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The World Bioenergy Association is pleased to launch the 2^nd version of the Global Bioenergy Statistics report. Key highlights from the report:

Biomass has grown the strongest among all renewable energy sources
From 2010 – 2012, biomass supply increased by 2 320 PJ. Solar PV and wind increased by 234 PJ and 645 PJ. However, the largest increase in demand of total energy (20 100 PJ) was due to fossil fuels. 

Leading countries in renewable energy are also leading in bioenergy
Two outstanding examples for this finding are Brazil and Sweden with a renewable energy share of 43% and 52%. Bioenergy contribution in Brazil is more than 25% while in Sweden it is 34%. Bioenergy is crucial for renewable energy development. 

There is immense potential in the use of agricultural residues for energy generation
In this report, for the first time, the global and continental potential of agricultural residues were estimated. The potential of agricultural residues for energy ranges from a low of 13.1 EJ to a high of 122 EJ. 

Agricultural yields hold the key for producing more food and bioenergy – 134 million ha land by productivity gains
The global yields of major crops of wheat, rice and corn have increased since 2000. If the same production of crops were required in 2013 with yields from 2000, 134 million ha additional land would be needed. Hence, productivity gains in agriculture based on better varieties, soil management, weed control, better education of farmers etc. had the same impact as 134 million ha (plus 23%) additional land. Models that ignore this innovation in agriculture come up with misleading results. Land use for biofuel production was less than 30 million ha.

Charcoal industry is a highly underestimated sector
More energy is used from charcoal than from liquid biofuels globally. The inefficient production of charcoal is increasing pressure on forestry sector. The emerging technologies should focus on improving charcoal production efficiency and replacing charcoal with other renewable energy sources like biogas, pellets and/or electricity. 

Pellets industry is experiencing rapid growths 
27 million tonnes of pellets were produced in 2014 in comparison to 19.5 million tonnes in 2012. In 2 years, the pellet production has increased by 7.5 million tonnes (38%). 

Many countries are still lacking reliable bioenergy statistics 
There is a serious lack of accurate and reliable data on biomass statistics in many countries – Kenya uses more charcoal than estimated and Sudan produces more crops than reported. 

To download the report, click here. The figures, tables and data sets will be uploaded to the website soon. 

To download the press release, click here (.doc, .pdf).

For more information, please contact: 
Heinz Kopetz, President WBA, +436506806988, hg.kopetz@netway.at
Karin Haara, Executive Director WBA, +46705432641, karin.haara@worldbioenergy.org
Bharadwaj V Kummamuru, Project Officer WBA, +46767159785 bharadwaj.v.kummamuru@worldbioenergy.org