Biomass action plan for Scotland

ANNEX D - Glossary

ACRONYMS AND OTHER ABBREVIATIONS

AD	Anaerobic Digestion
BEG	FREDS Biomass Energy Group
BEN	Scottish Renewables Forum Bioenergy Network
BHAP	Carbon Trust Biomass Heat Acceleration Programme
CAP	Common Agricultural Policy
CHP	Combined Heat and Power
CO2	Carbon dioxide
CONFOR	Confederation of Forest Industries
COSLA	Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
DEFRA	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DTI	Department of Trade and Industry
EC	European Council/European Commission
EEAC	Energy Efficiency Advice Centre
EPBD	Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
ERDC	Environment and Rural Development Committee
EST	Energy Saving Trust
ECA	Enhanced Capital Allowances
ETS	Emissions Trading Scheme
EU	European Union
EU ETS	European Union Emissions Trading Scheme
FCS	Forestry Commission Scotland
FREDS	The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland
GAEC	Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition
GHG	Greenhouse gases
GW	Gigawatt (unit of power)
kWh	Kilowatt hours
LCBP	Low Carbon Building Programme
LMCs	Land Management Contracts
MBT	Mechanical and Biological Treatment (of waste)
MSW	Municipal Solid Waste
MW	Megawatt (unit of power)
MWe	Megawatt electrical capacity
MWth	Megawatt thermal capacity
MtC	Million tonnes of carbon
Netcen	National Environmental Technology Centre
NFUS	National Farmers Union Scotland
NPPG	National Planning Policy Guideline
NTS	National Transport Strategy
NVZ	Nitrate Vulnerable Zone
NWP	National Waste Plan
Odt	Oven dried tonnes (in relation to wood fuel)
Ofgem	The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets.
OSR	Oil Seed Rape
PAN	Planning Advice Note
PEPFAA	The Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity
PPC	Pollution Prevention and Control
PPP	Public Private Partnership
RDR	Rural Development Regulations
ROC	Renewables Obligation Certificate
ROS	The Renewables Obligation (Scotland)
RSA	Regional Selective Assistance
RTFO	Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
SBSA	Scottish Building Standards Agency
SBSS	Scottish Biomass Support Scheme
SCHRI	Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative
SCCP	Scottish Climate Change Programme
SEA	Strategic Environmental Assessment
SEFCSD	Scottish Executive Finance and Central Services Department
SEPA	Scottish Environment Protection Agency
SEETLLD	Scottish Executive Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
SEERAD	Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
SFGS	Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme
SNH	Scottish Natural Heritage
SMEs	Small and Medium sized Enterprises
SNH	Scottish Natural Heritage
SNIFFER	Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research
SPP	Scottish Planning Policy
SRC	Short Rotation Coppice
SRF	Short Rotation Forestry
SWF	Strategic Waste Fund
TWh	Terawatt hours
UKCCP	UK Climate Change Programme
UKCIP	UK Climate Impacts Programme
UKWAS	UK Woodland Assurance Scheme
WEWS	The Water Environment and Water Services
WRAP	The Waste and Resources Action Programme

DEFINITIONS

Anaerobic digestion is the breakdown of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. This process is used to generate energy (electricity or heat).

Biodiversity is the existence of a wide range of different types of organisms in a given place at a given time.

Bioenergy is energy from heat, electricity and transport generated from renewable biomass.

Biofuel is any fuel derived from biomass, such as ethanol, biodiesel and methanol

Biomass is biological material which can be derived from forestry, energy crops (such as short rotation coppice and miscanthus) agricultural plant and animal waste.

Brash is the branch-wood and leaf material that is generally too small in diameter to be considered part of the timber product from a harvesting site.

Carbon emissions a term generally used to describe the level of carbon, usually in the form of carbon dioxide, exhausted into the atmosphere by a process.

Carbon neutral (low carbon) a term used to describe processes that have a zero or very low contribution to atmospheric carbon. Using woodfuel for heat and power can be described as carbon neutral because the carbon emitted during combustion is equal to the carbon absorbed by the trees when they were growing.

CHP a term used to describe systems that derive and utilise both thermal and electricity energy from a given fuel source.

Combustion is the process of converting fuel into heat energy.

Coppice is the practice of harvesting the above ground part of a tree for timber and allowing the new shoots to re-grow in a cycle normally extending over a number of years.

District heating scheme a system by which heat is distributed via underground pipe-work from a single centralised boiler to a number of individual users, usually domestic dwellings.

Energy crop typically a crop of trees, woody plants or grasses grown for the purpose of providing biomass for energy.

Enhanced Capital Allowances enable businesses to claim 100% first year capital allowances on investments in energy saving technologies and products.

Fossil fuels are fossilised fuel such as coal, mineral oil and natural gas. When burnt fossil fuel releases carbon into the atmosphere that has been trapped beneath the earth's surface for millions of years. Thus fossil fuel use can contribute to an increase in current atmospheric greenhouse gases and lead to global warming.

Gasification is conversion of solid material such as woodchip into a gas for use as a fuel.

GHG or greenhouse gases are gaseous components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect.

LMC or Land Management Contracts are the mechanism for delivering support to rural Scotland.

Miscanthus is a grass often planted as an energy crop.

Moisture content (mc%) is the percentage by weight of water in a material.

Oven dry tonne (odt) - 1 tonne of material (woodfuel) at 0% moisture content.

Pellets are small diameter cylindrical section of compressed sawdust formed by passing dry sawdust under high pressure through a dye. Usually between 6-8mm in diameter and 10 to 30mm in length.

Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of woodchips by the action of heat to produce a liquid fuel.

Renewable energy is energy that has been obtained from a potentially infinite resource such as wood, sunshine or the wind.

Renewable fuel is fuel that is considered to be an infinite resource if its source is sustainably managed. Examples can include woodfuel, miscanthus or the wind.

Short rotation coppice is the practice of growing and harvesting the above ground part of a crop, usually of willow, for biomass and then allowing new shoots to regrow from the harvested stumps (also known as stools) in a short cycle (3 to 5 years).

Short rotation forestry is the practice of growing a specific crop of trees, usually poplar, for biomass over a relatively short rotation (usually no more than 15 years).

Solid fuel is fuel in solid form, typically wood or coal, often used in stoves, open fires and some boilers.

Sustainable is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Sustainable forest management is the process of managing forests to provide goods and services without degradation of the site quality, and without a decline in the yield of goods and services over time. These goods and services can be disparate and may include, for example, timber, amenity value, inherent biodiversity, landscape value (see 'sustainable').

Woodchips are small fragments of timber sliced from a larger log or piece of timber by a chipper, usually to a specified size.