Biomass Energy in the European Union
Biomass energy resource potential is large in the EU and various schemes have been implemented at national and regional levels to make bio-energy competitive with conventional fuels for power generation.
The EU targets to double the share of the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in gross inland consumption, from 5.4 % in 1997 up to 12.0% by 2010. Various legislative actions have been undertaken in order to facilitate this target, most important of which are: i) to promote the electricity generation from renewable energy sources by increasing the production from 14.0 % in 1997 up to 21,0 % by 2010 for EU 25 corresponding to 22.1% for EU 15 (Directive 2001/77/EC); ii) to promote the use of biofuels for transport applications by replacing diesel and petrol up to 2% by 2005 and 5.75% by 2010 (Directive 2003/30 EC) with the accompanying de-taxation of biofuels (modification of the taxation of energy products and electricity directive 2003/96/EC) and; iii) to double the share of cogeneration from 10% to 18% of total electricity generation by 2010. The EU CHP/cogeneration directive was approved in February 2004 by the European Parliament.
Biomass accounts for a substantial share in primary energy consumption. In European power production, share of biomass is slightly lower with approximately 1.9% or 66 TWh in 2003 (IEA, 2004) but these figures are steadily increasing. Regional differences however are large, with Finland (12%) topping the EU countries and several others less than 1% - see figure below.
Figure 1. Percentage biomass-based power production in OECD Europe 2003 (IEA 2004 figures)
The recent EU communication on ‘The share of renewable energy in the EU’ (COM(2004) 366 final) concluded that further efforts – in particular in the biomass sector – are needed in order to achieve the EU RES policy objectives. To meet this goal, intensified use will be made of biomass, both for heating purposes and for power generation. Timber and forestry residues are available in ample quantities, but the required investment costs are a barrier to the broad-based use of this energy source.
In 2001, total biomass production for energy purposes was 56 Mtoe. To achieve the RES 12% target 74 Mtoe more from biomass is needed by 2010. This additional production can only be achieved in the short term with strong and targeted measures and actions in all three sectors (electricity, heat, and biofuels for transport) and a better coordination of EU policies.
Each of these sectors has to contribute the following indicative additional amounts of biomass energy: electricity 32 Mtoe, heat 24 Mtoe, and biofuels 18 Mtoe. This would lead to a total biomass accumulated energy production of 130 Mtoe in 2010. To ensure the achievement of this objective a Community Biomass Action Plan is in the process of development.
The biogas sector has been developing constantly in most of the countries of the European Union. In 2002, European biogas production increased by 10% compared with 2001 production – yet for lack of economically profitable outlets, approximately half of the biogas produced in Europe is simply burned off in stacks. The UK is the European leader in terms of biogas production, then Germany and France.
Currently there are over 4000 biogas installation in the EU, most of which are municipal solid waste plants. These are principally valorized in the form of cogeneration. In Sweden these plants provide the main source of biogas that is used as a fuel or fed into the public natural gas network. The second largest producer and users of biogas are farms. The biogas produced and trapped at waste storage dumps (approximately 450 installation across Europe) provide useful sources of electricity that are injected into the power grids. More recently in Denmark the developments of municipal waste methanisation units are being put in place, a total of 120 installations to date, which represent collective co-digestion units (joint treatment of liquid manure, agro-industrial waste etc). This new wave of investments in biogas systems throughout Europe is a response to better purchasing tariffs.
Wood fuels have been traditionally used in the geographic regions where they have been produced. Nonetheless, over the last few years it’s been possible to observe that real international exchange networks are being set up, notably from the Baltic states to the Scandinavian countries. Italy has also become an importer. Dutch, Belgian and Swedish power stations are currently buying enormous quantities of pellets and other conditioned biomass products to add to the fuels of their conventional power stations (co-firing) and in this way meet their national CO2 targets. This has produced a gigantic market for several million tonnes of biomass per year. In fact 70% of industrial generation plants could be converted to biomass co-firing without new investments and loss of performance.
An estimate for the Netherlands showed that around 60% of the renewable energies will have to be obtained from biomass if the country is to meet its 2010 carbon emission target. A major role is planned for the co-firing of biomass in power stations. The motivation for the emergence of these projects is basically economic, although legislation has also played its part. High costs for waste disposal, high taxes on fossil fuels, and legal provisions have accelerated the development of biomass co-combustion.
About 6% of Denmark’s total energy consumption is covered by biomass energy, representing 75% of the country’s renewable energy production. Denmark is an agricultural country that generates large amounts of straw and animal wastes which are increasingly being used as sources of energy. Straw is efficiently pressed and used in on-farm heating systems and increasingly purchased by utilities for power generation. Though only 12% of the country is forested, 70% of all wood residues is (being) used for energy purposes. The majority of these residues are chipped in situ using mobile equipment. Municipal solid waste is also increasingly being used for energy. Households separate organic from non-organic waste. The organic waste is used in biogas digester plants, which generate heat and electricity from biogas.
For the EU-15, ECN’s Admire Rebus model (ECN, 2003) calculates a baseline scenario for biomass sources as shown below.
Figure 2. Biomass resource in 2010 in baseline scenario from Admire Rebus
