Biomass - Green Energy for Europe
2005, 48 pp, EUR 2135, ISBN 92-894-8466-7
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The scope of this full colour brochure is illustrated by the following abstracts from the Preface and Contents.
Preface
Renewable energy sources will play an increasingly important role in securing both the Union's energy supply and sustainable development in the future. Renewable energy sources also make a major contribution to the protection of the environment. The specific energy targets in the European Union for 2010 (EU-25) are to increase the share of renewable energies from 6% to 12% of gross energy consumption, of green electricity from 14% to 21% of gross electricity production and of liquid biofuels to 5.75% of total fuel consumption.
Amongst renewable energy sources, the biggest contribution (63%) comes from biomass. Today, energy from biomass already contributes to about 4% of the total EU energy supply, predominantly in heat, and to a lesser extent, in combined heat and power (CHP) applications. By 2010, biomass is expected to cover as much as 8% of the total EU energy supply. Biomass based energy systems can be implemented using a large variety of feedstock, including waste. They can use many conversion technologies to produce energy, solid, liquid or gaseous fuels and other valuable materials.
Biomass is currently the only available renewable energy source that can produce competitively-priced fuels for transport in larger quantities. It is already possible to obtain fuels from biomass that have very similar properties to those of conventional fossil fuels. This minimises the need to adapt end-use technologies. Other benefits include the reduced need to import oil, increased security of supply, reduction of emissions, job creation and an improvement of the local environment.
Research and technological development play a key role in the area of bio-energy, and the European Union has supported biomass related research under several successive Framework Programmes. Under FP5, a total of about €140 million was spent by the European Commission on biomass related research, covering the whole chain from production of feedstock to the enduse. The current FP6, ongoing until 2006, will support biomass related research with a similar amount, focused on biofuels, energy from crops, cofiring, gasification and biorefineries.
The recently published Commission proposal for FP7 also foresees support for this important area.
The objective of this brochure is to illustrate to a wide audience the advantages of using biomass as a renewable energy source in Europe. To this end, it presents background information on biomass and an overview of related technologies and, in particular the main products fuel, heat and electricity. It highlights the opportunities biomass can offer to our energy supply, and shows how research supported by the European Union has contributed to the current state of biomass technology.
Pablo Fernández Ruiz, Director
Contents
To find similar reports, click on a keyword below:
Biodiesel
: Biogas
: Biomass & Bioenergy
: Electricity
: Energy from Waste
: Ethanol
: Heat/Heating
: Liquid Biofuels
: Polygeneration
: Publications
: Renewable Energy Sources & Systems
: Solid Biofuels
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