US Department of Agriculture sees near-term recovery in EU residential and industrial wood pellet demand

Every year, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service publishes Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports offering fact-based, data-rich updates on agricultural commodity markets, including for wood pellets. Although produced by a U.S. government agency, they provide a broad overview of global market trends, making them essential reading for anyone involved in the wood pellet trade. Their…

Interpreting ‘Value’ in REDIII: Where BECCS Fits in the Biomass Cascade

As EU Member States press ahead with implementing the Renewable Energy Directive III (REDIII), they are required to apply the “cascading principle” when awarding subsidies for woody biomass for energy. The idea sounds straightforward — prioritise higher-value uses of wood before lower-value ones — but in practice, it is anything but. As I’ve written previously,…

Bio-based Bytes: How Biomass can help Power the AI Revolution

Until recently, data centres were largely background infrastructure—quietly plugging away enabling us to send emails, work online and stream our favourite shows. That all changed in November 2022, when OpenAI released the first iteration of ChatGPT. Since then, so-called ‘hyperscalers’, those investing in large-scale data centres such as Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet, have been…

Wood pellets continue to play a crucial role in keeping US Southern forests healthy, thriving, and growing

Bioenergy plays a pivotal role in the Dutch energy system, accounting for half of all renewable energy generation and nearly 10% of the country’s total energy supply. Among the diverse feedstocks used, sustainable wood pellets are a crucial component, with a significant portion sourced from the US Southeast. Looking ahead, it’s clear that this figure…

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – authorities should tread lightly when intervening in well-functioning markets

The third iteration of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII) found its way onto the statute book last year, but the story doesn’t end there; it’s just the start of a new chapter. Member states now have until 21 May 2025 to implement the rules into national law. Some changes – such as the sustainability criteria in…

Turin Joint Statement on Sustainable Biofuels presented to G7

The Turin Joint Statement on Sustainable Biofuels highlights the role of sustainable biofuels in decarbonising all transport sectors, promoting environmental sustainability, innovation, and creating value for communities. The Turin Joint Statement on Sustainable Biofuels highlights the role of sustainable biofuels in decarbonising all transport sectors, promoting environmental sustainability, innovation, and creating value for communities. Signed…

MoU agreed to develop ‘bioship’ technology and plans to construct the world’s first biomass-fuelled ship

Leading Japanese companies, NYK Line (NYK), NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers (NBP), TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. (“TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING”) and British renewable energy business, Drax Group (Drax), have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop both the world’s first biomass-fuelled ship (bioship) and the technology that could power it. Biomass is playing a growing…

EU approves €900 million French biomass scheme

The European Commission has approved a €900 million French scheme to support companies investing in the use of biomass and renewable hydrogen in energy and fuel production, to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy in line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition…

US Department of Energy Estimates 1 Billion Tons of Sustainable Biomass Available – the EU may need to update their own conclusions

Last month, the US Department of Energy (DOE) updated its cornerstone study on the availability of sustainable biomass concluding “More than 1 billion tons of biomass production capacity is identified nationally, while meeting projected demands for food, feed, fiber, and exports.” The report covers a range of possible feedstocks, not just woody biomass. At the…

Key quality characteristics of woody biomass for bioenergy application: an international review

Globally there is increased demand for sustainable energy solutions as well as an increasing range of bioproducts. This is driving an increased demand for biomass. As these markets grow, mature biomass producers will shift from primarily seeking out economically viable market options to seeking to access the highest value market their biomass resource is suitable…

Why the EU considers biomass a zero-emissions energy source and why it makes sense

The climate policy of the European Union (EU) is among some of the most well-developed in the world. However, with that depth comes complexity which inevitably leads to misunderstanding. One of the most misunderstood points is the “zero-emissions” factor that sustainable wood-based biomass receives in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS). This means that the…

Open Letter: A call for clear rules and incentives in the EU’s Green Claims Directive

The CDR sector asks that the Green Claims Directive recognises the role of climate claims to incentivise investment in permanent & high-integrity carbon removals, as long as this neither impedes nor reduces a company’s absolute emissions reduction target. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains the most immediate and effective way of slowing climate change and…

Renewables 2023: Analysis and forecasts to 2028

Renewables 2023 is the IEA’s primary analysis on the sector, based on current policies and market developments. It forecasts the deployment of renewable energy technologies in electricity, transport and heat to 2028 while also exploring key challenges to the industry and identifying barriers to faster growth. At the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, more…

Bioenergy: Unlocking Europe’s Energy Transition

On 18 January at the Press Club in Brussels, Bioenergy Europe hosted an event to delve into the heart of Europe’s energy landscape and the role of Bioenergy in the EU energy transition. During the event Jérémie Geelen, Bioenergy Europe’s Market Intelligence Director, presented a statistical report, ‘Bioenergy Landscape’ shedding light on bioenergy’s significance in the European Union’s decarbonization journey.…

Air Burners launches portable biomass-to-energy machine with Rolls-Royce and Volvo

Air Burners, a manufacturer of air curtain burner systems worldwide, collaborated with Rolls-Royce and Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) to develop and test the BioCharger, an innovative, portable machine that turns biomass waste into energy. The BioCharger is the first machine of its kind, combining three innovative steps to provide off-grid power from vegetative waste management.…

Bioenergy Landscape – Statistical Report 2023

Bioenergy Europe’s 2023 Landscape Statistical Report highlights the crucial role of bioenergy in the EU’s renewable landscape. While renewables show resilience, imported fossil fuels remain a concern, posing risks to energy security. Biomass leads as a sustainable alternative, with 10.2% of EU energy consumption. The report advocates for bioenergy in reaching the revised 42.5% renewable…

ChemistryNL funds 11 Biobased Economy projects

ChemistryNL provides financial support to 11 research projects at the intersection of biobased and chemistry. A total of one million euros will be allocated for these projects, which are carried out by consortia of knowledge institutions and companies. Since the merger* with TKI BBE, ChemistryNL has been working on the integration of the biobased economy…

BECCUS and flexible bioenergy – finding the balance

Download the full report. Given that flexibility – in terms of inputs, shifting between different outputs and varying outputs over time and place – and the ability to capture and store (or utilize) biogenic CO2 (BECCUS) are expected to be two of the more important characteristics for bioenergy systems of the future it is important to see how these two…

Sustainable biomass supply chains for international markets

This report was delivered in the frame of the project ‘Assessment of successes and lessons learned for biofuels deployment’. Cost-effective, reliable and sustainable feedstock supply chains are crucial to a successful development of advanced biofuels. Advanced biofuels will develop in an increasingly internationalized market with respect to tradeable feedstocks as well as international end-use markets…

Bioenergy Europe’s 2023 Pellets Report

Bioenergy Europe’s 2023 Pellets Report gathers data from the members of the European Pellet Council in order to describe the current state of the pellet market . The report explores different aspects of the market, such as production, consumption, prices, imports, exports, sales of heating appliances, etc. The market is currently facing an unprecedented crisis due to the…

Renewables Jobs Nearly Doubled in Past Decade

Employment expands despite crises and challenges and growing use of industrial policies can create more localised supply chains, a new report finds. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates / Geneva, Switzerland, 28 September 2023 – Worldwide employment in renewable energy reached 13.7 million in 2022, an increase of one million since 2021 and up from a total…

The European Bioenergy Future 2023 (EBF2023)

The European Bioenergy Future (EBF) conference will return on 28 – 29 November 2023 at BluePoint Brussels (Blvd Auguste Reyers 80, 1030), with a rich programme and interesting pre- and post-conference events. Organized by Bioenergy Europe, EBF has been established as a leading event for the European bioenergy sector, bringing together policy and market actors. EBF 2023 key topics…

Pertamina-biomassa

Indonesia’s state-owned energy company commits to biomass

Indonesia’s state-owned energy company Pertamina has said it will continue to develop bioenergy-based fuels by utilising existing natural resources. Pertamina will use plant-based biomasses – such as sugarcane, corn, cassava and sorghum – to develop bioenergy. “Our energy will eventually be bioenergy-based, as Indonesia has abundant resources. In India, I met with technology liaisons for…

Short Film – Tackling the Climate Crises with the help of the Forests

The film premiered at the 7th Central European Biomass Conference in Graz. It shows how sustainable forest management, climate protection, timber construction and the energy transition are all interconnected, and how we can jointly phase-out oil, natural gas and coal, explains Franz Titschenbacher, President of the Austrian Biomass Association. Sustainably used wood is climate protection The challenge was the complexity…

Neste enables Swedish Trollhättan-Vänersborg Airport and Västflyg airline to become the world’s firsts to use sustainable aviation fuel on all flights

Trollhättan-Vänersborg Airport in the southwestern part of Sweden, will be the first airport in the world to offer only blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for all aircraft refueling at the airport, which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of departing flights. Neste will supply its Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ to the Trollhättan airport in a…

Bioelectricity Statistical Report 2023

Bioenergy Europe’s 2022 Report on Bioelectricity unveils the role of bioelectricity for energy transition, providing the reader with detailed data analysis on current dynamics of electricity, renewable and not, with a focus on electricity produced from biomass (bioelectricity). Most of the figures included in the report are filtered by country, helping policy makers and investors to better calibrate their…