What Is The Iea Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Program?

The IEA Bioenergy technology collaboration program is an initiative started by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 1978. The IEA is an intergovernmental organization that works to shape energy policies and provide analysis on energy trends. IEA Bioenergy was created to improve international cooperation and information exchange between countries that have national programs in bioenergy research, development and deployment.

History

IEA Bioenergy was launched in 1978 by the International Energy Agency (“Bioenergy”) to promote bioenergy and improve international collaboration in bioenergy research. The program was originally called IEA Forestry Energy but was renamed IEA Bioenergy in 1986 to reflect its broader scope beyond just forestry.

The founding members of IEA Bioenergy were Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since then, the program has expanded to include over 20 countries as Contracting Parties.

Some key milestones in IEA Bioenergy’s history include:

• 1978 – Founded as IEA Forestry Energy
• 1986 – Renamed as IEA Bioenergy
• 1999 – Expanded scope beyond OECD countries to also include non-member countries
• 2009 – Established first Task on biorefineries
• 2018 – Celebrated 40th anniversary

Over the past 40+ years, IEA Bioenergy has built up an extensive knowledge base on bioenergy through country reports, technical reports, databases, workshops and conferences. It continues to be an important platform for international collaboration in bioenergy today.

Goals

The main goals of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme are to accelerate the use of environmentally sound and cost-competitive bioenergy that will contribute to future low-carbon energy demands. Specific goals include:

• Increase knowledge and understanding of biomass production and conversion technologies
• Improve collaboration and information exchange between countries
• Facilitate commercialization of new bioenergy concepts
• Provide impartial and science-based information to policymakers
• Promote sustainable biomass production practices
• Develop tools and methodologies to evaluate bioenergy systems
• Increase awareness of bioenergy’s potential and benefits

Overall, the program aims to play a key role in realizing large-scale implementation of bioenergy technologies to help achieve a low-carbon energy future (1).

(1) https://www.ieabioenergy.com/

Focus Areas

IEA Bioenergy has six key focus areas and research programs that aim to accelerate the use of sustainable bioenergy globally (1). These focus areas include:

• Sustainable biomass supply integration – Research on sustainable forest management, agriculture residues and waste materials as feedstocks for bioenergy.
• Conversion technologies like biomass gasification – Developing efficient technologies to convert biomass into biofuels, heat and power.
• Sustainability, policy and markets – Assessing sustainability impacts and developing policies to support bioenergy.
• Biorefining and industrial bioenergy – Integrating biorefineries into existing industrial processes.
• Bioenergy systems analysis – Techno-economic assessments and modeling of bioenergy systems.
• Deployment and implementation – Promoting bioenergy adoption through analysis, case studies and collaboration.

Together these key areas aim to tackle the technical, economic, social, policy and environmental aspects of expanding modern bioenergy globally.

(1) https://www.ieabioenergy.com/

Projects

The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme has undertaken various major projects over the years focused on advancing bioenergy research, development, and deployment globally. Some examples include:

The “Biorefining in a Future BioEconomy” project which ran from 2007-2016 and focused on developing sustainable biorefinery systems and products.

The Bioenergy Networks project which facilitated international networking and information sharing between bioenergy experts and stakeholders around the world.

The “Bioenergy from Forest” project that brought together experts on forest management and stakeholders to promote sustainable forestry for bioenergy.

The Bioenergy Week held annually that convenes bioenergy experts, policy makers, and industry leaders to discuss latest trends and advancements.

Funding

The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Program receives the majority of its funding from member country contributions. As of 2022, there were 25 member countries that provided financial and in-kind contributions to support the program (IEA Bioenergy, 2022). The level of funding is determined based on the size of a country’s economy. For example, in 2022 the United States contributed $1 million, while smaller countries like Sweden and Finland contributed around $350,000 (IEA Bioenergy, 2022).

In addition to member country contributions, IEA Bioenergy receives funding from the IEA Secretariat and has received project-specific funding from sources like the European Commission. The program’s total budget for 2022 was around $5.4 million (IEA Bioenergy, 2022).

Partners

The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme has participants from over 40 countries and regions around the world, including both IEA member countries as well as non-member countries. The participating countries and organizations work together to advance bioenergy research, development and deployment through collaborative activities.

Some of the key participating countries include Canada, European Union, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, United States, and many more.

Some key participating international organizations include the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Energy Agency (IEA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and IEA Bioenergy Task 39 which focuses on commercializing advanced liquid biofuels.

Achievements

The IEA Bioenergy collaboration has made significant progress in advancing bioenergy technologies and solutions globally. Some key achievements highlighted in the IEA’s reports (https://www.ieabioenergy.com/blog/publications/assessment-of-successes-and-lessons-learned-for-biofuels-deployment-meta-analysis-of-existing-studies/) include:

– Contributing to the large-scale deployment of modern bioenergy, with total primary energy supply from bioenergy increasing from 50 EJ in 2002 to 65 EJ in 2018 globally.

– Publishing over 100 reports and tools that compile international best practices and provide analysis on key topics like sustainability, techno-economic assessments, and integration systems.

– Building an international network of experts through 39 Tasks working on vital areas like sustainability, techno-economics, policy analysis, etc.

– Providing data and analysis to policymakers that helped shape bioenergy policies and regulation in many countries.

– Demonstrating the feasibility of advanced biofuels through pilot and demonstration projects on technologies like biomass gasification and pyrolysis.

– Quantifying the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of different bioenergy systems to enable better decision making.

Overall, the IEA Bioenergy collaboration has been instrumental in furthering bioenergy deployment, conducting leading research, and informing policy worldwide over the past 45 years. Its achievements have accelerated the transition to modern, sustainable bioenergy globally.

Challenges

The IEA bioenergy program faces various obstacles to promoting sustainable bioenergy technologies. One challenge is scaling up production and deployment of advanced biofuels from waste and residues. As indicated in a report commissioned by IEA Bioenergy Task 39, “The Potential and Challenges of Drop-in Biofuels,” there are technical and economic barriers to producing biofuels that are functionally equivalent to their petroleum-based counterparts ^[1]. Other key challenges include lack of supportive policies, investment risks, feedstock availability, and sustainability concerns related to first-generation biofuels ^[2].

Future Outlook

The IEA Bioenergy program has several next steps and future plans to continue advancing bioenergy technologies and applications globally. According to the IEA Bioenergy Review 2023, the program aims to expand international collaboration, integrate bioenergy into energy system models, and quantify sustainability with comprehensive life cycle assessments (Bioenergy Review 2023). Additionally, IEA Bioenergy plans to focus on new technologies like biojet fuels, as well as established applications like bioheat and biofuels for transport (Press Release). The program also intends to promote bioenergy integration into energy infrastructure and provide guidance on bioenergy’s role in net zero targets.

Overall, IEA Bioenergy has an optimistic outlook, projecting continued growth in bioenergy utilization aligned with climate change mitigation efforts and the transition to renewable energy. With strong international collaboration through its member countries and partners, the program is well-positioned to advance bioenergy research, development, and deployment worldwide.