The Committee on Climate Change has backed greater use and planting of energy crops in its report issued today.  Readers of our Net Zero Blog will have seen the last post by me on the likely resurgence of tree planting contracts and with a renewed focus on energy crops, I cannot help but be propelled back a decade when we were devising and advising on short rotation coppice, miscanthus and other energy crop contracts and trades. The issue for those crops and persuading the landowners to plant them and biomass facilities to accept the fuel, was always around the security of the supply.  From the landowner perspective; will the biomass plant be around to accept the product and what price will the landowner get over the term (will the offtaker opt for a cheaper and easier source of fuel if it becomes available).  From the biomass project perspective; will it end up in an expensive long term feedstock contract, what are the supply guarantees from individual landowners and farmers and will farmers change their minds if it becomes clear the land can be used for a more valuable crop.  On that last point it has to be said that switching land over to miscanthus, SRC etc. is a bit of a leap of faith, as it is was never a crop that could be easily switched back again in the short term without considerable grubbing out.  So if we are going to see a hike in energy crop growth my guess is that the producers and the biomass plant operators and developers/users are  going to want to see a very clear policy and regulatory direction.  

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