Although short rotation coppice (SRC) can offer a harvest cycle of 2-5 years, it is still a very different crop from those with which most UK farmers are familiar, and does not give an annual return.
There are, however, grasses and other plants that can offer high yield on an annual basis, and that are being studied for use as energy crops in the UK.
At present the best established, and the one previously eligible for support under the Defra Energy Crops Scheme (ECS) is miscanthus. However there are a number of other possibilities.
Grants
Defra's Energy Crops Scheme provides grants towards the establishment costs of Miscanthus as well as SRC Willow and other energy crops. The Energy Crop Scheme is funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which runs from 2007 to 2013.
