Countries across the globe show great variation in their specific drivers for bioenergy and their capability of producing biomass. To introduce bioenergy globally, we must understand the specific characteristic of each country. Successful market introduction of bioenergy is based on strong policies adapted to the local situation that turn low carbon energy provision into a business case.

Globally, most countries meet their energy requirements primarily from fossil sources such as oil, gas and coal. Yet, many countries strive to diversify their energy sources and cut the share of fossil fuels. Strong national policies have proven to be effective, and the share of renewables has risen constantly between 2000 and 2010, with bioenergy largely contributing to this development.

22 countries from around the globe and the European Commission have joined the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) to coordinate the work of national programmes across the wide range of bioenergy technologies. The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) is a strong international network with a vision to achieve a substantial bioenergy contribution to future global energy demands by accelerating the production and use of environmentally sound, socially accepted and cost-competitive bioenergy on a sustainable basis. Within IEA Bioenergy and its Tasks (networks that cover specific sub-topics), regular information exchange on bioenergy strategies and policies, the implementation of bioenergy in the national energy mix and on related R&D work is facilitated among these national experts.

In an effort to provide all this country-level information to a broader audience, BIOENERGY 2020+ has recently summarized it in one comprehensive report, the “IEA Bioenergy Countries´ Report – Bioenergy policies and status of implementation”. The report was prepared from IEA statistical data, information from IRENA, and IEA Bioenergy Tasks country reports, combined with data as provided by delegates to the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee. All individual country reports were reviewed by the national delegates to the Executive Committee, who take responsibility for the content. Further extensive review was done by the chair and the current and the former technical coordinator of IEA Bioenergy.

This report represents the only international collation of policies, statistics and R&D programmes on bioenergy that we are aware of. It provides information on bioenergy in a comparable manner across all featured countries. These countries show great variation regarding GDP, area, population, climate and total energy production and consumption. Contrasting and comparing these countries is herewith enabled for the interested reader, facilitating the evaluation of policy measures and informed decision making processes. References and links to further information sources expand the information accessible to the reader far beyond that given in the report alone.

Among the countries assessed, those with the largest total primary energy supply (TPES) are USA, Japan, Germany, Brazil, and Korea. Those with the largest total primary energy supply from bioenergy however are USA, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and Canada. If ranked by share of bioenergy in the total primary energy supply, the ranking not only changes but also brings four new countries into the picture: Brazil, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Austria. The report also demonstrates that successful implementation of bioenergy can only be achieved through dedicated policy measures.

Contact: Dina Bacovsky

The full report is available for download from the IEA Bioenergy website:

http://www.ieabioenergy.com/publications/iea-bioenergy-countries-report-23-09-2016/

2017-03-16