ReviewEvolution and perspectives of the bioenergy applications in Spain
Introduction
Energy is the cornerstone of economic development in the world and it is currently assumed that the energy supply must be primarily fulfilled by conventional resources such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and nuclear energy. However, the energy exploitation structure cannot guarantee that the current situation will continue to be feasible at either the international or European level since fossil fuel reserves are limited. This reality has triggered the search for alternative energy sources for both economic and environmental reasons (IPCC, 1992, 2007). There are five compelling factors for a greater use of renewable energies sources (RES): greater energy safety, the depletion of conventional resources, climate change, new technologies and more environmentally-conscious consumers (Sadorsky, 2011).
Biomass resources are potentially one of the largest and most sustainable energy sources in the world. Bioenergy can play a vital role in meeting the global demand profiles in energy sectors like construction, power and transport. In terms of renewable energy, it represents about 10% (50 EJ) of the total global primary supply and represents 14% of 18% of the total renewable energy in global energy mix (Naqvi et al., 2018).
A considerable increase is expected in the use of RES in the European Union (EU), which is projected to eventually reach between 55% and 75% of the final gross energy consumption by 2050. The European Commission (EC) has set a long-term objective to develop a competitive energy economy that will be efficient in the use of low-carbon resources by 2050 (EC, 2011a). In addition to the current agricultural, silvicultural, energy, climate and industrial legislation, policies that foster research and innovation have recently been adopted to facilitate the transition to a sustainable energy economy. Research and Development (R&D) is currently a high priority for the EU in the context of the Lisbon Strategy to create jobs and growth, which would transform the EU into the most dynamic and competitive economy in the world (EC, 2011b).
Since 2005, the EU has been encouraging Member States to use biomass via the “Biomass Action Plan” (EC, 2005). The objective of the RES Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of energy use (EC, 2009a) is to ensure that 20% of energy consumption in the EU will come from RES by 2020. It also establishes mandatory national targets for the overall share of RES in gross final energy consumption and mandates a share of 10% of RES in transport for each EU Member State, with an estimated two-thirds of these RES being derived from biomass (EC, 2009b). Moreover, a reduction in EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to at least 20% below the levels of the year 1990 will also be necessary.
Currently, Spain imports the majority of its energy supply like many other developed countries. Although fossil fuel energy sources provide part of the energy, indigenous fossil fuels are unable to fully meet this demand. Within the context of the recent economic recovery, the challenge at present is to maintain the emission levels during this increased economic activity and stay on track to meet the sustainability objectives established by the EU 2020 Strategy (EC, 2017).
Bioenergy produces benefits at various levels. Several studies have been conducted to understand the effectiveness of bioenergy in sustainable development in different countries around the world based on bibliography: Ferreira et al. (2017) in Portugal, Hagos et al. (2017) in Norway, Namsaraev et al. (2018) in the Russian Federation, Patermann and Aguilar (2018) in the EU, Scarlat et al. (2013) in Italy, Woźniak and Twardowski (2018) in Poland and Yang et al. (2013) in China. However, the circular economy is now gaining momentum and promises to help overcome the present contradiction between bioenergy conservation and environmental prosperity (Geissdoerfer et al., 2017; Vega-Quezada et al., 2017). The circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to maintain products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times (Korhonen et al., 2018). Unfortunately, to date, bioenergy has not been studied in a country based on circular economy management (Pomponi and Moncaster, 2017).
The present study aims to define the current context of bioenergy in Spain and examine the potential contribution of biomass resources in the promotion of biofuel use under the Horizon 2020 Program (EC, 2011c). Additionally, the results of this article are intended to serve to help in the development of La Rioja Energy Plan (Government of La Rioja, 2014, 2015) for La Rioja Autonomous Community as an initial benchmarking of other Spanish regional energy plans.
The work presented allows for the study of the resources, processes and environmental implications of bioenergy from a consolidated time perspective in Spain. Its novelty is the use of technical, economic and environmental data from the point of view of biomass resource, bioenergy technology and energy management, thereby filling the existing gaps of knowledge in the literature between the characterisation of energy resources, implementation and development.
The study also examines biomass resources, considers the current barriers to biomass energy use and, ultimately, proposes a number of possible future roles for bioenergy. Finally, the study represents a contribution to the management of renewable energy from biomass to bioenergy and provides a stepping stone to help shape future bioenergy initiatives. It is intended to provide a framework for the research in bioenergy that is in harmony with the theoretical principles of the circular economy as a driving force. The present work is structured as follows: Section 2 outlines the analytical methodology applied to the different elements involved in the conversion of biomass into energy; Section 3 presents the results in the context of the current resources, technology and policy framework within the EU and comprises the core of the present study; Section 4 considers the opportunities and challenges presented by the current situation; and Section 5 provides the conclusion and final observations.
Section snippets
Material and methods
The literature review has been designed to analyse the resource within a specific country, contribute to environmentally sustainable growth in the economy, identify technological developments and test the expansion of bioenergy management on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with national obligations and policies. Aspects such as energy, environment and management factors must be analysed (Dong et al., 2016). This review covers the studies and information regarding the
Multi-objective results
From an energy optimisation point of view, biomass is produced by both organic vegetable matter derived from plant photosynthesis and herbivorous animal matter susceptible to degradation or combustion, with the consequent release of bioenergy. Biomass includes materials such as sewage sludge, animal manure, food waste, paper/packaging waste, yard and park waste, wood-based materials from demolition, forestry residues and several types of organic industrial waste (Poulsen, 2013). The biomass
Discussion
The progressive concentration of economic activity since the 1960s in large pools of development has generated important territorial imbalances. In this sense, the use of bioenergy implies an important economic contribution to certain locations, mostly rural areas, and ensures the stability of the population in these territories as well as the maintenance of the local ecosystems under the Horizon 2020 Program (EC, 2011c).
In 2005, the EC developed the concept of a Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy to
Conclusions
Biomass is a renewable source that has clearly demonstrated its value for energy production; nevertheless, there is still room for significant improvement.
Bioenergy plays an important economic role for the country as a whole, and it could potentially become a strategic economic sector in Spain. Biomass represents over 90% of renewable heat production. Bioenergy production corresponds to 28.7% of total production of primary energy, being 5.5% in the electric area and 23.2% in the thermal area.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by the Government of La Rioja, through the Department of Industry, Innovation and Employment (OTCA141020 and OTCA150320).
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