The Contributions of Biomass Supply for Bioenergy in the Post-COVID-19 Recovery

Abstract

This research investigates how biomass supply chains (BSChs) for bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy could contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems in four future scenarios, in the short term (by 2023) and long term (by 2030). A SWOT analysis on BSChs was used for generating a questionnaire for foresight by a two-round Delphi study. To interpret the results properly, a short survey and literature review is executed to record BSChs behavior during the pandemic. In total, 23 (55% response rate) and 28 (46% response rate) biomass experts from three continents participated in the Delphi and the short survey, respectively. The strongest impact from investment in BSChs would be on economic growth, followed by a contribution to the resilient and cleaner energy systems and job creation. The effects would be more visible in the long- than in the short-term period. Investments with the most impact on recovery are those that improve biomass material efficiency and circularity. Refurbishment of current policies to enhance the supply of biomass as a renewable resource to the future economy is a must.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Biomass Supply Chains: The Case of the Canadian Wood Pellet Industry

“…The authors reported early issues associated with labour availability, but found the wood pellet industry to be resilient, with increased production levels over the course of the pandemic, likely due to stable demand driven by long-term contracts. Similarly, Kulisic et al [10] observed few changes within the global bioeconomy as a result of the pandemic. The authors noted early issues related to transportation logistics and labour; however, the bio-based industries generally adapted quickly, suggesting an inherent resilience to shocks.…”

“…Bioenergy, including wood pellets, is expected to play a crucial role in net-zero and energy transition plans around the globe [31] and can also make a meaningful contribution in the post COVID-19 economic recovery [10]. Given the rising importance of wood pellets as a renewable fuel, it is useful to understand how the sector responds to disturbances and identify opportunities to improve resilience to future shocks [6].…”

“…Shifting consumption patterns also impacted energy markets [9], which suggested possible repercussions on biofuel production and use in Canada. Analyses of biomass supply chains globally [10], and within the United States [6] have found that although there were some minor disruptions, namely due to labour shortages, biomass supply for bioenergy was relatively resilient to the effects of the pandemic. However, no study directly addressed how the Canadian wood pellet industry has been impacted by the shocks experienced in the forest sector and volatility observed on energy markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Bioeconomy for Resilient Post-COVID Economies

“…The results of the comparative econometric analysis of global price trends between the energy from fossil fuels and their renewable alternatives suggest that the latter are less susceptible to external shocks (such as COVID) and therefore improve the stability of the economic system. Kulišić et al [5] further investigate how biomass supply for bioenergy could contribute to the post-COVID recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems. The results of an extensive qualitative analysis suggest that the paramount impact of a stronger mobilization of biomass supply chains would be on economic growth, followed by a contribution to the resilient and cleaner energy systems, and job creation.…”

“…They reveal pathways and challenges associated with this transition. The first group of papers [4][5][6] is assessing the potentials and relative significance of bioeconomy in the post-COVID economic recovery. This is followed by a group of four papers [7][8][9][10] that are assessing technical or economic feasibility of knowledge-intensive biobased applications at the industrial, or regional, scale.…”