In a week marked by record increases in energy prices a new Bioenergy guide has been launched to raise awareness of technologies which offer a way out of the peak oil pinch. The Bioenergy Guide was been launched at the On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion seminar which was held at Walford College on Tuesday 5^th August, an event attended by 80 delegates from around the country.

Bioenergy offers a significant opportunity to increase fuel security and hence arrest rising energy prices in the UK. It will also address climate change and peak oil issues whilst simultaneously providing a boost to the rural economy.

Bioenergy technologies have real potential in the UK to create a commercially viable, secure and environmentally sound replacement for the imported fossils fuels which at present we all rely on. They also offer a major new commercial opportunity for farmers to become energy producers.

The Bioenergy guide is intended as an introduction for the general public to the two main technologies, biomass and anaerobic digestion, which are suitable for development in the UK. It contains key information about these two technologies and looks at how they work on domestic, commercial and industrial scales. It looks at many practical applications of the technologies with details of further information and funding.

The guide has been produced for Bioenergy West Midlands by Shrewsbury-based climate change organisation Marches Energy Agency with funding from Advantage West Midlands. If you would like a copy of the guide they are free of charge and available through Marches Energy Agency. There is a charge of £1 per copy to cover postage and packing. Please contact:

Richard Hammerton

Carbon Forum

The Pump House

Coton Hill

Shrewsbury

SY1 2DP

Tel: 01743 277115

Email: richard.hammerton@mea.org.uk

* An image of the Bionenergy Guide can be provided on request; please contact Richard to arrange this.