SRC Producer Groups are intended to help growers to produce renewable energy from their land, by allowing regional co-ordination of limited resources such as specialist machinery; providing advice on the husbandry of this relatively new crop; and to help ensure that there is a market for the product. In some respects therefore, they function like farmer's co-operatives and can help to reduce costs compared to when growers work independently.

SRC Producer Groups are part-funded by Defra with the aim to promote the uptake of energy crops in the UK. There are many reasons why the UK government are keen to promote energy crops, these include:

• The UK is committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto agreement
• Bioenergy (energy from plant and animal matter) can be easily produced on demand because it can be stored and used when needed (unlike wind or solar for example, which are intermittent in the UK)
• The production of bioenergy from energy crops can be sustainably increased to meet demand (unlike other forms of finite biomass resources such as woodland residues and chicken litter)
• Energy crops might allow farmers to diversifying from food production, especially following reform of the Common Agricultural Policy
   

To help SRC and other bioenergy to be adopted in the UK, a number of initiatives have been introduced, including:

• Defra’s Energy Crops Establishment Grants
• SRC Producer Group Grants
• Bioenergy Capital Grants Scheme and the Clear Skies Initiative to support the development of conversion technologies
• The Renewables Obligation Order, which provides newly reviewed incentives for energy crops when co-fired with coal in existing power stations
   

For further information on Thames Valley Bioenergy Coppice, Click Here to contact us.