The Potential of the Bioenergy Market in the European Union—An Overview of Energy Biomass Resources

Abstract

One of the bases of the European policy and energy strategy is the biomass and bioenergy obtained from it. It is estimated that by 2023, the annual demand for biomass will have increased from the current level of 7 EJ to 10 EJ. There are significant differences between estimates of the bioenergy potential due to the fact that the authors of publications do not use consistent methodology and assumptions. Forest biomass, agricultural residues, and energy crops are the three main sources of biomass for energy production. Energy crops are likely to become the most important source of biomass. Land use and its changes are a key issue in the sustainable production of bioenergy as the availability of biomass determines its potential for energy security. This article is a review of the latest publications on the bioenergy potential of the member-states of the European Union. The consumption of energy and its potential were presented, with a special focus on renewable sources, especially biomass. The potential of biomass resources was presented and the types of biomass and its sources of origin were indicated. The research was conducted on the member-states of the European Union, whose policy is based on long-term development from the dependence on fossil resources to the dominance of renewable resources. As results from the research, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the potential of both forest biomass (from 4.8 EJ per annum to the forecasted 15 EJ per annum) and agricultural biomass from (from 2.3 EJ per annum to the forecasted 7 EJ per annum). The increase in the demand for energy biomass in the EU member-states is balanced by partial imports from non-EU countries.

Evaluation of the Significance of Agriculture in Renewable Energy Production in the Member States of the EU

“…We assumed that the renewable energy production potential of agriculture is shaped by the food crop area, which is determined by the utilised agricultural area of the specific country per capita. The higher the level of this indicator, the greater the possibility of allocating agricultural production to non-food purposes [54]. In addition, land and labour productivity were among the diagnostic variables, which, on the one hand, testify to the efficient use of production factor resources and, on the other hand, determine food security and allow for the allocation of part of production or land for energy purposes [54], as it is believed that energy crops will play a greater role in future energy scenarios related to agricultural biomass supply.…”

Forest Biomass in Bioenergy Production in the Changing Geopolitical Environment of the EU

“…The accelerated implementation of renewable energy sources and improved efficiency in the European Union are expected to reduce the demand for natural gas and oil by 20% and coal by 50% in this decade. The EU's strategy for renewable resources aims to limit CO 2 emissions and achieve energy self-sufficiency by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, requiring countries to transform their energy systems by increasing the share of renewable energy [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Bioenergy remains the predominant source of renewable energy in the EU in terms of final gross consumption, despite the rapid growth of wind and solar energy in the last decade.…”

Optimizing Forest-Biomass-Distribution Logistics from a Multi-Level Perspective—Review

“…Some countries have an excess of wood waste and solid wood waste that is generated during the manufacturing of forest and wood products. It is possible to produce valuable products from woody biomass, and the by-products, in many cases, are diverted to incineration [4][5][6]. Despite the benefits of using woody biomass as a renewable resource, the technological challenges of harvesting it 2 of 17 and the business costs hinder its intensification.…”

“…Numerous studies to date have evaluated various woody biomass distribution logistics [4][5][6][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Scheduling and management of distribution logistics from biomass purchase to distribution has been presented [18,19] and classified in numerous studies [13,14,20], emphasizing strategic, tactical, and operational levels of decision scheduling.…”