BIOMASS HUB

In a position paper published in December 2009, two working groups inside the International Energy Agency (IEA) identified key policies and practices that would contribute to increased biomass utilization throughout the world.  The IEA project is designed to identify opportunities for bioenergy to provide better GHG reductions, and to develop climate policies for better bioenergy development.

The paper distinguishes ‘bad’ biomass from ‘good’ biomass and ‘better’ biomass.  Warning that biomass could be ‘bad’ without safeguards, it notes the threat of GHG emissions and loss of biodiversity from land use change, food insecurity, overuse of water, and mismanagement of soil if the increased use of biomass is left unchecked.  ‘Good’ biomass, on the other hand, can potentially diversify the energy supply at reasonable cost, improve trade balances, and provide rural income and employment.  The paper emphasizes that ‘better’ biomass, at the very least, is needed to increase sustainable energy in all countries taking into account costs and efficiency.

Getting to ‘better’ and even ‘good’ is not just a matter of increased investment.  Although biomass currently provides 75 percent of all renewable energy and approximately 13 percent of global energy supply, the paper finds that all countries are significantly underusing their domestic potential of sustainable bioenergy and international trade of bioenergy is only in its early stage of development.  The paper provides a roadmap to better utilization of sustainable biomass includes specific milestones for the near-term, medium-term, and longer-term.

Near-term milestones include (can be achieved with existing regulatory and market-based instruments):

• Harmonizing sustainability standards, criteria, and indicators for biomass trade
• Supporting shifts towards advanced cropping systems
• Adjusting waste extraction, collection, and logistics
• Improving land use policies to integrate agricultural, energy, and forestry

Medium-term milestones include (relies on RT&D activities on a scale that calls for international collaboration):

• Successful demonstration and commercialization of next generation biofuel technologies, and biorefineries
• Development and demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) for larger bioenergy conversion plants
• Cost reductions and lifetime improvements of electric vehicles which might use bioenergy

Longer-term milestones include (require close interaction and collaboration on the multilateral level and subject to inclusive strategies which allow participation of all stakeholders):

• RT&D for land-based algae and other new cropping systems
• International policy integration

Citing the policies and practices that would promote better use of biomass, the paper calls for substantial investments from the private sector, transparen rules for national markets and international trade, stable and adequate policies, and the development of complimentary policies that directly focus on problems going beyond biomass energy, including land- and water-efficient food and feed production, overall reduction of agricultural emissions, and the prevention of habitat loss from land clearing.

The paper advocates the implementation of performance-based policies, which it argues, seems suitable to provide incentives proportional to the benefits delivered.

The full paper, Better Use of Biomass for Energy, is available here.

Image: Photobucket/biopact3