Bioenergy Policy Research Articles

Negotiating biophysical limits in the European Union’s bioeconomy: a critical analysis of two conflicts over regulating biomass use in EU policy

AbstractThe bioeconomy seeks to replace fossil fuels with biomass in various products and industrial sectors. The dominant political bioeconomy project focuses on economic growth and aims to increase biomass demand in the EU. This can exacerbate global land use competition and pressures on ecosystems. However, this project does not consider reducing resource use to tackle biophysical limits. Technological innovations are the means for ensuring sustainability. Few social scientific studies have investigated how actors reproduce or question the dominant bioeconomy project. We contribute to this research gap by using critical policy analysis. We explore how actors address biophysical limits and assert their positions and strategies in policy conflicts stemming from the EU bioeconomy strategy. We thereby identified two central conflicts: regulating bio-based plastics and the cascading use of biomass. Our analysis included position papers, policy documents, and expert interviews. We grouped the actors based on their positions and strategies into three political bioeconomy projects. Thus, in addition to the dominant growth-oriented project, we identified a circular and sufficiency-oriented one. Our analysis indicates that these alternative projects influenced bio-based plastics and bioenergy policies to acknowledge biophysical limits. EU policy even provides measures to reduce plastic use. Nevertheless, the Renewable Energy Directive's approach to cascading use reflects a compromise with the growth-oriented project that might not cap using primary biomass for energy. Overall, we demonstrate that there are potential alliances in promoting alternatives to the dominant bioeconomy project. Setting clear limits is constrained by powerful interests advocating for a growth-oriented bioeconomy.

Multicriteria GIS-based assessment of biomass energy and hydropower potentials in Nigeria

The deployment of hybrid renewable energy systems remains the quickest way to salvage the dwindling grid supply in Nigeria and improve energy access. The assessment of biomass and hydro potentials across the geopolitical zones of the country to determine the optimal locations for a Biogas fired thermal plant for energy generation is thoroughly addressed in this paper. Multiple Geographical Information System (GIS) approaches were used to assess the energy potentials of crop and forest residues for biomass, as well as waterbodies, and waterlines for a hydrothermal power plant. The study applies the inverse distance weighting and weighted overlay multicriteria decision analysis. Forest areas, waterbodies, distance from water sources and road accessibility were considered for locating the biomass and hydrothermal facilities within multiple ring buffer distances of 200 m–2000 m from the combined biomass and hydropower resources. The result shows four states with potentials to host biomass-hydrothermal power plants in Nigeria; Niger, Kaduna, Bauchi and Taraba states with biomass potentials of 831.9 tonnes/yr, 1173.27 tonnes/yr, 322 tonnes/yr and 739.48 tonnes/yr, respectively and inland waterways. It further shows that these plants can be optimally located within 2000 m from the source of the biomass and hydro resources. This paper recommends the utilization of these results to carry out feasibility studies and make informed decisions on the exploration of these resources for power generation. It also advocates for a control in the commercialization of forest residues to sustain the production from these hybrid plants and supports the Nigerian bio-energy policy that proposes to effectively utilize the Nigeria's non-fuelwood as substitute to felling of trees.

Using remote sensing technique to assess biomass energy potentials and appropriate site locations in Nigeria

In a bid to promote clean energy usage and conserve the forests, the Nigerian bio-energy policy was recently constituted, to help tackle the energy insecurity in the country and help increase its carbon credit in line with the United Nations development goals. This paper presents a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based assessment of biomass energy potentials and appropriate siting of biomass plant in Nigeria using remote sensing technique. It promotes sustainable and clean energy penetration and conserve forest life, which supports the UN SDGs on; Clean and Affordable Energy (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13) and Life on Land, including forest sustainability (SDG 15), and the Federal Government of Nigeria's net-zero emission commitment. The weighted overlay decision analysis was employed considering multicriteria approach. The various vegetation, forest, water bodies, lands, water source locations, accessibility to roads, aspect and topography were the criteria that were considered for locating the biomass facility. Efforts were made to quantify the biomass energy potentials of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, with the possibility of locating biomass plant; North East, North West, North Central, South East, South West and South South. The results obtained in this study reflect that the north eastern part of Nigeria has the highest theoretical, technical and economical energy potentials of crop residues (1163.32, 399.73 and 110.56 PJ/yr, respectively), while the south eastern part has the least energy potential (52.36, 17.99 and 4.98 PJ/yr, respectively). Also, the north western part of Nigeria has the highest theoretical, technical and economical energy potentials of forest residues (260.18, 156.11 and 43.18 PJ/yr, respectively), while the south eastern part has the least energy potential (1.79, 1.08 and 0.30 PJ/yr, respectively). The remote sensing technique employed in this study suggested that the northern part of Nigeria is most suitable for siting biomass plants in the country.

Mapping of community perspectives on land acquisition for biofuel investment in northern Ghana

We apply Q methodology, a model with a qualitative background, albeit with rigorous quantitative analysis, to map community perspectives (concerns, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and perceptions) towards the acquisition of communal land for a biofuel project in northern Ghana. We extracted four community perspectives, in the order of importance as follows: (1) pro-biofuel project, but pessimistic (2) against the biofuel project (pro-environmental) (3) strong against and (4) optimistic. Taken together, the perspectives suggest the local people believe the biofuel project has no potential to improve their livelihoods, meanwhile, there is a consensus that the project destroyed trees of economic importance and provided poor working conditions for the local employees. We recommend (1) the establishment of enforceable economic and social contracts between the employees, local land users and the biofuel investors (2) direct monetary compensation for the affected communal land users (3) investigation of allegations of late or partial-payment of salaries of the biofuel project’s employees (4) future considerations for acquiring communal land should include broad community consultations and incorporate the local land users’ interests, concerns, and viewpoints and (5) the local bioenergy policy of the government of Ghana must include checks on communal land sale decisions, which directly or indirectly impact the welfare of the people.

A systematic evaluation of risk in bioenergy supply chains

We introduce a novel method of evaluating risks of disruption to (bio)fuel supply chains. The biofuel landscape is complex, with multiple options for feedstocks and processing routes, but the type, size, and scale of risks are currently not sufficiently appreciated. As a consequence, the uptake of biofuels remains below expectation suggesting the need for comprehensive risk assessment. Our method of risk discovery and evaluation is based on a transparent and robust sustainability assessment framework, and exploits the richness of data and expert analysis available in publications. In a UK case study, we show that biomass (solids) has a similar risk score to coal, biogas being slightly less risky, with bioliquids being less risky still though more risky than wind and solar power. The most important cause of risk, ‘changing policy or regulatory framework’, reflects this fledgling industry's need for policy support. The second most important cause of risk is ‘lack of access to capital’, reflecting the scale of the process engineering required to convert biomass to tightly specified products which could substitute fossil fuels. Levels of optimism bias in the biofuel industry are high, leading to unrealistic expectations from complex technologies and dubious claims about the quantity of resource available. This, together with the wide variety and variability of feedstocks complicates the business case for biofuel investment. Bioenergy policy would benefit from a more nuanced understanding of risks which impede the widespread large-scale deployment of biofuels.

Valorisation of biogas for market development and remission of environmental nuisance in Uganda

In Uganda, biogas is a low-value product considered a pro-poor renewable energy source. Farmers with excess biogas release it into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. This study used mixed data sources and methods to explore how biogas can be valorised to become a valued commercial energy source in Uganda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The results reveal the inefficiency of current biogas purification processes: the concentration of methane (CH4) in the upgraded gas was only 58 %, far below the standard specification of 98 %. The pilot production process never came close to even the lower specification level of 95 % for upgraded methane and the upper specification level of 5 % for carbon dioxide (CO2). The presence of traces of H2S, water and oxygen could lead to the corrosion of storage equipment and complicate the use of the gas. The study also found that small-scale biogas producers with excess gas have a high desire to sell it but have currently no clear idea of how to valorise it to reach the market. Our market analysis revealed three promising customer segments: bioenergy entrepreneurs, gas companies and electricity suppliers. Taken together, our findings imply that to become a commercially viable energy source, the quality of biogas needs to be improved using valorisation strategies like monitoring gas quality, shaping the market, market research and certification and controls. The national bioenergy policy could consider subsidising valorisation technologies to make them affordable for farmers and thus support a more climate-smart biogas commercialisation process.

An alternative pathway to negative emissions – revitalising the wood-based panel production in Sweden

Among different possibilities to mitigate climate change, the utilisation of carbon sinks has rendered increased interest with the emergence of net-zero targets. In Sweden, despite large forest resources, the product category wood-based panels has turned from being a carbon sink to an emission source. Production data and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) accounting approach has been used in this paper to construct the pool of biogenic carbon sequestered in wood-based panels. We used indices to compare this development and found that it is unparalleled in other countries. We show that it is possible to achieve an increased carbon sink in harvested wood products in Sweden and argue that all options producing real and quantifiable carbon sinks should be given opportunities in the regulatory frameworks for climate change mitigation. We conclude that the increased importance of carbon sinks to mitigate climate change justifies a critical discussion of bioenergy policy in Sweden and the rest of Europe. Additionally, we suggest a policy direction that will promote the cascading use of by-products for wood-based panels without proposing a mandated hierarchy of biomass use.

Multicriteria GIS-based assessment of biomass energy potentials in Nigeria.

The understanding of the geographical variability of biomass energy is an essential requirement for the optimal location of biomass energy conversion plants. This research presents a multicriteria GIS-based assessment of biomass energy potentials and the appropriate siting of biomass plants in Nigeria. The study applies the weighted overlay multicriteria decision analysis method. Crop and forest areas, settlement (energy supply areas), shrub/grasslands, barren land, water bodies, distance from water sources, road accessibility, topography, and aspect are the criteria that were considered for locating a biomass facility in this study. The results suggest that the theoretical, technical, and economical energy potentials of crop residues are highest in the North-East region of Nigeria and estimated at 1,163.32, 399.73, and 110.56PJ/yr, respectively, and lowest in the South-East at 52.36, 17.99, and 4.98PJ/yr, respectively. The theoretical, technical, and economical energy potentials of forest residues are highest in the North-West, estimated at 260.18, 156.11, and 43.18PJ/yr, respectively, and lowest in the South-East at 1.79, 1.08, and 0.30PJ/yr, respectively. Although most areas were identified to be suitable for siting biomass plants across Nigeria, the most suitable areas are located in the northern part of the country and include Niger, Zamfara, the Federal Capital Territory, Nassarawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Borno State. The study supports the Nigerian bio-energy policy that proposes to effectively utilize Nigeria's non-fuelwood as a substitute for the felling of trees. This is very important to strengthen its commitment at the COP26 International Climate Conference, which is to conserve and restore its forest. Furthermore, this study will serve as a good reference for policymakers to make well-informed decisions on tackling the energy insecurity in Nigeria.

Sustainability of bioenergy – Mapping the risks & benefits to inform future bioenergy systems

Bioenergy is widely included in energy strategies for its GHG mitigation potential. Bioenergy technologies will likely have to be deployed at scale to meet decarbonisation targets, and consequently biomass will have to be increasingly grown/mobilised. Sustainability risks associated with bioenergy may intensify with increasing deployment and where feedstocks are sourced through international trade. This research applies the Bioeconomy Sustainability Indicator Model (BSIM) to map and analyse the performance of bioenergy across 126 sustainability issues, evaluating 16 bioenergy case studies that reflect the breadth of biomass resources, technologies, energy vectors and bio-products. The research finds common trends in sustainability performance across projects that can inform bioenergy policy and decision making. Potential sustainability benefits are identified for People (jobs, skills, income, energy access); for Development (economy, energy, land utilisation); for Natural Systems (soil, heavy metals), and; for Climate Change (emissions, fuels). Also, consistent trends of sustainability risks where focus is required to ensure the viability of bioenergy projects, including for infrastructure, feedstock mobilisation, techno-economics and carbon stocks. Emission mitigation may be a primary objective for bioenergy, this research finds bioenergy projects can provide potential benefits far beyond emissions - there is an argument for supporting projects based on the ecosystem services and/or economic stimulation they may deliver. Also given the broad dynamics and characteristics of bioenergy projects, a rigid approach of assessing sustainability may be incompatible. Awarding ‘credit’ across a broader range of sustainability indicators in addition to requiring minimum performances in key areas, may be more effective at ensuring bioenergy sustainability.

European farmers’ response to crop residue prices and implications for bioenergy policies

To achieve the European bioenergy objectives, member states are likely to implement support policies targeting the use of lignocellulosic biomass for advanced bioenergy. Such policies could increase prices. In this study, we argue that with higher prices and new market opportunities for lignocellulosic biomass, farmers will account for crop residues in their choice of production and use of inputs. We test this hypothesis in an economic model of the EU agricultural supply coupled with a crop model to assess the effect of crop residue prices on residue supply, land allocation, yields, fertiliser use, and nitrogen pollution. We find that 120 million tonnes of dry matter (tDM) of crop residues are co-produced when they are unpriced. The price-induced additional supply is elastic to price but limited to 8% at €100/tDM and 13% at €200/tDM of the unpriced production. However, the increase in residue prices induces farmers to increase their crop areas and yields, which leads to significantly higher fertiliser consumption and nitrous oxide emission. These results indicate to policy makers that supporting prices would not substantially increase crop residue potential but could have collateral effects on the environment. They raise issues of coordination between bioenergy and agri-environmental policies in the EU.

Role of biomass as low-carbon energy source in the era of net zero emissions

• Prospects of biofuels to replace fossils fuels in thermal power plants is discussed. • Status of power generation facilities that can support this growth was analyzed. • Use of biofuels in existing thermal power plants is proposed. • Biomass from unused forest resources is ideal to meet wood pellet production demand. Since the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) policy was introduced in 2012, the use of biomass and its import has significantly increased in the power generation sector of Korea. Currently, biofuel-fired electricity production is fifty-fold compared to before the implementation of the RPS. However, the rapid growth of bioenergy at the initial stage of the RPS and institutional changes for equity with other renewable energy industries brought about significant changes in the bioenergy market and related industries in a short period. For example, the effect of the policy amendment to reduce dependence on foreign bioenergy and expand the use of domestic biomass had an immediate effect on the market. As a result, the imported biomass and bio-SRF began to shrink, and these markets had −1 % and −36 % CAGR between 2018 and 2020, respectively. Meanwhile, the policy contributes to revitalizing the domestic bioenergy industry, and it is predicted that the domestic biomass utilization will be more than 6 million tons in 2050. This paper reports the impact of changes in Korea's bioenergy policy on the power generation sector over the past ten years. When carbon neutrality is essential in all energy fields, the result can be a good reference for establishing bioenergy policies.

Palm oil-based bioenergy sustainability and policy in Indonesia and Malaysia: A systematic review and future agendas

This paper reviews previous research on the sustainability and policies of palm oil-based bioenergy in Indonesia and Malaysia. A systematic literature review with a meta-analysis (PRISMA) methodology was performed to evaluate the related articles discussing sustainability and bioenergy policies. This study found 96 articles that mapped the sustainability and policies of bioenergy in Indonesia and Malaysia over the last decade. The sustainability studies were divided into two areas: the environment and socioeconomics. Researchers were more likely to examine environmental factors than socioeconomic factors, specifically focusing on the following environmental indicators: land use conversion, deforestation, and CO2 emissions. Most policy studies concentrated on sustainability and energy security. Over the last two decades, the development of bioenergy policies in Indonesia and Malaysia has been comparable in terms of geographical position and palm oil production. However, Indonesia's bioenergy policy has tended to be more vigorous and dynamic than Malaysia.

Engaging or resisting? How forest–based industry and private forest owners respond to bioenergy policies in Aquitaine (Southwestern France)

Since the mid-2000s, the critical role of biomass for achieving the French renewable energy objectives is viewed as a means to entice private forest owners to be more proactive in sustainable wood harvesting. However, how bioenergy policies are really implemented and lead (or not) to practice changes at the forest management level remains unclear. In this paper, we assume that these sustainable transition pathways depend on power relations, negotiations and trade-offs between policymakers and forest industry in the one hand and between forest industry and forest owners on the other hand. To address this challenge, we develop a comprehensive and meso-micro level approach informed by theoretical insights from the Multi-Level Perspective of system innovation (MLP) and the Social Practice Theory (SPL). Monitoring the implementation process of two bioenergy policies in Aquitaine region (southwestern France), we show that forest industries are recognized as a progressive force in sustainable transition processes despite their underlying propensity to consider bioenergy policies as a new means to optimize their economic interests regarding forest resources. Conversely, even if forest owners often withstand implementing the most intensive forestry models, they may adopt new practices incrementally, proceeding with caution and without completely abandoning their existing practices. Finally, by coupling the MLP and the STP models, we provide a more nuanced picture of both firms’ engagement and forest owners’ resistance in the dynamics of change. One of the main policy implication is that sustainable transition not only challenges the management capacity of reluctant or inexperienced forest owners but also the collective willingness of forest industries to really support transformative changes in wood mobilization processes.

Impact of market constraints on the development of small-scale biogas technology in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

The sustainable production and use of small-scale biogas energy are required to ensure clean household energy access in developing countries, including the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. This is influenced by market risks, which can be identified as political, economic, social, technical, legal, and environmental (PESTLE). This study examines peer-reviewed and grey literature for the period from 2000 to 2020 to identify the PESTLE constraints and assess their impact on the sustainable development of the technology in the SSA region. The production of biogas with small-scale plants is commonly done by rural and peri-urban households. Results show that economic constraints are the most dominant and reducing at a slow pace. This is followed by political constraints, which have received much attention in the last two decades. Despite the policy improvements, broader national bioenergy policies and interventions are still to make significant gains, especially in the Central African region. In order of significance, the Southern, East, and West Africa regions have made greater progress in reducing the constraints. To achieve the sustainable development of the technology, there is a need to further address the PESTLE constraints at national and regional levels. This study partly deduces that the unsustainable production, use, and inadequate regulation of the small-scale biogas sector are delaying its transition in the SSA region.

Will Brazil’s push for low-carbon biofuels contribute to achieving the SDGs? A systematic expert-based assessment

Bioenergy can be part of strategies towards achieving climate and energy-related UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially for land abundant countries. Biofuel advocates argue that such strategies advance at least one-third of the SDGs, whereas opponents claim that they lead to negative trade-offs. Numerous studies have explored the benefits and risks of early bioenergy policies. Here we study the new Brazilian biofuel policy Renovabio, which was designed to increase the share of biofuels in the national energy mix of the world’s second largest biofuel producer to 18%. We use an impact score scheme to assess the potential effects of the policy on the SDGs based on expert opinions and triangulate our findings with a literature review. Our results indicate that these experts entertain high expectations for the policy’s mechanisms to increase bioenergy production and promote the substitution of fossil fuels. The policy is expected to support climate-related, economic and technological SDG targets, while potential impacts in other SDG dimensions, such as environmental, social, and health targets are contradictory. Our results reflect the positions in the debate around biofuels and indicate a need for effective sustainability safeguards to ensure that national policies like Renovabio actually live up to their declared objectives.

Empirical Study on the Impact of Bio-energy Policy on Economy based on Decision Tree Classification

China is currently in the critical stage of strategic structural adjustment, and the successful structural transformation not only means a qualitative leap in China's overall economic development, but also plays an important role in improving China's energy utilization efficiency. Facing the double pressures of international energy security and environmental degradation, biomass energy, as a new renewable energy source, has attracted unprecedented attention from all countries in the world. Developing biofuels has become a guide of energy policies in many countries including China. In this paper, a decision tree classification model is established to measure energy efficiency. Through theoretical analysis and empirical research, the impact of Bio-energy policy changes on economy is explored. The empirical results show that the adjustment of industrial structure has a significant impact on energy and environment, and the variables are highly sensitive, and the marginal cost of emission reduction is increasing. The conclusion of the study has forward-looking reference value for implementing the strategy of energy diversification and substitution, developing bioenergy and adjusting the policy system of agricultural development.

European Farmers’ Response to Crop Residue Prices and Implications for Bioenergy Policies

European Farmers’ Response to Crop Residue Prices and Implications for Bioenergy Policies

Response of European Farmers to Crop Residue Prices and Implications for Bioenergy Policies

Response of European Farmers to Crop Residue Prices and Implications for Bioenergy Policies

Deepening the territorial Life Cycle Assessment approach with partial equilibrium modelling: First insights from an application to a wood energy incentive in a French region

An innovative modelling framework and metrics are developed to assess the economic and environmental performances of regional incentives in the wood energy sector. Our approach is based on the coupling between a partial equilibrium economic model of the forest sector with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Its originality relies on the computation of regional eco-efficiency ratios while taking account of diverse direct and indirect spatial and market interactions. Several adaptations were implemented to ensure consistency between the two modelling approaches in terms of process yields and flow balances. These adaptations make it possible to produce both economic and environmental indicators with a consistent perimeter. Finally, we used two kinds of eco-efficiency indicators to compare bioenergy policies. On the one hand, Partial Eco-Efficiency (PEE) combines the economic surplus induced by an incentive on the energy wood sector with its potential environmental impacts. On the other hand, Full Eco-Efficiency (FEE) adds the environmental impacts avoided by substitution between wood-energy and fossil fuels, compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. The proposed adaptations were applied to a case study in the French Grand Est region that compared the eco-efficiency of scenarios with or without a subsidy to wood energy consumption. Results show that subsidy increases the eco-efficiency of the forest-based sector using both PEE and FEE while keeping competition with the other regions to a minimum. However, most benefits come from the consideration of avoided impacts, with FEE far exceeding PEE. Using FEE, the scenario with the subsidy is 5% to 50% more eco-efficient than the BAU despite an increased consumption of wood products, due to economic gains and avoided impacts. These outcomes show the importance of considering potential trade-offs when assessing the economic and environmental performance of regional policies in favour of the bioeconomy.

Adoption of perennial energy crops in the US Midwest: Causal and heterogeneous determinants

The success of a bioenergy policy relies largely on the wide adoption of perennial energy crops at the farm-scale. This study uses survey data to examine potential adoption decisions by farmers in the US Midwest and the causal effects of various direct and indirect influencing factors, especially heterogeneous preferences of farmers. A Bayesian network (BN) model is developed to delineate the causal-relationship between farmers adoption decisions and the influencing factors. We find a dominating role of economic factors and a non-negligible impact of non-economic factors, such as the perceived environmental benefits and the extent of familiarity with perennial energy crops. To examine the effect of heterogeneity in farmer preferences, we classify the surveyed farmers into four categories based on their attitudes toward the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of perennial energy crops. We identify statistically significant between-group differences in the responses of the four types of farmers to the various influencing factors. Our findings contribute to disentangling the complicated motivations that will influence perennial energy crop adoption decisions and provide implications for more targeted policy development that need to consider the heterogeneous drivers of farmer decisions about land use.