Table 5 Gap Analysis of the DECC/BEIS 2050 Calculator Pathways Analysis [21]
| Salient Issue | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Land Availability | Widespread uptake of second generation feedstocks. | Projected increases in yields for energy and food crops are a critical factor in achieving bioenergy land use targets. |
| Land use change |
Positive and negative effects of land use change are not elaborated. Assumed to balance out giving net zero effects - an oversimplification. | |
| No consideration of potential for land use changes outside the UK, despite considerable pressure on domestic land use. | ||
| Socio-economic factors | Underlying assumptions make allowances for the impact of increased energy crop deployment and their social implications. | |
| Recognises the need for financial incentives for suppliers (e.g., farmers) uptake. | Assumed that farmers are incentivised to develop bioenergy, athough discussion is limited. | |
| Conversion Technologies | Detailed coverage of conversion technologies, future developments, and levels of influence on scenarios. | |
| Bioenergy Imports | Attempt made to model bioenergy available for international trade. | Assumes imports are ‘carbon zero’ – major oversimplification leading to unreliable estimates of ‘greenhouse gas’ (GHG) savings. Simplification even more drastic when considering large volumes of imports under the DECC 2050 Pathways. |
| Recognises the need for sustainability criteria regulating imports. |