Solid Biofuels Share The Largest Chunk Of Bioenergy In EU: Report

The European Commission recently released a report on ‘solid biofuels’, stating that it represents the largest share of bioenergy with 70.3% in the European Union (EU). The report stated that bioenergy produced from agricultural, forestry and organic waste feedstock continues to be the main source of renewable energy in the EU. 

It accounts for about 59% of renewable energy consumption in EU in 2021, according to the new Commission report on bioenergy sustainability. As part of the 2023 State of the Energy Union Report and as required by the Governance Regulation, the report notes that, primary solid biofuels (70.3%) represent the largest share of bioenergy, followed by liquid biofuels (12.9%), biogas/ bio-methane (10.1%) and renewable share of municipal waste (6.6%).

Based on the report shared by the member states, on their National Energy and Climate Progress Reports (NECPRs), most member states have reported measures related to the promotion of biogas and biomethane. This is in line with the Commission proposal in the REPowerEU Pllan to accelerate the production of sustainably-produced biomethane, and to reduce the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. 

Indigenous biogas production in the EU in 2021 rose to 14.9 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE), which means an increase by 1.7% compared to 2020. The report finds Germany to be the largest producer (7.5MTOE – 50.4% of the total), followed by Italy (13.9%, 2.1mtoe), and France (9.4%, 1.4 MTOE). On the contrary, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden did not report any biogas production.

Within the transport sector, the report notes that renewable energy is continuously increasing. It should be highlighted that the use of advanced biofuels and other biofuels produced from feedstock listed in Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive as well as the share of renewable electricity has substantially increased over time. Moreover, the consumption of biofuels has increased by 39% in 2021 compared to 2013.

The consumption of biofuels in the transport sector in 2021 accounted for a total of 16.5 MTOE in the EU – a 39% increase since 2013. In this, biodiesel accounts for roughly 80% of total biofuel consumption in the transport sector. Whereas, bioethanol was the second most consumed fuel type (18%), and biomethane and other liquid biofuels aggregate to less than 1%.

In heating and cooling, biomass fuels and bioliquids were used for the production of 17.3 MTOE of gross heat in the EU in 2021. Which is notably used in solid biomass (76.0%), followed by renewable municipal waste (18.1%) and biogases (5.0%). In the electricity sector, 45.6 MTOE of biomass fuels and bioliquids were used to produce 14.6 MTOE of gross electricity in 2021. 

Moreover, this was 15% of the total gross renewable electricity mix and 6% of the total gross electricity. Moreover, the report finds that 74% of gross electricity from biomass was produced in combined heat and power plants, mainly from solid biomass (54.8%), biogases (31.1%), and renewable municipal waste (11.6%).