Governance of sustainability in the German biogas sector—adaptive management of the Renewable Energy Act between agriculture and the energy sector

Thrän, Daniela; Schaubach, Kay; Majer, Stefan; Horschig, Thomas

doi:10.1186/s13705-019-0227-y

Cited by 43 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In addition to legal restrictions and biomass and land availability, GHG mitigation costs were the sole decisive criterion for the competitiveness of fuels within the GHG quota. In practise, other additional factors, e.g., concerning the market design and governance aspects of the future energy sector [60], promote or inhibit market entry of fuel options, which should be taken into account in further studies in the modelling. Furthermore, the fundamental availability of biomass does not mean that it can actually be mobilised fully and economically.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Renewable Fuel Mixes in Transport in Germany under RED II and Climate Protection Targets

et al. 2020

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With the Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001 (RED II), adopted in December 2018, the EU is continuing the political framework for the use of renewable energy sources in the transport sector for the period from 2021 to 2030. At the same time, the German federal government has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector by at least 40% to 42% by 2030 compared to the 1990 GHG level. To investigate the possible effects of the European and national requirements on the German GHG quota, cost-optimal fuel mixes were modelled to achieve the GHG targets of 26 fuel options in each of the nine different scenarios. The results show clear differences between the scenarios that implement the RED II targets (including 14% renewables in transport by 2030) and those that implement the climate protection target (40–42% GHG reduction compared to 1990 by 2030). If only the minimum requirements of RED II are met, the German climate protection target is clearly missed without further measures. In order to achieve the climate protection target, a significant reduction in the final energy consumption in transport is required, as well as a very high GHG quota of 34.5%, meaning a high proportion of renewables of ca. 40% and using almost all the fuel options considered.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Renewable Fuel Mixes in Transport in Germany under RED II and Climate Protection Targets

et al. 2020

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“…We suggest focusing on a few key indicators representing major sustainability concerns for an initial sustainability governance system, and then improving the system as new and better knowledge is obtained. Experiences from the biogas sector in Europe confirm that this may well be a useful way to move forward [117,118].…”

Section: Keeping the Governance System As Simple As Possiblementioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating policy, market, and technology for sustainability governance of agriculture-based biofuel and bioeconomic development in the US

Stupak

Smith

2019

Energ Sustain Soc

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The scaled-up production of biofuels and bioproducts in the US is likely to cause land use expansion and intensification domestically and internationally, possibly leading to undesirable environmental and socioeconomic consequences. Although these concerns have been widely recognized, sustainability governance systems are yet to be developed. Here, we review (1) the US bioenergy policies, (2) biofuel production and market trends, (3) major sustainability concerns, and (4) existing regulations and programs for sustainability governance, including potential interactions with markets and technology. US bioenergy policy dates back to the 1970s and has evolved over time with various tax incentives plus production mandates in recent key legislation. Commercial production of cellulosic biofuels is impeded largely by technology and cost barriers. Uncertainties exist in the estimates of environmental and socioeconomic impacts due to the lack of empirical data and knowledge of complex relationships among biofuel and bioeconomic development, natural ecosystems, and socioeconomic dimensions. There are various existing sustainability governance mechanisms on which a biofuel sustainability governance system can be built on. Considering all these, we propose an adaptive system that incorporates regulations, certification, social norms, market, and technology for sustainability monitoring and governance, and is able to contribute to addressing the overall environmental concerns associated with collective land use for food, fiber, and fuel production. Building on existing programs and mechanisms and with proper monitoring of biofuel and bioproduct development, such a governing system can be developed and implemented in response to sustainability concerns that may arise as biofuel and bioproduct production increases.

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“…The leader in the agricultural biogas market in Europe is Germany, where an appropriate financial policy enabled an increase in the number of plants from 50 to 2279 in the period from 1999 to 2010 [34]. Between 2000 and 2003, the number of biogas plants in Germany increased from 850 to 1750 [35]. Despite a well-developed market in the examined scope, Germany is also looking for innovative paths of development in the context of including biogas plants in the bioeconomy system [36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Biogas—An Important Element in the Circular and Low-Carbon Development in Poland

Piwowar

2020

Energies

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The agricultural sector can play an important role in the transformation of the energy economy in Poland. Special attention in this paper has been paid to the development of the agricultural biogas market in Poland. The considerations mainly concern organizational and economic aspects. Agricultural biogas plant represents the circular cycle of matter and energy. It enables the establishment of low-carbon, resource-efficient links between the agriculture and energy sectors. This is an important element of the circular economy, where waste from agricultural production and the agri-food industry, coming from renewable resources, is transformed into goods with a higher added value. The social and economic needs of the present generation and future generations are considered. The paper presented the characteristics of the Polish market, i.e., the number of entities, the number and location of plants, as well as the production volumes. Analyses were performed in the area of raw materials used to produce agricultural biogas. The analyses were carried out between 2011 and 2018. According to analyses, the potential of the agricultural biogas market in Poland is currently being used to a small extent. It is necessary not only to provide institutional support but also to increase the awareness of farmers and managers in agri-food companies of the possibility of using production waste for energy purposes.

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Governance of sustainability in the German biogas sector—adaptive management of the Renewable Energy Act between agriculture and the energy sector

Cited by 43 publications

References 31 publications

Future Renewable Fuel Mixes in Transport in Germany under RED II and Climate Protection Targets

Future Renewable Fuel Mixes in Transport in Germany under RED II and Climate Protection Targets

Integrating policy, market, and technology for sustainability governance of agriculture-based biofuel and bioeconomic development in the US

Agricultural Biogas—An Important Element in the Circular and Low-Carbon Development in Poland

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