UK government bullish on renewable energies, non-food crops
Between 2004 and 2005, biofuel sales in the UK quintupled. Biodiesel production between 2003 and 2005 increased at about the same rate. To try and get a handle on domestic biofuel processing, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced yesterday that the "Creating Value from Renewable Materials" report is now available. The report is published by Defra and DTI and pays particular attention to how their November 2004 Non-Food Crops Strategy has been implemented in the fields. This strategy has helped push up the amount of land dedicated to non-food crops by 75 percent. The number of farms growing non-food crops has increased by 20 percent. These non-food crops then go to make biofuels and are used as biomass to create heat and power. David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said the department is looking to expand the renewables sector in the next three years, especially since this market is expected to continue to grow. The Department for Trade and Industry is supporting bioenergy in the UK with £66m in Bioenergy Capital Grants.[Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]
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