Bioenergy is Europe’s leading renewable energy source. According to Eurostat data and calculations by the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM), bioenergy will account for 11% of the final energy consumption in the EU-28 this year. Other renewable energy sources, like hydropower, wind, solar and geothermal, stand for another 7%. But still, non-renewable energy makes up 82% of the EU’s energy use.
For the EU as a whole, this means that all energy use from November 21 until the end of the year will come from bioenergy, and therefore to mark the occasion AEBIOM will celebrate the European Bioenergy Day on November 21.
For Sweden, the national Bioenergy Day occurs already on August 21, which is the first of all the EU member states as Sweden’s bioenergy share in the final energy consumption is 36%. Bioenergy is the leading energy source in Sweden since 2009, and its share increases year by year.
The total use of renewable energy will be around 55% in Sweden in 2017, compared to 18% in EU as a whole. Other EU member states with high shares of bioenergy are Finland (33%), Latvia (31%), Estonia (27%), Denmark (25%), Lithuania (22%), and Austria and Romania (both 20%).
Renewable leader often overlooked
Bioenergy is the leading renewable energy source in EU but often overlooked in the public debate on energy.
There is a large potential to further increase the use of bioenergy in EU, and thereby replace fossil fuels and reduce climate gas emissions” says Gustav Melin, CEO of the Swedish Bioenergy Association (SVEBIO) and former President of AEBIOM.
Sweden is showing the way by using bioenergy in all sectors of society, in heating, power production, industry and for transport. 20% of all transport fuels are already biofuels in Sweden.
A major reason behind the Swedish success story on bioenergy is the Swedish carbon taxation and broad political support. With strong general incentives, the market actors have implemented smart and cost-efficient technologies to use biomass for energy. Despite the large use of bioenergy from forests, the standing volume of the Swedish forests has almost doubled in the last century.
European Bioenergy Day
The European Bioenergy Day campaign is powered by the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) 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 in the shortest span of time.
