combined heat and power, rather than electricity. Indeed, the market for heating is actually larger than that for electricity in the UK, accounting for 45% of total energy use. Moreover, wood fuelled heating is probably the lowest cost of all renewables both in terms of capital and delivered energy costs.
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To review how wood may be used both commercially and domestically for heat production two sections of the Woodland Strategy are relevant:
To see the considerable potential for wood heat fuel expansion
 Resource
To gain an appreciation of wood burning technology
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