Bioenergy could satisfy world energy demand

RenewableEnergyMagazine.com
17/12/2009

The World Bioenergy Association has issued a paper based on a report by the Department of Energy and Technology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) showing that the world has the potential to produce sufficient biomass in a sustainable way to meet global energy demand.

The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) reports that bioenergy production could reach an estimated 1,135-1,548 Exajoules (EJ) in 2050, based on different scientific studies. Globally, we consume 490 EJ of energy today, which could reach well over 1,000 EJ in 2050, according to International Energy Agency projections.

“There is a lack of awareness of the enormous potential of bioenergy worldwide both among politicians, media and the public”, says Kent Nyström, president of World Bioenergy Association. “We have to present these facts to the political leaders in Copenhagen since Bioenergy must play a major role in the strategy to combat climate change”.

According to the report, the largest potential for bioenergy comes from biomass production on surplus agricultural lands and degraded lands. The current use of biomass for energy is only 50 EJ, around 10% of global energy consumption. Bioenergy crops are grown on 25 million hectares, which is only 0.19% of the world’s total land area and 0.5% of the total agricultural land.

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