General Information - Biomass

Biomass is one of the most important and most diverse renewable energy sources in Germany. Biomass is used in solid, liquid and gas form to produce electricity and heat and to manufacture biofuels. Around 69 percent of total final energy from renewable sources was covered by the different types of biomass used to this end in 2007. In Germany, bioenergy (based on final energy consumption) accounted for 3.9 percent of total electricity consumption, 6.2 percent of total heat demand and 7.6 percent of total fuel consumption.

The use of bioenergy is to be further expanded. The technical potential required for this is available in Germany. In the agricultural and forestry sector, part of the 17 million hectares of agricultural land (approx. 12 million hectares of arable land and approx. 5 million hectares of grassland) and of the 11 million hectares of woodland are available for biomass production.

By far the most important source of bioenergy in Germany is wood. About one quarter of Germany's wood production (lower quality line of production) is used for generating energy, approximately three quarters are used as material. Waste wood and used wood are also used for energy production. Model calculations by the Federal Research Centre for Forestry and Forest Products have shown that there are reserves to expand the use of wood without impairing sustainable forestry.

In addition to forestry, agriculture also plays an important role in producing biomass for energy recovery. Already in 2007, 1.75 million hectares, that is more than 10 percent of agricultural land, were used to grow energy crops in Germany, with a focus on oilseed rape cultivation for the production of biodiesel and the provision of substrates for biogas production. There is also potential to expand agricultural biomass production to a certain extent. The results of various studies show that from 2020 2.5 to 5 million hectares of agricultural land can be used for the cultivation energy crops.

In addition to the biomass provided through forestry and agriculture, residual substances and wastes of biogenic origin are available for energy recovery. This includes in particular waste and used wood, biowaste (e.g. bio bin), sewage sludge/sewage gas/landfill gas, slurry/solid manure and straw. Together with less significant residual substances and wastes this adds up to an energy potential of around 550 peta joule. Tapping this still largely unused potential must be given special attention in future. Energy recovery from biogenic residues and waste helps to solve or mitigate the problem of the conflicting uses of biomass as energy source or material.

Energy from biomass has become an important economic branch in Germany. Some 96,100 people were employed in the bioenergy sector in 2007, in particular in agricultural and forestry raw material production and the newly set up industry of producing fuels such as pellets, wood chips or biogas from biomass. The total turnover for the entire bioenergy sector amounted to 10.23 billion euro in 2007.