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ePaper created 2014-06-03, 15:03:20 | version 1.30.01
31 02 RENEWABLES 2014 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT 02 MARKET AND INDUSTRY TRENDS BIOMASS ENERGY Biomass consumption continues to increase worldwide for the provision of heat and electricity. The production of liquid and gaseous biofuels for transport and stationary applications is also rising. Approximately 60% of total biomass used for energy purposes is traditional biomass: fuel wood (some converted to charcoal), crop residues, and animal dung that are gathered by hand and usually combusted in open fires or inefficient stoves for cooking, heat for dwellings, and some lighting.1 (See Section 5 on Distributed Renewable Energy in Developing Countries.) The remaining biomass is used for modern bioenergy, which is the focus of this section.2 Sustainability and livelihood concerns associated with the use of biomass continue to be debated, especially where linked with deforestation, and where land and water used for energy crop production competes with food and fibre crops.3 In addition, there is uncertainty about the use of biomass being truly “carbon neutral” within the relevant time frame due to the time lag between carbon release during combustion and carbon (re-) sequestration via re-growth of the harvested crops.4 (See Sidebar 3.) For modern bioenergy, the many forms of energy carriers produced from a variety of biomass resources—including organic wastes, purpose-grown energy crops, and algae—can provide a range of useful energy services such as lighting, communication, heating, cooling, and mobility.i The ability of the solid, liquid, or gaseous biomass resource to act as a store of chemical energy for future use can be employed to balance variable electricity generation from wind and solar systems when integrated into mini-grids or an existing main grid.5 The bioenergy sector is highly complex due to the variety of potential feedstocks and technical routes for converting biomass to energy. Large data gaps often exist in the Purpose- grown crops Forest Food Animal feeds Chemical feedstock Materials Agriculture and forest residues Food and fibre processing residues Fuel wood, crop residues, dung from harvesting and scavenging Municipal wastes* * Organic solid and liquid wastes Figure 5. Biomass-to-Energy Pathways Global annual primary biomass demand 55.6 EJ Traditional biomass Modern bioenergy Heat for cooking and heating Losses LossesHeat sold or used on-site Biofuels Electricity Industry Buildings Energy Figure 5. Biomass Resources and Energy Pathways i - See Figure 5 in GSR 2013. Source: See Endnote 6 for this section. 2