Unnoticed forest combustion: the undervalued function of biomass in fuel
The European Union has set an ambitious goal of achieving a 20% renewable energy standard by 2020, with biomass included in the renewables category. This commitment is shared by several European nations, particularly Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and Sweden.
In Germany, biomass accounted for 65% of the nation's overall 'renewable' energy in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The same year, Germany's biomass power plant capacity increased almost 9 GW, making it the largest producer hosting over 9,500 biomass plants, more than half of the total in the EU.
One of the key assumptions behind biomass designation is that harvested trees will be replenished, and the carbon dioxide emitted from burning biomass will be reabsorbed. However, studies by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Princeton University, Columbia University, and others have found that the length of time taken by trees to regrow often results in more carbon emissions than burning coal.
A typical 1,000-kilowatt-hour wood-pellet power plant emits a total of 1,275 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated, while a 1,000-kilowatt-hour coal plant emits 1,048 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour. Despite this, worldwide use of forest biomass for electricity and heat production has doubled over the past decade.
The UK is the biggest importer of biomass worldwide, with Drax, the country's largest power station, burning nearly a quarter of global wood pellet production in 2019. The U.S. exported nearly 7 million metric tons of biomass, with 80% destined for the UK. The largest international biomass providers, including Enviva, Drax Biomass, and others, have rapidly expanded wood sourcing areas and production throughout the piney American southeast.
According to climate think tank Ember, demand for tree cutting for wood pellets could rise to a 'staggering' 36m tonnes every year, requiring 2,700 sq km of forest to be cut down annually. Under the best-case scenario, the carbon debt payback time for forests in the eastern US, where the majority of Europe's imported wood pellets originate, is 44 to 104 years.
Despite these concerns, biomass still accounts for 70% of global renewable energy and biofuels and waste constituted 68.6% of global renewables in 2017, according to IEA data. The 'Planet of the Humans' documentary has been viewed nearly 10 million times, bringing the debate over biomass energy to a wider audience.
In 2018, EU regulations were changed to ensure biomass is produced, processed, and used sustainably without causing deforestation or habitat degradation. The challenge for the future is to strike a balance between meeting renewable energy targets and ensuring sustainable and carbon-neutral practices in the biomass energy sector.
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