ABSTRACT
The concept of generating energy from ingredients that are already being produced in the countryside is a compelling one, and it seems indeed to embody the whole principle of renew abIes in that it uses crops that can be regrown once harvested and waste materials that are also part of an ongoing cycle. Crops that are specifically cultivated for this purpose are sometimes described as "dedicated" biomass, while waste materials and by-products, which include cereal straw and timber residues, are defined as "dependent". Coppice forms the main type of biomass crop in Britain, either as woody coppice or as miscanthus.
