We are not burning enough biomass says the government advisor on environmental issues, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

The commission says farm and forestry waste, specially-grown crops, woodchip and urban plant trimmings could provide heat and power in Britain and points out the technology is already proven in other countries.

Biomass energy production is close to carbon neutral and has the added advantages over other sources of renewable energy of being controllable and of producing heat; both of which would increase the reliability and the security of the UK’s energy supply.

As trees and plants grow, they take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When the plant is burnt the carbon dioxide is released again so burning biomass as a fuel is ‘carbon neutral’ and does not contribute to the greenhouse gasses.

Biomass energy is well established in several countries around the world - the technology is proven and the benefits demonstrated; but so far, uptake in the UK has been extremely limited.

Commission chairman, Professor Sir Tom Blundell said: "I am disappointed that energy from biomass has not developed as quickly in the UK as elsewhere in Europe.”

"It could make a vital contribution to the UK's targets for combating climate change, but is failing to develop under fractured and misdirected government policies for this important energy source."

With suitable reform of the CAP, the commission says, farmers in Britain could be encouraged to grow more of the necessary foliage for biomass energy production, which could help to reinvigorate farmers livelihoods.

The report calls for:

The commission says that the UK’s grant schemes have focussed on high technology forms of energy production at the expense of simpler methods that provide heat as well as electricity to improve efficiency of the process. Using biomass to
produce both heat and power, it says, can raise the efficiency of the process from typically 30% to 80%.