JanErik Petersen, EEA

1
Umweltfreundliche Bioenergieproduction Analysen
und Strategien auf EU-Ebene
Vortrag auf der UBA-Konferenz zu Einsatz
nachwachsender Rohstoffe zur Energiegewinnung
neue Probleme fuer die Gewaesser? Berlin, 10.
Dezember 2007

• Jan-Erik Petersen, EEA

2
Context for links between bioenergy water

• Renewables only 6 of EU-25 energy mix in 2003
• Need to reduce CO2 emissions from energy use
• Bioenergy is very important renewable energy
  source
• Agriculture has strongest growth potential of the
  3 main biomass sources (next to forestry waste)
• Agricultural land use has a strong impact on
  water quality and quantity
• How do we combine bioenergy production and water
  protection?

3
Relevant EU policy targets for 2010/20
?

• 12 renewable energy (20 by 2020)
• 21 renewables electricity
• 5.75 biofuels (10 by 2020)
• Double/ gttriple bioenergy use

2020
Source Eurostat for past data EEA for
projections Please note 2010 are modelled data,
not policy targets!
4
Environmental issues of energy cropping
Land use change availability
Pathways Energy Cropping Approaches
Bioenergy Water
Impacts of Cropping practices
Impacts of Conversion processes
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EEA project How much biomass can Europe produce
without harming the environment?

• Objective determine the bioenergy potential from
  agriculture, forestry, waste in 2010, 2020, 2030,
  which
• exerts no additional pressure on farmland and
  forest biodiversity or
• soil and water resources
• respects other environmental objectives

5
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Model assumptions for calculating the
agricultural bioenergy potential

• Basic assumption no competition between
  bioenergy and production of food for domestic use
  (maintain food self sufficiency)
• Liberalisation of agricultural markets due to CAP
  reform
• Significant yield increases for energy crops
• Grow mainly specialised bioenergy crops beyond
  2010 (when shift from first to second generation
  biofuels is assumed), e.g. perennial grasses /
  SRC
• Policy framework supports environmental
  orientation of food and energy crop production

6
7
The environmentally compatible bioenergy
potential, EU-25
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Environmentally-compatible bioenergy potential
from agriculture, EU-25
9
How best to use the potential?
t CO2 avoided per hectare?
Replace as much imported fuel as possible
Greenhouse gas reduction
Supply security
Bioenergy
t CO2 avoided per Dollar?
Environ- mental resources
Costs Employment
crop mix respects soil, water
synergies with nature protection
land use change
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Maximising the potential for CO2 savings
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Currently ongoing work at the EEA

• Background paper on biomass production and water
  protection for WFD conference
• Joint EEA/JRC expert consultation on short
  rotation coppice energy grasses (see JRC site
  http//re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/biof/
• Developing the most greenhouse gas and
  energy-efficient bio-energy pathways
• Further work ongoing or planned by DG ENV, EU
  Joint Research Centre and others

12
Potential risks from bioenergy cropping
conclusions from WFD conference, Paris 09/07

• Effects on water quantity
• Climate and soil conditions need to influence
  crop choice
• Need to consider what agriculture systems are
  being replaced
• What cropping systems to chose SRC and perennial
  grasses can impact on groundwater recharge
• Effects on water quality ecosystems
• Impacts from land use change, e.g. maize
  replacing grassland..
• How to utilise by-products / review total
  nutrient cycle
• Management at farm level crop choices
  rotation, fertilisation, planting and harvesting
  practices
• Impacts of conversion processes (water use,
  emissions)

20-21/09/2007 Paris, France CAPWFD
Conference organised by
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Bio-energy cropping potential synergies with
water protection

• Replace annual crops with perennial energy crops
  (energy grasses, willow coppice etc)
• Widen crop rotations to benefit soil nutrient
  management (e.g. biomass crop mixes, alfalfa)
• Establish buffer strips with energy crops
• Create flood retention zones by using perennial
  energy crops
• Combine waste water treatment and biomass
  harvesting

14
Further Issues in Policy and Research

• Development and implementation of sustainability
  standards
• Energy policy needs to develop framework
  conditions for environmentally friendly bioenergy
  systems
• Need for raising environmental awareness and
  training of all actors involved
• Climate changes complicates the picture - affects
  ability to make assumptions about the future
• Scale of production
• with a smaller scale it is easier to come up with
  solutions tailored to local agri-environmental
  conditions
• Crop rotation and diversification are important
  factors
• Need more research to enable Life Cycle
  Assessments of bioenergy crops bioenergy
  pathways

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Thank you for your attention! Jan-Erik
Petersen European Environment Agency Telephone
45 3336 7133 Jan-Erik.Petersen_at_eea.europa
.eu www.eea.europa.eu
http//reports.eea.europa.eu/eea_report_2006_7/en