Potential For Agricultural Biomass Production for Energy Purposes in Poland: a Review

Abstract

Q16, Q41, Q42, Q47 KEy woRdS: JEL Classification: biomass, biomass production, agricultural biomass, energy crops, biofuels 1 Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Rafal Baum, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 28 Wojska Polskiego Str., 60-637 Poznan, Poland, e-mail: baum@up.poznan.pl Rafal Baum1, Karol Wajszczuk1, Benedykt Peplinski1 & Jacek Wawrzynowicz1 Primary submission: 06.02.2012 | Final acceptance: 12.09.2012 64 Rafal Baum, Karol Wajszczuk, Benedykt Peplinski & Jacek Wawrzynowicz 10.5709/ce.1897-9254.74 DOI: CONTEMPORARY ECONOMICS Vol. 7 Issue 1 63-74 2013 within the EU, a “green revolution” in industry and power generation, i.e., a transition from high-emission coal to renewable energy sources and energy conservation. In the general opinion, the adopted package achieves a balance between environmental concerns and the interests of the industrial sector. The assumed objectives adopted by the EU have resulted in increased interest in the cultivation of energy crops. Efforts undertaken by scientists aimed at systematizing information on energy crop cultivation are evident. Efficient practice requires guidelines concerning the utilization of agricultural biomass for energy purposes and optimal production (both quantitative and qualitative). Introduction of the above-mentioned solutions is complex. Production of energy biomass will provide farmers with new prospects and possibilities to diversify agricultural activity. Some of these crops may compete for land and other resources with traditional crops, while other crops may be grown on marginal lands or even ecologically degraded areas and thus have a positive effect on the environment (Zegada-Lizarazu et al., 2010). In view of the circumstances described above, there has been growing interest in studies that present future energy scenarios. In these studies, energy demand (in various forms) and available energy resources (nonrenewable and renewable) are estimated. Then, the energy balance, i.e., a comparison of energy supply and demand (Sorensen, 2008), is assessed. 1. Aim and methodology of the study The circumstances described above indicate the need for analyses of the potential of Polish agriculture to produce biomass for energy production. The primary aim of this paper is to present a forecast of the production potential of agricultural biomass in Poland in the year 2020. The detailed scope of the study will include the following factors: forecasted consumption of renewable energy in terms of energy types (electrical energy, heat, automotive biofuels), energy potential of agriculture (sources of agricultural biomass, utilization structure of agricultural biomass, the volume of production of solid biomass, biogas and biofuels, cultivation area of energy crops), and barriers to the utilization of biomass. The study is a theoretical review that takes a heuristic approach. The presented forecast is a fragment of broader analyses conducted within the framework of a research project2. 2. The macroeconomic context In the above-mentioned EU climate and energy package (December 17, 2008), it was assumed that by 2020, the EU member countries would realize the following objectives: reduction of CO2 emission by 20% compared with 1990, increased consumption in the EU of energy from renewable sources from 8.5 to 20% of energy needs, an increase in energy efficiency of 20%. In Poland, in November 2009, a document entitled “Energy policy in Poland by the year 2030” was adopted by the Council of Ministers (Ministerstwo Gospodarki, 2009). It presents the government’s strategy and proposes means of meeting the most important challenges facing the Polish power industry. The primary objective of energy policy in terms of the development and utilization of renewable energy sources is to increase the proportion of renewables in the total consumption of energy by at least 15% by 2020 and to further increase this index in the following years. Moreover, it was assumed that in 2020, a 10% share of biofuels will be achieved in the automotive fuels market and that the utilization of second-generation biofuels will be increased. Poland has considerable renewable energy resources (it is estimated that the technical potential of renewables exceeds that of Denmark and Sweden) that may be used to meet almost 50% of national energy demand. Nevertheless, of the total energy balance in 2010, energy from renewable sources amounted to approximately 9% of final energy consumption. Numerous forecasts conclude [e.g., the Polish Ministry of Economy (Ministerstwo Gospodarki, 2009) or the Institute for Renewable Energy (IEO, 2010)] that in 2020 a vast majority of final energy from renewable energy sources will need to be produced from biomass, particularly agricultural biomass. Poland is perceived, within the EU, as a country with a high potential for biomass production for energy purposes. The results of analyses and estimates prepared by some specialists indicate that, in Poland,