The EU
Demand for biomass
The EU remains the main global source of demand for wood for modern uses of biomass for power and heat. In 2016, energy from solid biomass (about 70 per cent wood7) accounted for about 7.5 per cent of EU gross final energy consumption and about 44 per cent of total renewable energy consumption. Most of the biomass consumed was for heat, accounting for 78 per cent of total consumption of heating and cooling from renewable sources; biomass supplied about 10 per cent of total generation of electricity from renewable sources.8 (See figures 1 and 2.)
Figure 1: EU28 renewable heating and cooling production by source
— Source: European Commission (2017), Renewable Energy Progress Report (COM(2017) 57 final, February 2017), p. 5.
Figure 1: EU28 renewable heating and cooling production by source
In 2015, the residential sector accounted for about 40 per cent of biomass energy consumption in the EU, industry (particularly pulp and paper producers) stood at about 31 per cent and large-scale power and heat facilities accounted for about 29 per cent.9 Use for heating varies directly with fossil fuel prices – consumption goes up when fossil fuel prices are high – and inversely with the temperature; a succession of mild winters in 2014, 2015 and 2016 restricted growth in consumption.10 About 40 per cent of the electricity generated from solid biomass in 2015 was produced through co-firing with coal, mainly in power stations in Central and Eastern Europe.11
Figure 2: EU28 renewable electricity generation by source
— Source: European Commission (2017), Renewable Energy Progress Report (COM(2017) 57 final, February 2017), p. 6.
Figure 2: EU28 renewable electricity generation by source
Overall, consumption for power and heat (in both residential and large-scale installations) has been rising, primarily as a result of the EU’s renewable energy targets (see further below). As can be seen from Table 1, across the EU, electricity generated from biomass grew by 6 per cent a year between 2009 and 2016, while heating and cooling from biomass grew by about 2 per cent a year.
Table 1: Key renewable and biomass energy statistics, EU27/2812
|
Electricity from biomass |
Heating and cooling from biomass |
% of total energy |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mtoe |
% of total electricity |
% of ren electricity |
Mtoe |
% of total heat/cool |
% of ren heat/cool |
Biomass |
All renewables |
|
|
2009 |
5.22 |
1.9% |
10.0% |
66.88 |
12.6% |
84.6% |
6.3% |
12.4% |
|
2016 |
7.86 |
2.8% |
9.5% |
77.91 |
15.0% |
78.4% |
7.5% |
17.0% |
|
Annual average growth |
6.0% |
2.2% |
2.5% |
4.6% |
||||
|
2020 target |
20.0% |
|||||||
Source: Eurostat SHARES database, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/energy/data/shares.
Note: Biomass as percentage of total energy does not include solid biomass used for transport fuel (volumes are not yet significant).
Biomass clearly plays a significant part in the EU’s ability to meet its renewable energy targets; although other forms of renewable energy are growing more quickly, without solid biomass the 2020 target of 20 per cent across the EU would be impossible to meet. According to the member states’ National Renewable Energy Action Plans drawn up in response to the Renewable Energy Directive, bioenergy (including liquid biofuels and biogas) was projected to account for 12 per cent of total European energy consumption by 2020, more than half of the 20 per cent target.13 This implies continued rapid growth between 2016 and 2020 – though, according to projections published by the European Commission in November 2016 (accompanying the draft of the new Renewable Energy Directive), further significant growth beyond 2020 is not anticipated, due to the fall in price of competing renewables such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind, and anticipated improvements in energy efficiency.
Looking at the consumption of biomass for energy by member state, in 2016, Germany, Finland, France, Sweden and Italy had the highest total consumption, whereas in relative terms, the largest share compared to other energy sources – in each case more than 30 per cent of total electricity, heating and cooling – was in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden. The UK, Germany, Finland and Sweden had the highest total generation of electricity from biomass, while Germany, France, Italy and Sweden had the highest consumption of biomass for heating (see Figure 3 and Table 2).
The nine EU member states analysed in this paper are highlighted in Table 2; they are nine out of the 11 largest consumers of biomass for energy in the EU. Between them, in 2016, these nine member states accounted for 75 per cent of EU28 electricity generation from biomass (70 per cent of total EU28 electricity generation) and 71 per cent of EU28 heating and cooling consumption from biomass (71 per cent of total EU28 heating and cooling consumption).
Figure 3: Gross inland consumption, gross electricity production and heat consumption from solid biomass in the European Union in 2016
— Source: Eurobserv’ER (2017), Solid Biomass Barometer 2017, http://www.eurobserv-er.org/solid-biomass-barometer-2017/ (accessed 23 Jan. 2018).
Figure 3: Gross inland consumption, gross electricity production and heat consumption from solid biomass in the European Union in 2016
Table 2: Share of renewables in energy consumption and share of biomass in electricity generation and heating and cooling consumption
|
Share of renewables in energy consumption (%) |
Electricity generation, 2016 |
Heating and cooling consumption, 2016 |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Country |
2009 |
2016 |
Projected 2020 |
Target 2020 |
Total (Mtoe) |
Biomass (Mtoe) |
Biomass (%) |
Total (Mtoe) |
Biomass (Mtoe) |
Biomass (%) |
|
EU28 |
12.4% |
16.7% |
21.0% |
20.0% |
278.86 |
7.86 |
2.8% |
521.02 |
77.91 |
15.0% |
|
Austria |
30.0% |
33.5% |
35.2% |
34.0% |
6.23 |
0.32 |
5.1% |
13.99 |
4.09 |
29.2% |
|
Belgium |
4.7% |
8.7% |
13.9% |
13.0% |
7.79 |
0.29 |
3.7% |
18.84 |
1.32 |
7.0% |
|
Bulgaria |
12.1% |
18.8% |
20.9% |
16.0% |
3.29 |
0.01 |
0.4% |
4.01 |
1.01 |
25.1% |
|
Croatia |
23.6% |
28.3% |
21.1% |
20.0% |
1.56 |
0.02 |
1.1% |
3.25 |
1.17 |
36.1% |
|
Cyprus |
5.6% |
9.3% |
14.8% |
13.0% |
0.42 |
0.00 |
0.0% |
0.45 |
0.01 |
1.4% |
|
Czech Rep |
9.9% |
14.9% |
13.5% |
13.0% |
6.12 |
0.18 |
2.9% |
14.09 |
2.44 |
17.3% |
|
Denmark |
20.0% |
32.2% |
33.8% |
30.0% |
3.05 |
0.30 |
9.8% |
7.55 |
2.35 |
31.1% |
|
Estonia |
23.0% |
28.8% |
25.7% |
25.0% |
0.87 |
0.07 |
8.3% |
1.52 |
0.71 |
46.7% |
|
Finland |
31.3% |
38.7% |
42.2% |
38.0% |
7.54 |
0.91 |
12.1% |
14.12 |
6.90 |
48.8% |
|
France |
12.3% |
16.0% |
23.5% |
23.0% |
43.84 |
0.26 |
0.6% |
62.66 |
9.82 |
15.7% |
|
Germany |
9.9% |
14.8% |
18.5% |
18.0% |
50.99 |
0.93 |
1.8% |
109.90 |
9.57 |
8.7% |
|
Greece |
8.5% |
15.2% |
18.4% |
18.0% |
5.17 |
0.00 |
0.0% |
5.62 |
– |
0.0% |
|
Hungary |
11.7% |
14.2% |
13.0% |
13.0% |
3.83 |
0.13 |
3.3% |
10.48 |
2.01 |
19.2% |
|
Ireland |
5.1% |
9.5% |
15.5% |
16.0% |
2.53 |
0.03 |
1.3% |
4.53 |
0.19 |
4.2% |
|
Italy |
12.8% |
17.4% |
19.8% |
17.0% |
27.94 |
0.35 |
1.3% |
55.81 |
7.12 |
12.8% |
|
Latvia |
34.3% |
37.2% |
40.3% |
40.0% |
0.64 |
0.04 |
5.7% |
2.22 |
1.12 |
50.4% |
|
Lithuania |
19.8% |
25.6% |
24.0% |
23.0% |
1.03 |
0.02 |
2.2% |
2.43 |
1.11 |
45.6% |
|
Luxembourg |
2.9% |
5.4% |
8.3% |
11.0% |
0.61 |
0.00 |
0.4% |
1.09 |
0.06 |
5.8% |
|
Malta |
0.2% |
6.0% |
11.8% |
10.0% |
0.20 |
0.00 |
0.0% |
0.09 |
0.00 |
1.3% |
|
Netherlands |
4.3% |
6.0% |
13.0% |
14.0% |
10.33 |
0.16 |
1.6% |
26.54 |
0.71 |
2.7% |
|
Poland |
8.7% |
11.3% |
15.1% |
15.0% |
14.46 |
0.59 |
4.1% |
37.16 |
5.17 |
13.9% |
|
Portugal |
24.4% |
28.5% |
33.4% |
31.0% |
4.64 |
0.21 |
4.6% |
5.39 |
1.77 |
32.9% |
|
Romania |
22.7% |
25.0% |
26.0% |
24.0% |
5.12 |
0.04 |
0.8% |
13.06 |
3.47 |
26.5% |
|
Slovakia |
9.4% |
12.0% |
14.3% |
14.0% |
2.53 |
0.10 |
3.8% |
5.77 |
0.51 |
8.9% |
|
Slovenia |
20.1% |
21.3% |
25.0% |
25.0% |
1.29 |
0.01 |
0.9% |
1.90 |
0.58 |
30.7% |
|
Spain |
13.0% |
17.3% |
20.9% |
20.0% |
23.99 |
0.35 |
1.5% |
28.36 |
3.98 |
14.0% |
|
Sweden |
48.2% |
53.8% |
56.2% |
49.0% |
12.40 |
0.84 |
6.8% |
14.35 |
7.85 |
54.7% |
|
UK |
3.3% |
9.3% |
14.8% |
15.0% |
30.44 |
1.69 |
5.5% |
55.82 |
2.86 |
5.1% |
|
Nine member states |
195.78 |
5.92 |
370.43 |
55.11 |
||||||
|
70% |
75% |
71% |
71% |
|||||||
Compiled by the authors from the following sources: share of renewables in energy consumption 2009, projected 2020 and target 2020: European Commission, Renewable Energy Progress Report (COM(2017) 57 final, 1 February 2017); all other figures: Eurostat SHARES database, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/energy/data/shares.
Note: Electricity figures are normally given in terawatt-hours (TWh) and heating and cooling in million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe). To make comparisons easier, in this table TWh are converted to Mtoe with a conversion factor of 1 TWh = 0.0859845 Mtoe.
7 The rest is waste and agricultural residues; AEBIOM (2015), AEBIOM Statistical Report 2015 – European Bioenergy Outlook, European Biomass Association (AEBIOM), http://www.aebiom.org/library/statistical-reports/statistical-report-2015/ (accessed 11 Apr. 2017).
8 Bauknecht, D. et al. (2017), Study on Technical Assistance in Realisation of the 2016 Report on Renewable Energy, Freiburg: Öko-Institut, https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/res-study_final_report_170227.pdf (accessed 11 Apr. 2017).
9 Indufor (2017), Outlook for Wood Energy for Biomass in the EU-28, Birdlife, FERN and Transport & Environment, https://www.birdlife.org/sites/default/files/attachments/8090_birdlife_europe_wood_energy_outlook_final_230617.pdf (accessed 1 Dec. 2017).
10 EurObserv’ER (2017), ‘Solid Biomass Barometer’ https://www.eurobserv-er.org/solid-biomass-barometer-2017/ (accessed 2 Feb. 2018).
11 Sandbag (2017), Something Nasty in the Woodshed: How biomass subsidies are secretly funding coal, https://sandbag.org.uk/project/somethingnasty/ (accessed 19 Jan. 2018).
12 Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013, is included in the 2016 figures but not those for 2009.
13 Atanasiu, B. (2010), The Role of Bioenergy in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans: A first identification of issues and uncertainties, London: Institute for European Environmental Policy, https://ieep.eu/uploads/articles/attachments/208dab71-7833-4016-87b1-8cb15c3f41dc/bioenergy_in_NREAPs.pdf?v=63664509743 (accessed 13 Dec. 2016).