1EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

ifeu – Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg

Expert Meeting onLCA GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

EEA Copenhagen, 10 June 2008

Beyond biofuelsmethodological and data issues for bioenergycurrent work in Germany

Horst Fehrenbach

in cooperation with

2EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

… more than biodiesel and ethanol

(Solid) Biomass is in use since the Stone Age.

Even today 10 % of world energy use is solid biomass – traditionally applied (cooking and heating).Today’s technologies are highly efficient.

Biogas is much notably presumed to be efficient and environmentally sound.And can be even as fuel for transport.

3EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

… more than biodiesel and ethanol

However biomass for electricity and heat has to be judged by the same measure as biofuels for transportation.

But there are a number of special issues concerning bioenergy fuel.

4EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Need for action in Germany

The Renewable Energy Act (EEG):

benefits several types of renewable energy,

so biomass for energy use.

The currently amended version empowers the government to pass a regulation defining sustainable production and use of biomass.

Analogously to the Biomass Sustainability Regulation (biofuel for transportation)= analogously to RES Directive

5EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Need for action in Germany

Ministry for Environment (BMU) and Federal Environment Ageny (UBA)

requested IFEU and Öko-Institut to adapt the biofuel GHG methodology for biomass for energy and to develop default values.

6EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Selected solid biomass

Wood• Chopped wood and/or pellets harvested from Short rotation forestry (SRF)

• Pellets - from thinning or other forestry measures - from wood-working co-products (e.g. saw-dust)

Ligno-cellulosic materials • Straw and stalks from cereal production

organic waste

7EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Selected biogas systems

Produced biomass• Maize Silage (EU)

Co-products

• Stillage from EtOH production

organic waste

• Biowaste (households, restaurants etc.)

• Manure

8EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Selected liquid biofuels

The ones yet considered within the BSR

( rapeseed oil, soybean oil, palm oil

But also

Jatropha oil

9EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Selected technique for usage

Solid biomass: • CHP• (Stirling motor)• (gasification)

Biogas

Liquid biofuels

• CHP (gas motor)• upgrading to biomethane and diverse use

• CHP

10EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Differences in GHG methodology compared to liquid biofuels f.tr.

(RES, BioNachV) Above all: no need for a fundamentally different approach.

However there is a number of specific aspects.

Taking for example:• appropriate time scale (longer term growing cycles),• Special land use change issues concerning carbon stock,

(if forestry technology is changing or SRF is implemented)• co-products

- energy wood harvested by thinning, other forest co-products- agricult. residues (e.g. straw is waste acc. to RES)

• Waste: alternative treeatment/use/non-use (e.g. manure)

11EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Differences in GHG balancing methods compared to liquid biofuels

Most decisive: the “Use Phase”

For liquid biofuel for transportation minor (negligible) issue

For energy use: efficiency is the decisive parameter.

Connected issue: what kind of energy is replaced? system boundary reference system

12EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

System boundary

Land use change e.g. natural forest to short rotation forest

Production of biomass (forestry, agriculture)

Transport of biomass

Conversion process (where required)

Transport of converted / processed biomass

Use phase(which way, which efficiency)

Starting point if biomass is waste

Co-products? allocation

Requirements for replaced reference systempower heat

Co-products? allocation

Alternative treatment or use or non-use

13EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

What reference system

Electricity:

regional differentiation: is it fair to have different references

per country? „better use biomass in DE, UK than in

FR, SE“

Average or marginal or …? average mix: is this an appropriate

reference ? marginal effect: can this be defined in

an accurate way? Model?

14EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

What reference system

example: electricity from wood compared with diverse national averages

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

woodfromforest

woodfromSRF

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

g C

O2e

/kW

h e

lect

rici

ty

average mix from several G8+5 countriesAverage mix from several countries

15EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels

Default values?

First: we are on the way to figure out the bunch of sensitive parameters and the bandwidth due to the number of open options.