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Energy Systems and Technologies for the Coming Century ...

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The European politicians are faced with <strong>the</strong> challenge of closing <strong>the</strong> financial <strong>and</strong> legislative gap between<strong>the</strong> price level of fossil fuels <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> plat<strong>for</strong>m which <strong>the</strong> biomass plays on – with all its qualities.What is biomass?Basically, biomass comprises a number of different types of waste products <strong>and</strong> farm‐grown biomass.Biomass is generally split up as follows:Waste products from farming (straw, livestock manure)Wood <strong>and</strong> waste products from <strong>for</strong>estryBio‐combustible waste from households <strong>and</strong> industry<strong>Energy</strong> crops (cereals, oil crops <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r crops such as willow <strong>and</strong> miscanthus)Blue biomass (microalgae <strong>and</strong> macroalgae).This split provides very little in<strong>for</strong>mation about whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> biomass is in fact suitable <strong>for</strong> energy purposes– energy density correlated with volume or humidity content <strong>and</strong> content of undesirable substances. Also<strong>the</strong> various types of biomass resources require various h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>and</strong> conversion technologies.Biomass as a resourceDespite abundant literature about <strong>the</strong> global potential of bio energy, it is not possible to be specific as towhat degree this resource can cover future energy requirements. Today <strong>the</strong> world consumes at global levelabout 470 EJ, of which 50 EJ is biomass, by 2050 <strong>the</strong> world’s consumption of energy is expected to reachbetween 600 EJ <strong>and</strong> 1040 EJ (twice as much as today). Global models indicate that by 2050 sustainablyacquired biomass will reach figures somewhere between today’s level of 50 EJ <strong>and</strong> 250 EJ at global level.Within <strong>the</strong> EU <strong>the</strong> assessment is that it will be possible to produce in <strong>the</strong> vicinity of 11.7 EJ/year withoutnegative environmental impact. Today <strong>the</strong> energy supply consumes about 4.3 EJ.The European ambitionThe EU has laid down <strong>the</strong> target to increase its share of renewable energy in <strong>the</strong> energy supply from today’slevel to a level of 20% of <strong>the</strong> total energy consumption in 2020 – equivalent to 34% of <strong>the</strong> electricityproduction. A target which is usually referred to as 20, 20, 20 in 2020.In <strong>the</strong> period leading up to <strong>the</strong> summer vacation in 2010 all member countries developed individual planswhich <strong>the</strong>y submitted to <strong>the</strong> Commission – Renewables Action Plans stating how each countries proposesto address this task. These plans are now being scrutinised in <strong>the</strong> EU <strong>and</strong> it will be interesting to see how<strong>the</strong> individual countries expect to procure <strong>the</strong> resource <strong>and</strong> establish <strong>the</strong> capacity.During 2009 <strong>and</strong> 2010, <strong>the</strong> European electricity industry’s organisation, Eurelectric, joined <strong>for</strong>ces with VGBto carry out a large‐scale study “Power Choices ‐ Pathways to carbon‐neutral electricity in Europe by 2050”.The objective of this study was to document <strong>and</strong> demonstrate that conversion of <strong>the</strong> European electricityRisø International <strong>Energy</strong> Conference 2011 Proceedings Page 250

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