The EnviroCrops web app project has been awarded £ 1.57 million of funding from BEIS through the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation ( BFI ) Programme .
The task is lead by the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute ( AFBI ) with support from two Department of Energy in agriculture consultancy : Crops for Energy and NFU Energy , and a software ontogenesis troupe , Calvium .
The EnviroCrops app is envisaged as a central source of impartial information on biomass crops in an well-heeled - to - access , gratis or low - cost , drug user - friendly format that will enable Fannie Merritt Farmer , realm managers , and consultants to make an informed decision on planting and merchandising crop such as willow , miscanthus , poplar , eucalypt , and hemp .
What the project partners say:“The commercial-grade focus of the EnviroCrops app will help put farmers in the driving derriere and allow them to get at good quality , up - to - escort entropy to secure they can make the best decision for their business . By progress this system with far-famed consultancy and significant experient grower remark , the system will be the best developed and relevant in the marketplace and could help oneself turn biomass crop from marginal options into real winners , " aver Jon Swain , NFU Energy .
BEIS has said : " speed home - grow renewables like biomass is a key part of ending our dependency on expensive and volatile fossil fuel . This £ 37 million of government investment will support innovation across the UK , encourage line while ensuring greater energy security department for years to derive . "
Why biomass?The Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme is a £ 36 million political program fund through the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy ’s £ 1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio , which aims to accelerate the commercialization of advanced clean Department of Energy technology and process through the 2020s and 2030s .
Biomass crop let in Short Rotation Coppice ( SRC ) willow tree , Short Rotation Forestry ( SRF ) eucalyptus tree , the energy gage Miscanthus and hangman’s halter . These crops are fast - growing , high yielding , and acquire in heavy plantation of up to 20,000 plants per hectare . Most options are perennial and spring up back once they are cut to ground floor . Miscanthus is harvest each year , SRC willow tree is harvested every three years , and SRF is harvested from 8 years onwards .
There are presently around 10,000 - 20,000 hectares of repeated biomass crops found in the UK . The Committee on Climate Change ( CCC ) states that in social club to meet Net Zero mark , the UK will require 700,000 hectares of biomass crops to be planted by 2050 .
Most biomass crop are originate for bioenergy and used in power place or smaller heating kettle . There are many other emerging and potentially more lucrative markets for biomass crops , including biocomposites , animal bedding , biochar , forage , and pharmaceutical .
Perennial biomass crop sequester carbon as they grow – not only in their stem but also in their roots and soil . Currently , there is no official mechanics for farmers to gain from carbon paper sequestered by biomass crops on their commonwealth .
For more data : NFU Energy024 7669 6512www.nfuenergy.co.uk
