Estonia is the fourth EU Member State to celebrate its National Bioenergy Day on this year's listing of Bioenergy Europe's National Bioenergy Days. Despite its small size, Estonia plays a significant role in the European bioenergy market. With over 50 percent of its land covered in forests, it is one of the largest biomass suppliers in the EU. State-of-the-art digitization and the cascaded use of biomass ensure transparency and trust for users of biomass fuels from the Estonian forests.
The European Bioenergy Day campaign aims to shed light on the increasingly central role that sustainable biomass is playing in the EU’s energy transition.
According to Bioenergy Europe, bioenergy is a vital component of the EU’s energy system and economy, producing 85 percent of the EU’s renewable heat, representing alone one-third of renewable energy sector jobs, and saving enough carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to cover the annual emissions of Spain.
Awareness campaign
The campaign provides key facts on biomass and the bioenergy industry and celebrates people, projects, and companies contributing to achieving European carbon neutrality.
In the past years, Bioenergy Europe launched the European Bioenergy Day campaign to provide tangible, first-hand examples of how bioenergy impacts the lives of EU citizens.
Facts
Background European Bioenergy Day
First launched in 2018, the European Bioenergy Day campaign is powered by Bioenergy Europe and relayed across Europe by both national and international partners supporting the belief that bioenergy is more than a renewable energy source, but a reliable path that will lead Europe to achieve its renewable energy transition.
Each year, Bioenergy Europe calculates the Bioenergy Day of the European Union (EU) and each Member State, showing how long a Member State or the EU could meet their energy needs using only bioenergy until the end of the year.
Every National Bioenergy Day is accompanied by a story, showcasing the impact of bioenergy in the EU, whereas the European Bioenergy Day is highlighted at the annual European Bioenergy Future conference.
This year’s motto is “Our Shared Steps Towards the Energy Transition” and the 2024 European Bioenergy Day campaign aims to share these stories, highlighting how bioenergy supports the local (bio)economy, fosters innovation, and boosts the EU’s competitiveness.
As the EU advances towards its climate goals, bioenergy continues to expand its role as a key ally in the transition.
The new EU mandate will address critical issues such as climate change, energy security, and the rising cost of living.
In this context, bioenergy is a key ally for the EU’s economy, sustainability, and energy security.
It offers a viable alternative to fossil fuels and it is a key player in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology thanks to bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and biochar through pyrolysis with carbon capture and storage (PyCCS).
Transparency, control, and trust
Despite its small size, Estonia plays a significant role in the European bioenergy market. With over 50 percent of its land covered in forests, it is one of the largest biomass suppliers in the EU.
State-of-the-art digitization and the cascaded use of biomass ensure transparency and trust for users of biomass fuels from the Estonian forests.
Domestic bioenergy caters to the needs of local households, industries, and cities for heat and electricity production.
The biomass surplus is exported to numerous industrial consumers and major European energy producers, facilitating the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable bioenergy, with Graanul Invest, Europe’s largest, and the world’s third-largest wood pellet producer at the fore as Kristel Pern, Sustainable Sourcing Specialist at Graanul Invest, explained.
Certified and sustainable pellet raw materials begin with sustainably managed forests. In the Baltic States, after the restoration of independence and the return of private ownership, all plots and cadastral units in the country needed to be re-measured in the 1990s. This initiative resulted in one of the first fully digitized geo- and land data registers. Today, all works in the forest are digitally registered. We also have precise cadastral and land-based information indicating the origin of the wood used as raw materials, said Kristel Pern.
Cascaded use of woody biomass
The concept of a cascaded use of woody biomass is central to Estonian forestry, sawmills, and woody biomass processing industries.
This approach not only enhances sustainability but also ensures the efficient utilization of resources, reduces waste, and minimizes environmental impact.
At the heart of this strategy is prioritizing biomass’s highest-value applications. Initially, woody biomass is utilized in sectors where its material properties are most valued, such as the construction and furniture industries.
Wood is used to manufacture products that offer long-lasting benefits and high economic returns, capturing the biogenic carbon for decades, even centuries.
The residues – sawdust and shavings, are then repurposed for energy production – pressed into wood pellets, and continue to provide value as renewable biofuels.
Wood pellets are a versatile and highly efficient form of renewable energy, serving as a solid biofuel.
At Graanul Invest, our wood pellet production process is designed to be as sustainable as possible. We use only raw materials derived from non-energy industries that have no other application and would otherwise go to waste. We use raw materials that have gone through a cascading effect in price, value, and priority, meaning only wood with the lowest quality (energy or firewood) and price available on the market is used. Our wood pellets are made from residues from the timber processing industry (mainly sawdust and shavings) and low-quality stem wood, said Kristel Pern.
She added that every delivery at the gate of the pellet mill is verified using a digital transport sheet for each load.
Every truckful is precisely measured with 3D laser scanners, and at the same time, we always double-check the origin of location against all registers to detect any overlapping with environmental and other restrictions. If necessary, we also check the compliance of the raw materials with the requirements of international certificates directly in the forest. Similar, highly digitalized control and material handling are also practiced with our partners, ensuring smooth, precise cascading flow of timber and fibers throughout the industries, said Kristel Pern.
The heat and electricity for the pellet plants are generated using forestry leftovers, such as logging residues, mill off-cuts, and bark from wood processing industries.
Even the ash from the combined heat and power (CHP) plants is re-used in a cascading and sustainable manner, becoming a valued mineral fertilizer for local farmers.
This closes the fully functional circular and cascading loop of wood processing across industries. This creates opportunities for innovation and collaboration across sectors, encouraging the development of new technologies and applications for biomass materials, Kristel Pern highlighted.
Vision for the future
According to Kristel Pern, Graanul Invest’s vision is to accelerate the science and perception of biomass as a key component of the global renewable energy transition.
By promoting the use of wood-based biomass, the company aims to contribute to achieving the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.
Through strategic partnerships and collaborations, Graanul Invest aims to drive industry-wide adoption of cascading use principles, fostering a more sustainable future for the bioenergy sector.
The company is committed to “continuous improvement in all aspects of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), ensuring a transparent and sustainable future for the bioenergy sector.”
Besides substituting fossil fuels in the energy sector, wood pellets and other biofuels have much more potent future potential.
The future goal is to become carbon-negative and lock biogenic carbon with bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technologies, as well as decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries such as aviation (sustainable aviation fuel – SAF), lime, cement, and metallurgical industries.
