Bioenergy deployment

There is quite a wide consensus that, over the coming decades, modern biofuels will provide a substantial source of alternative energy. Nowadays, biomass already provides approximately 11-14% of the world’s primary energy consumption (data vary according sources). There are significant differences between industrialised and developing countries, as shown in the figure below. In particular, in many developing countries bioenergy is the main energy source.

Bioenergy contribution worldwide as a fraction of total energy consumption

Source: FAO, 2000

Biomass in poor countries
For three quarters of the world’s population living in developing countries, biomass is the most important source of energy. With increases in population and per capita demand, and depletion of fossil-fuel resources, the demand for biomass is expected to increase rapidly in developing countries. On average, biomass produces 35 % of the primary energy in developing countries, but many sub-Saharan countries depend on biomass for up to 90 %. Biomass will remain an important global energy source in developing countries well into the next century.

Despite its wide use in developing countries, biomass is used with very low efficiency applications. The overall efficiency in traditional use (e.g. cooking stoves) is only about 5 to 15 per cent, and biomass is often less convenient to use compared with fossil fuels. It can also be a health hazard in some circumstances. For example, cooking stoves can release particulates, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxides (NOx) and other organic compounds in poorly ventilated homes, often far exceeding the recommended World Health Organisation levels. Furthermore, inefficient biomass utilisation is often associated with the increasing scarcity of hand-gathered wood, nutrient depletion, and the problems of deforestation and desertification.

Bio-energy in the EU
In the EU, renewable energy sources provide approximately 6% of the total gross inland energy consumption (5.7% in 2002 for the EU-25).

EU-25 gross inland consumption by fuel

Source: EUROSTAT (click to enlarge the picture)

Bioenergy contributes about 64% of all RES primary energy requirements of the European Union, about 98% of RES heat and 9% of RES electricity. Bioenergy use in EU countries varies from 1% in the UK to 20% in Finland.

Contribution of RES to the EU primary energy supply (2002)

Source: EUROSTAT

Source: EUROSTAT (click to enlarge)

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