After a year of uncertainty for the bioenergy industry, including further consultation on the second phase of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and rules governing drying, the Wood Heat Association and Renewable Energy Association are holding a conference next week on the 13 and 14 March in Surrey.

I will be attending for a couple of days of industry thought and discussion about biomass heating in the UK. I’ve also been invited to speak about the Sustainable Fuel Register (SFR), a joint initiative between FEC Energy and Crops for Energy, to provide simple, robust sustainability support to those using non-wood fuels for RHI projects.

In the traditions of publishing what is going to be said before it is said, here’s a sneak preview of my presentation:

• SFR is now a year old; I will explain how well it has done and what our plans are for the future
• Some of the fuels that are being registered are unexpected and, at the quantities discussed, could change the market for non-wood fuels at larger scale consumption
• It has been a challenging year for wood fuels, in consideration of Scandinavian wood harvests, pellet prices and waste wood regulations. Could non-wood fuels be an answer to stability in fuel costs?
• I will also discuss the challenges ahead that need to be tackled to make non-wood fuels more mainstream.

There are still a few delegate places left and you can book yours here. If you are unable to make the conference and you would like to find out more about the SFR see the website or give me a call on 024 7669 8887.