The Good, the Bad and the Uncertain: Bioenergy Use in the European Union

Abstract

As the EU is moving towards a low carbon economy and seeks to further develop its renewable energy policy, this paper quantitatively investigates the impact of plausible energy market reforms from the perspective of bio-renewables. Employing a state-of-the-art biobased variant of a computable general equilibrium model, this study assesses the perceived medium-term benefits, risks and trade-offs which arise from an advanced biofuels plan, two exploratory scenarios of a more ‘sustainable’ conventional biofuels plan and a ‘no-mandate’ scenario. Consistent with more recent studies, none of the scenarios considered present significant challenges to EU food-security or agricultural land usage. An illustrative advanced biofuels plan simulation requires non-trivial public support to implement whilst a degree of competition for biomass with (high-value) advanced biomass material industries is observed. On the other hand, it significantly alleviates land use pressures, whilst lignocellulose biomass prices are not expected to increase to unsustainable levels. Clearly, these observations are subject to assumptions on technological change, sustainable biomass limits, expected trends in fossil fuel prices and EU access to third-country trade. With these same caveats in mind, the switch to increased bioethanol production does not result in significant market tensions in biomass markets.

Improving the Ecological Performance of Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deuter) through Intercropping with Woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) and Yellow Melilot (Melilotus officinalis L.)

“…For this reason, farmers need to adapt their agricultural practices in order to improve ecosystem services, such as food and shelter for open-land animals and pollinators. Another requirement is that biomass production for bioenergy or bio-based materials should not compete with food crop production, e.g., through competition for land or resources [8][9][10]. For this purpose, there has been a research focus on industrial crops, which can provide ecosystem services and are suitable for low-input cultivation on marginal agricultural land [11,12].…”

Feasibility Assessment of a Bioethanol Plant in the Northern Netherlands

“…The depletion of fossil fuel sources, the wobbling prices of fuels, and the increased pressure regarding environmental and social aspects have increased the industrial focus towards renewable energy resources such as organic waste [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Organic residues have been considered an inexpensive, renewable, widely available, and environmentally friendly feedstock for biofuels production [10][11][12][13][14]. Currently, large quantities of biofuels are generated from first-generation resources, such as starch, corn, and sugar [15][16][17][18][19].…”

Long-Term Wet Bioenergy Resources in Switzerland: Drivers and Projections until 2050

“…At the European level, the competition in food production is much smaller [88]. Currently, the potential of bioenergy to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and demand-driven supply plays a significant role in the bioenergy and bioeconomy debate in Switzerland and Europe.…”