Bioenergy in EU: Problems and Prospects

138
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2020-64-8-81-90
A. Zimakov (Zimakov@newmail.ru),
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation

Abstract. Bioenergy remains the main source of renewable energy in EU. Unlike other renewables, biomass provides solution for decarbonisation of power generation, heating and cooling, and transport. In transportation and heating biomass effectively holds leading role because of lack of other mature and economically feasible low-carbon technologies. In the power generation sector, the role of bioelectricity is rather limited facing competitive wind and solar power. Nevertheless, bioelectricity is crucial for phasing out coal as it allows retaining thermal power plants through their conversion to biomass. Such conversion is especially important for combined heat and power plants (CHPs) as far as it enables decarbonisation of both electricity generation and heating sectors. Thermal bioelectricity can also balance the power grids with a higher share of intermittent renewable power supply. Despite outlooks for a resilient growth, bioenergy in the EU is facing strong criticism regarding CO2 emissions and associated carbon debt. Another issue is connected wtih ensuring sustainability of biofuels what engulfs a broad range of questions ranging from low-carbon production to biodiversity, ecosystem benefits and social impacts. EU climate and energy policy addresses those issues by passing corresponding regulations. Meanwhile some EU countries are facing strong political pressures from environmental groups and are introducing even more strict sustainability criteria for domestic biofuels production and consumption. Further enhancement of sustainability requirements in EU is possible, including those for imported biofuels. In a longer term a decrease of biomass share in EU renewables mix can be expected caused by political pressure on bioenergy as carbon-emitting technology and in a separate development as a consequence of innovations and growth of other competitive non-carbon technologies able to replace biofuels.

Keywords: EU, energy transition, decarbonization, environmental policy, renewables, biofuels, biomass, biogas


REFERENCES

1. The European Green Deal. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Brussels, 2019. 640 p. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2019%3A640%3AFIN (accessed 10.03.2020).

2. Linnik V.Yu., Linnik Yu.N. Sostoyanie i perspektivy razvitiya bioenergetiki [State and prospects of bioenergy development]. Vestnik universiteta, 2019, no. 10, pp. 59-66. DOI:10.26425/1816-4277-2019-10-59-66

3. On the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. April, 2009. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32009L0028 (accessed 10.03.2020).

4. On the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (recast). Directive 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council. December, 2018. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018L2001 (accessed 10.03.2020).

5. Bioenergy in Germany facts and figures 2019. 2019. 51 p. Available at: https://mediathek.fnr.de/bioenergy-in-germany-facts-and-figures.html (accessed 10.03.2020).

6. Zimakov A.V. Est’ li budushchee dlya ugol’nykh TES v Evrope? [Is there any future for coal power plants in Europe?]. MGIMO Review of International Relations, 2017, no. 5 (56), pp. 130-150. DOI:10.24833/2071-8160-2017-5-56-130-150

7. Roni M.S., Chowdhury S., Mamun S., Marufuzzaman M., Lein W., Johnson S. Biomass co-firing technology with policies, challenges, and opportunities: A global review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, pp. 1089-1101. DOI:10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.023

8. Zimakov A. Transformatsiya setevoi infrastruktury v protsesse ekologizatsii energetiki ES [Energy infrastructure transformation as part of clean energy transition in the EU]. Mirovaya ekonomika i mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya, 2018, vol. 62, no. 12, pp. 46-54. DOI:10.20542/0131-2227-2018-62-12-46-54

9. Heating and Cooling Future of Europe and Interactions with Electricity. IEEE European Public Policy Committee Position Statement, 2018. Available at: https://www.ieee.org/content/dam/ieee-org/ieee/web/org/about/heating_and_cooling_future_of_europe_25_january_2018.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

10. Flamme S. et al. Energieerzeugung aus Abfallen. Umweltbundesamt: Dessau-Ro.lau, 2018. Available at: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/1410/publikationen/2018-06-26_texte_51-2018_energieerzeugung-abfaelle.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

11. Faaij A.P.C. Securing sustainable resource availability of biomass for energy applications in Europe; review of recent literature. TNO EnergieTransitie, 2018. Available at: https://energy.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Bioenergy-Europe-EU-Biomass-Resources-Andr%C3%A9-Faaij-Final.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

12. Sustainable and optimal use of biomass for energy in the EU beyond 2020. EC Directorate General for Energy, 2017. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/biosustain_report_final.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

13. A Clean Planet for all. A European long-term strategic vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy. 2018. 24 p. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2050_en (accessed 10.03.2020).

14. Playing with fire. An assessment of company plans to burn biomass in EU coal power stations. Sandbag, 2019. 30 p. Available at: https://ember-climate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019-SB-Biomass-report-1.7b_DIGI.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

15. Statistical Report 2019. Brussels, Bioenergy Europe, 2019. Available at: https://bioenergyeurope.org/statistical-report.html (accessed 10.03.2020).

16. Sterman J.D., Siegel L., Rooney-Varga J.N. Does replacing coal with wood lower CO2 emissions? Dynamic lifecycle analysis of wood bioenergy. Environmental Research Letters, 2018, no. 13(1). 10 p. DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/aaa512

17. Timmons D.S., Buchholz T., Veeneman C.H. Forest biomass energy: Assessing atmospheric carbon impacts by discounting future carbon flows. Gcb Bioenergy, 2016, no. 8 (3), pp. 631-643. DOI:10.1111/gcbb.12276

18. Schlesinger W.H. Are wood pellets a green fuel? Science, 2018, no. 359 (6382), pp. 1328-1329. DOI:10.1126/science.aat2305

19. Madsen K., Bentsen N.S. Carbon Debt Payback Time for a Biomass Fired CHP Plant – A Case Study from Northern Europe. Energies, 2018, no. 11 (4), pp. 807-819. DOI:10.3390/en11040807

20. Carbon impacts of biomass consumed in the EU: quantitative assessment. Forest Research, Farnham, December, 2015. 341 p. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/EU%20Carbon%20Impacts%20of%20Biomass%20Consumed%20in%20the%20EU%20final.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

21. Berndes G. et al. Forest biomass, carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation. From science to policy, 2016, pp. 3-27. Available at: https://efi.int/sites/default/files/files/publication-bank/2018/efi_fstp_3_2016.pdf (accessed 10.03.2020).

22. Reid W.V., Ali M.K., Field C.B. The future of bioenergy. Global change biology, 2019. DOI:10.1111/gcb.14883

23. Banja M. et al. Biomass for energy in the EU – The support framework. Energy policy, 2019, no. 131, pp. 215-228. DOI:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.04.038

24. Meden N. Energeticheskaya transformatsiya v sotsial’nom rynochnom khozyaistve. Opyt Germanii [Energy revolution in social market economy. German experience]. Contemporary Europe, 2019, no. 2, pp. 142-150.


Registered in System SCIENCE INDEX

For citation:
Zimakov A. Bioenergy in EU: Problems and Prospects. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2020, vol. 64, no. 8, pp. 81-90. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2020-64-8-81-90



Comments (0)

No comments

Add comment







Indexed

 

 

 

 

Dear authors! Please note that in the VAK List of peer-reviewed scientific journals, in which the main scientific results of dissertations for the degree of candidate and doctor of sciences should be published for the “MEMO Journal” the following specialties are recorded:
economic sciences:
5.2.5. World Economy.
5.2.1. Economic Theory
5.2.3. Regional and Branch Economics
political sciences:
5.5.4. International Relations
5.5.1. History and Theory of Politics
5.5.2. Political Institutions, Processes, Technologies

 

Current Issue
2024, vol. 68, No. 12
Topical Themes of the Issue:
  • Mechanisms of International Financial Relations in the Conditions of Globalization Crisis  
  • “New” Militarization of Europe?
  • Foreign Economic Policy of Germany: African Vector
  • Transformation of the Conflict Field in Abkhazia: Contemporary Politics and Historical Context
Announcement

Dear authors of the journal!

Please note that the author's copies of the issues in which your texts are published are kept in the editorial office for no more than one year. After this period expires, the editorial office has the right to dispose of unclaimed copies at its own discretion.

 

Submit an Article
INVITATION FOR PUBLICATION
The Editorial Board invites authors to write analytical articles on the following topics:
  • changes in the processes of globalization in modern conditions
  • formation of the new world order
  • shifts in civilization at the stage of transition to a digital society

The editors are also interested in publishing synthesis articles / scientific reviews revealing the main trends in the development of certain regions of the world - Latin America, Africa, South Asia, etc.