On the eve of COP21 negotiations, discussions on concrete options to mitigate climate change are a priority. In this regard, the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) publicly releases its annual Statistical Report on October 20th, with MEPs Miapetra Kumpula‐Natri (S&D, FI) and Benedek Jávor (Greens/EFA, HU) hosting. Statistics confirm that, beyond myth, bioenergy has a lot to offer to Europe: little known, in 2015 bioenergy accounts already for more than 60% of all renewable energy consumed in EU28.
When thinking of renewable energy, bioenergy may not come to one’s mind first. However “today, bioenergy is by far the leading renewable energy source in Europe, accounting for 61,2% of all RES energy consumed”, explains Cristina Calderón, Publishing Director of the AEBIOM Statistical Report. European countries committed in achieving their 2020 renewable energy targets are strongly relying on bioenergy – which represents more than 85% of renewable energy in Eastern European countries such as Estonia, Poland or Latvia. AEBIOM reveals in its publication that the final energy consumption of bioenergy has almost doubled from 2000 to 2013 (reaching 105,1 Mtoe1). This trend is set to continue and, according to Members States’ projections, the consumption of biomass for energy should increase by at least 33 Mtoe by 2020. This prompted Jean‐Marc Jossart, AEBIOM Secretary General, to state that “When it comes to renewable energy discussions, the key role played by bioenergy in Europe is often underestimated, compared to its actual contribution”.
The increasing demand can be explained by the fact that biomass is the only renewable energy source providing solutions for all energy sectors: transport, power and heating & cooling. According to AEBIOM Statistical Report, 74,6% of the biomass consumed today for energy purposes is used to produce heat (78,4 Mtoe), followed by bioelectricity (13,5 Mtoe) and biofuels for transport (13,1 Mtoe).
Considering that heat accounts for half of EU28’s final energy consumption, biomass can play a crucial role in solving EU’s energy dependency challenge. According to the European Commission, this dependency currently costs € 1 billion per day in fossil fuels imports to Europe. Unlike the massively imported fossil fuels, biomass imports represent today only 3,84% of the EU´s bioenergy gross inland consumption. This means that more than 95% of bioenergy consumed in Europe is produced within EU borders.
According to the latest AEBIOM Report, the bioenergy sector also has the potential to further increase. About 70% of total bioenergy feedstock delivered today in Europe originates from the forestry sector, while the rest comes from waste and agriculture. Contrary to some beliefs, EU forest keep growing as only 62% of the annual EU forest growth (in areas available for wood supply) is currently annually harvested.
Bioenergy also fosters considerable economic growth and contributes to job creation in Europe. Employment potential in bioenergy is superior compared to other renewable and non‐renewable energy technologies, due to the additional elements of feedstock production, supply, handling and logistics. Previous studies have already shown that the labour required to produce electricity from biomass is 3 to 6 times higher than for fossil fuels. According to EurObserv´ER statistics (used for AEBIOM report), the number of jobs in the bioenergy sector in 2013 amounted to 494.550 and the added value was estimated at 56.110 million euros.
For more information about bioenergy statistics, the European Biomass Association proposes a free of charge summary of the report with the Key Findings on its website: HERE. Interested journalists can also contact AEBIOM to access to the full version of the report.
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1 Million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent
Source: © 2015 AEBIOM