'Environmental Parliamentarian of the Year' Lord Redesdale today [18 May] welcomed the Government's acknowledgement of the vital role that renewable technologies have to play in keeping household energy bills under control.

Speaking following the publication of an Oxford Economics report which demonstrates that Britain's sensitivity to energy price shocks could be minimised through renewables deployment, Ed Davey, Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said:

'Every step the UK takes towards building a low-carbon economy reduces our dependency on fossil fuels, and on volatile global energy prices.

'This is about building a more resilient economy and providing more stable energy prices for the generations that follow us.'

Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association Chairman Lord Redesdale has welcomed the statement, commenting that:

'I am pleased that Ed Davey is making the positive case for renewable energy, which we need to protect UK households from the rising cost of oil.

'Firm support for renewable technologies is essential if Britain is to meet our binding climate change targets and deliver economic growth - and biogas should be at the heart of this as a flexible, constantly generated fuel.

'Alongside the potential to meet over 10% of our domestic gas demand, generating biogas from anaerobic digestion could support 35,000 jobs and deliver a significant part of the green growth which we need to grow the economy.

'We now need Government to join up policies across renewable energy, farming and recycling to ensure that we realise the full potential of our waste and bioenergy resources.'

Key facts you need to know about anaerobic digestion and biogas

• Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a natural process which converts organic matter such as household food and garden waste, farm slurry, waste from food processing plants and supermarkets, and sewage sludge, into biogas.
• Biogas (which is approximately 60% biomethane, 40% CO2) can be utilised to generate electricity and heat, or, upgraded to biomethane, either used as a transport fuel or fed directly into the UK’s gas grids
• According to the Carbon Trust the generation of biomethane would save twice as much carbon dioxide as producing electricity by 2020
• AD is the only renewable that can be scaled up fast enough to enable the UK to reach its 2020 renewable energy target
• The AD industry has the potential to be worth £2-3bn in the UK alone and employ 35,000 people
• Overseas potential is significant and the UK could be a world leader - with the right support now.
• AD reduces greenhouse gas emissions by treating organic wastes which would otherwise emit methane (landfill, slurries) and reducing our use of energy intensive commercial fertilisers and fossil fuels
• AD preserves critical natural resources such as Nitrates and Phosphorus. Phosphorous is a finite resource for which there is no known alternative. It is critical for plant growth and world resources are already running out.  Nitrates are one of the key components of fertilisers.
• AD significantly improves Britain’s energy security  -  we will soon be importing over 70% of our gas
• Unlike other renewables, biomethane is generated constantly and can be stored in the gas grid
• Biomethane is one of the few renewable fuels for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) which cannot run on electricity

The AD industry has the potential to generate around 40TWh of energy, equivalent to over 10% of the UK’s domestic gas demand

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