08/11/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
The German Energy Agency (Dena) has simultaneously presented the "Market Monitoring Bioenergy" and the "Biomethane Industry Barometer."
There's no doubt about it: bioenergy is a central component of the energy transition. "It should be used where there is a lack of other renewable options on the path to decarbonization," writes the German Energy Agency. In its "Market Monitoring Bioenergy 2023," Dena describes the advantages, but also the obstacles, in terms of bioenergy on almost 100 pages. In the further report "industry barometer biomethane" is illuminated on 21 pages specifically this industry.
The bioenergy market is a wide field, with very different players. According to Dena, for example, domestic biofuel producers are struggling with competition from China. By the import of "allegedly progressive and favorable biofuels from China" the business model of German manufacturers would be put still strongly under pressure.
Also solid bioenergy sources, thereby above all the raw material wood, were recently in the political discussion. Some involved ones see in the use of wood not necessarily a CO2-Neutralität, because with the burn just as CO2-freigesetzt. "At the same time, wood heaters experienced an increase in demand during the gas crisis, which is contrary to the political desire for reduced use," Dena continues.
Nevertheless, the various bioenergies already contribute significantly to CO2 reduction. In 2022, 74 million tons of CO2 were saved in the process compared to fossil fuels. Two-thirds or 169 billion kWh of the total 253 billion kWh of energy generated from biomass was used for heating purposes. Some 50 billion kWh of bioenergy was used to generate electricity, and 34 billion kWh went to the transport sector as fuel.
Mood in the biomethane sector is excellent
However, Dena also writes that although some regulations on bioenergy use were temporarily relaxed during the energy crisis, "short-term use actually declined slightly by 3 billion kWh compared with the previous year." In addition, the cost pressure on the bioenergy sector had increased significantly compared to the previous year. Price increases for feedstocks and higher sustainability requirements had contributed to this. The shortage of skilled workers added to this.
In terms of demand for bioenergy, biomethane was a big winner last year. According to Dena, this meant that agreed volumes could no longer be supplied in some cases, as only small uncommitted volumes were still available on the market, making new contracts difficult to service. However, the Biomethane 2023 industry barometer states: "The mood in the biomethane industry has never been better, total biomethane sales are increasing and international trading activities have also increased significantly."
Dena has been conducting the biomethane market survey since 2012. The results are published annually. The " Biomethane Industry Barometer 2023 " can be downloaded from Dena's website.
The analysis on bioenergy, which has been conducted since 2022, also compiles the most important parameters on this in this year's version. The " Market Monitoring Bioenergy 2023 " is also available for download on Dena's homepage.
Author: Stefan Sagmeister
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