Technology

Biomass

Region

UK

Year

2005

Thames Valley Bioenergy, UK

Woodfuel

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Thames Valley Bioenergy Ltd (TV Bioenergy) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the energy agency Thames Valley Energy (TVE), established in 2001. TV Bioenergy trades in fuelwood, buying wood from suppliers, processing it, and selling to users. In 2005 they supplied over 6,200 tonnes of wood.

The UK has a significant potential resource of wood for energy, including both residues from tree surgery and forestry management, and purpose-grown wood. In the Thames Valley region it is potentially the most cost-effective source of renewable energy. In contrast to wind and solar energy, where the supply is inherently variable, wood can be stored. This means that the supply of energy from wood can be matched to energy demand at the point of use – but only if wood stocks are available. The main challenge in harnessing the wood resource is therefore to guarantee a long-term market for wood, so that users can obtain fuel when they need it, and producers can be confident to sell the wood which they produce, particularly if they are committing land to growing wood. TVE has met this challenge by setting up TV Bioenergy specifically to trade in wood-fuel. TV Bioenergy collects wood residues (such as from tree surgeons), supports the return of woodland into regular management, establishes short rotation coppice (SRC) plantations (through TV Bioenergy, Coppice), and has built up a customer base, including the combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Slough Heat and Power, and a number of biomass heating systems in schools and other buildings. The Ashden judges commended TV Bioenergy for building up all the elements of the wood-fuel market in the Thames Valley region, and for giving fair returns to all concerned. Through their careful management of the market, they have given confidence in its long-term viability, and numbers of both suppliers and customers are increasing.