Energy from the Biomass: Watt Committee: report number 5 PDF

Foreword

The Watt Committee on Energy, which brings together on matters related to energy some 60 Professional and Scientific Institutions, is concerned with all aspects of energy generation, storage, distribution and utilisation. Its first formal task early in 1977 was to provide for the Department of Energy a detailed independent and objective review of the ACORD report on Energy R & D Strategy. This it was able to do because of the very wide range of expertise within its membership. This work highlighted new aspects of the need to develop alternative sources of energy both for the expected increase in demand, and against the time when fossil fuels, particularly oil and gas, become depleted.

Of the possible alternative sources of energy the renewable sources are attractive because they have minimum environmental impact. One of these renewable sources is biomass, i.e. organic material of vegetable or animal origin, the generation of which is initially dependent on photosynthesis.

A small working group drawn from The Watt Committee Executive was set up with the task of assembling a panel of speakers to talk on the subject of “Energy from Biomass” to brief the general Watt Committee membership.

The chosen forum was a one-day meeting and thus the number of papers which could be presented was limited.

They were chosen to cover the range of processes whereby solar energy is utilised by biosystems, and the energy subsequently obtained in a useful form from the intermediate biomass. The papers were prepared and presented at the December 1978 Watt Committee Consultative Council Meeting by the specialists involved in research into these subjects, under the chairmanship of Dr. J.H.Chesters, OBE, FEng, FRS, Chairman of The Watt Committee on Energy.

The Working Group was helped very considerably by the advice and assistance of Dr. G.H.King of the Energy Technology Support Unit at Harwell, who also gave the summary paper at the close of the meeting.

The papers and subsequent discussion were believed to be of much wider interest than to The Watt Committee only, and following this idea, some papers have been extended further for this publication. Now with the agreement of the authors and especially of the Department of Energy, for whom much of the work reported is being carried out, the whole proceedings are presented in this report.

The Working Group wishes to express its sincere appreciation for the help given by all concerned with the production of the papers and the subsequent compilation of this report.

Author: Watt Committee on Energy Publications