Bio-derived sources of energy—wood, grass, dung and alcohol—have a rich history yet have failed to command the “buzz” of solar, wind or even geothermal in public discussions regarding renewable energy.
Even worse, for some, “bio” conjures images of clear-cutting forests, dead zones in our waterways, “food-versus-fuel” or additional carbon emissions—the opposite of sustainable development.
In reality, bio-based energy has the largest market presence, involves the most stakeholders and currently has the greatest economic impact of any renewable energy industry sector.
If societies expect to effectively mitigate climate change, engaging the broadest possible swath of renewable energy sources is required. As an energy development professor and energy specialist for the University of Wisconsin, I’ve come to believe that including people whose economic interest is connected to the biologic productivity of the land—such as landowners, loggers and farmers—is a critical component to any climate strategy.
Steering Away from the Iceberg
Biomass energy has been with humanity forever. It is abundant, renewable, and able to produce energy on demand.
Globally, biomass energy dwarfs all other renewable sources. According to the International Energy Agency, biomass (including wastes) provided 10 percent of the fuel for energy production globally in 2012. In contrast, hydro and all other renewable sources made up 3.4 percent of global production. Within countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the biomass fuel share drops to 5.3 percent and all other renewable increases to 4 percent in 2013. Biomass is used for generating grid-connected electricity from wood and wood waste as well as heat/steam in industry, space heating and to produce liquid fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Bio-derived fuels represented 2,068 trillion BTU (a unit of energy) last year and 2,214 trillion BTU came from wood for power and steam. In contrast, solar (427) + wind (1,734) + geothermal (222) combined produced 2,383 trillion Btu in 2014!
I acknowledge that biomass’s dominance is likely to wane, particularly as the costs of installing wind, solar and geothermal continue to drop. These platforms benefit from low operational costs and widespread public support. If a transition from a fossil hydrocarbon fueled economy is to occur, the continued expansion of these platforms, and others, is necessary.
