Bioenergy: the facts
World population is on the increase and improving living standards are driving up meat consumption (vastly less efficient than direct consumption of plants). How should we make the most of our available land resources?
Biomass – food, agricultural waste, forestry waste and products – can be used for ‘clean’ energy in a number of ways. Subsidies and other support schemes are usually devised in a piecemeal fashion at the instigation of sectional interests, with little thought given to overall efficiency, sustainability and side effects. There are many types of biomass, a large variety of ways to convert them to useful energy and a corresponding plethora of products. It makes sense to review the feedstocks and related sustainability issues before diving into processing and products.
Read the full briefing by downloading the pdf attached.
Further reading
Bioenergy Global Outlook, International Energy Agency, 2020