Asia’s Climate Arsenal: Are Biofuels Back?

Agriculture/Food Processing Residues nonfield crop, Aviation Fuel (Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)), China, Farming/Growing, Feedstocks, Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues, Forestry/Wood/Residues/Waste, India, Infrastructure, Marine/Boat Bio and Renewable Fuel/MGO/MDO/SMF, Methane/Biogas, Not Agriculture, Opinions, Policy, Southeast Asia, Sustainability

October 12, 2018

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by Beth Walker (The Third Pole) Biofuels will dominate future growth in renewables and are essential for decarbonizing the most difficult sectors; China and India should lead the way, argues new EIA report — … Bioenergy from liquid biofuels and biogas will continue to lead growth in renewable energy consumption to 2023, due to its rising use in the heating, shipping and aviation.

“Modern bioenergy is the overlooked giant of the renewable energy field,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Director.

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Renewables are set to account for almost a third of world electricity generation in 2023, according to the EIA. But expansion lags behind in the transport and heat sectors, where supportive policies from governments around the world are now urgently needed.

So far, disproportionate attention has been given to greening the electricity sector, which only accounts for about 20% of overall emissions. The real battle against climate change is now playing out over heating, shipping and aviation and dirty industrial processes.

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Biofuels can also play an important role in greening aviation. Biofuel demand in the aviation sector is growing, mostly driven by voluntary initiatives. However, the cost is still prohibitive (about 40% higher than oil). With the right policies, the IEA estimates biofuels could make up 2% of the sector’s energy demand by 2025. This would show the potential to scale up its use commercially, and could replicate the success of PV solar, the IEA believes.

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Many of the next generation biofuels are different, relying on use of waste products from agriculture and industry.

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The IEA report suggests that without major policy shifts novel advanced biofuels will only account for 1% of all biofuel output by 2023. It calls for countries to develop specific policies to support biofuel research, development and deployment, including creative financial and market mechanisms.

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They are not presuming a growing use of land [for biofuels], but using the same amount of land while increasing productivity, Frankl explained. Designing effective certification and auditing schemes will be crucial to encourage sustainable bioenergy production. READ MORE

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