Context: Bioenergy for the energy transition: Ensuring sustainability and overcoming barriers report was recently published by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Bioenergy

• Bioenergy is the energy produced from biological materials such as crops, woody biomass (e.g., forestry and agricultural residues) and other organic materials and wastes.

• Bioenergy is an important contributor to global energy needs.

• It makes up the largest share of renewable energy use today, accounting for around 12% of the world’s total final energy demand.

• More than half of bioenergy is consumed for cooking and heating buildings in a traditional way.

• Modern uses of bioenergy include biomass and biogas/biomethane for building and industrial heat and power generation, liquid biofuels and biomethane for transport, and biomass-based material used as industrial feedstocks.

Key highlights

• Bioenergy currently accounts for two-thirds of all renewable energy consumption worldwide, including renewable electricity and renewables for heating, cooling and transport.

• Bioenergy production would need to increase significantly by 2050 to achieve the 1.5°C climate goal.

• Wood pellets, biodiesel and bioethanol are major commodities produced by countries in North and South America and Asia, while European countries are main destinations for most of these commodities to support their decarbonisation ambitions.

• Modern forms of bioenergy for heating in buildings include injection of biogas and biomethane into gas grids and pellet use in decentralised and centralised boilers.

• Bioenergy has been increasingly used for power generation, mainly based on pellets, biogas, municipal solid waste, and agricultural and forestry residues.

• Biojet fuels based on hydro-processed esters of fatty acids (HEFA) or hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) and other pathways can also have unique roles in decarbonising aviation.

• The policy framework for sustainable bioenergy should consist of sustainability-based target setting and long-term planning, co-ordinated planning across departments, regulations, certification schemes and partnerships.

About International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

• It is an intergovernmental organisation.

• It supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future.

• Aim: Encourage governments to adopt policies for renewable energy investments, provides policy advice to accelerate renewable energy deployment, and facilitates knowledge sharing and technology transfer to provide clean, sustainable energy.

• IRENA promotes the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy.