EUBIONET Biomass survey in Europe Country report of Germany Nuse Lack Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. Gülzow 2002
Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. National RES policy and role of bioenergy...7 3. Energy Market and the role of biomass fuels...10 4. References...14 APPENDICES A Legislative references 2
1. Introduction Nearly 10 % of the current energy supply could be ensured by biomass. Wood, straw, biogas and energy plants offer high potentials to produce sustainable, CO 2 neutral and reasonable energy. At the moment the primary energy supply of Germany estimates at round about 14.000 peta joules per year. Most of such comes out of coal, mineral oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. Thus renewable energy is not really important. The situation right now is that Germany gets 1,5 % of the nationwide energy supply out of bio energy. This is a law-level share concerning the high potential. The home bio energy would be able to spend more than 1.300 peta joules in other words the bio energy potentials of Germany could guarantee 9,3 % of the primary energy supply. This is the result of a scientific congress at the FNR. After that 640 peta joules could be obtained from the forestry, 460 peta joules from the farming and at least 220 peta joules from biogas. The useable wood might be waste or weak wood or the annual increase of wood that is currently not used. With it, bio energy will be the main source beside the renewable ones like wind-, hydropower, solar or geothermal energy. 3
Table 1. Primary energy consumption by source in Germany in 2000. (in GWh) 2000 1) 2001 1) Hard coal 558.000 529.000 ignite 430.000 453.000 Nuclear power 514.000 519.000 Mineral oil 1.526.000 1.550.000 Pit-, natural- and plant gas 832.000 868.000 Hydro power 29.000 31.000 Wind power Included in hydro power Included in hydro power other 1)) 77.000 81.000 Complete consumption 3.966.000 4.031.000 Share of RES 3) 0,73 % 0,77 % Source: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen 1) temporary value 2) 2) among other thinks: firewood, peat, sludge, waste and other gases 3) only wind- and hydro power The primary energy consumption in 2000 amounted to 14.173 PJ, considerably less than 1990 (14.912 PJ). Mineral oil is the most improtant primary energy carrier (39 %), followed by natural gas (21 %), hard coal (14 %), nuclear energy (13 %) and lignite (11 %). Renewables contributed 392 PJ or 2,6 %, in relation to 208 PJ in 1990. The contribution of biomass is not specified so far. Staiss (2001) calculates a contribution of RES to primary energy consumption of 314,5 PJ (2,2 %) in 2000. 188 PJ come from biomass, where heat production from solid biomass dominates with 162,8 PJ. In summer and autumn 2000 the Biomass Information Centre started an evaluation that resulted that 93 combined heat and power plants were used at that time. Most of them were little systems less then 1 MW. These primarily were on duty in the wood industry for producing its own power. Accordingly, the whole installed power was only 157 MW. 4
Existing CHP The EEG guarantees a compensation for power out of renewable energy, but it does not define which stuffs are accepted as biomass. Therefore the government enacted a decree and it regulars the definition of what biomass is in the sense of the renewable energy law. Three or four month later the first effects were recognized. Especially in the area of plant construction and planning and also in the current fuel market development. Utilisation of solid bio fuels: More heat-electricity-combined plants with 15 until 20 MWel for which the supply and demand of waste wood increased. If only 25 % of the planned plant will be realized the expected electricity increase would be from 280 MW (end of 2001) up to 600 MW (end of 2004). 5
The heat utilisation of plants, which are initiated by the biomass decree, is generally more or less unimportant. The reached installed electric power of all biogas plants was at the end of 2001 110 MW and a doubling of 270 MW will be expected at the end of 2002, Biogas plants with low efficiency (nearly 70 KWel) still depend on support e. g. the market introduction program. At least there is and there will be a real effect by the installation of the EEG and the biomass decree (BiomasseV). More heat-electricity-combined and biogas plants produce more energy out of biomass. With regard to the renewable energy carrier the advantage of biomass is to be storable. That is the reason why electricity and heat out of such could be integrated in an already existing energy supply system. The final energy use in 1999 was 9.288 PJ. 29,9 % were used in the transport sector, 28,5 % by private households, 25,7 % by industry and 15,7 % by trade, services etc. The estimated turnover of the energy sector is 138 billion Euro. The German economy s energy intensity (ratio primary energy consumption /GDP) has decreased by 1.9 % p.a. since 1991. However, at roughly 60 % Germany is more dependent on energy imports than the EU average. The technical potential of biomass is estimated at 1250 PJ (Hartmann 2002). 333 PJ could be contributed by energy crops (on 2 million ha), 130 PJ by straw, 178 PJ by forest residues, 270 PJ by wood thinnings and unused wood increase, 140 PJ by waste wood and demolition wood. Via biogas 124 PJ could be provided from agricultural wastes and 25 PJ from other sources. The development of the use of renewable energy sources in Germany is presented in the following table. 6
Table 2. Total primary energy consumption (TPEC) by energy source in XXX, PJ. Energy source 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Wind energy and hydro power Wood fuels, of which * black liquor * industrial wood residues *firewood, waste, sludge Straw and SRC MSW 256 239 242 177 59 82 91 Biogas 0,02 Solar thermal Solar PV 0,0036 0,0216 0,019 Geothermal Heat pumps Other RES Total RES Oil 5652 5927 6059 5115 5330 5658 5610 Coal 6332 5369 5887 6198 5426 3793 3358 Natural gas 587 1657 2190 2086 2315 2828 3057 Nuclear power 67 240 563 1354 1645 1666 1852 Net imports of electricity Other Total, PJ Total, Mtoe 0 0 0 0 3 18 3 Source: Leitfaden Bioenergie / www.umweltbundesamt.de 2. National RES policy and role of bioenergy The German energy policy seeks to accomplish three goals of equal priority, which are mutually competitive: environmental protection, secure energy supplies and economy. Recent developments in energy policy include the phasing out of nuclear power plants, the opening of the electricity and gas markets. To a large extent, the legal framework is also set by EU legislation, e.g. regarding the internal market for gas and electricity, competion, state aids and environmental protection. 240 7
The current dependence on energy imports in Germany is 60 %. Further increases are probable, due to the liberalisation on the gas and electricity markets. In addition, on 11 June 2001 the German government and the owners of nuclear power plants agreed to phase out in an orderly manner the use of nuclear power in Germany which counts for 34 % of the electricity production at present. Replacing nuclear power by the only domestic fossil energy carriers, hard coal and lignite, would cause additional CO 2 - emissions. Therefore, one the one hand highly efficient power plants based on natural gas are envisaged, on the other hand the role of renewable energies will increase. Wind and biomass will have to give a major contribution if the three energy objectives are to be tackled simultaneously. Biomass will have to play the main role in heat provision. A major advantage of biomass is the good storability of the energy. The most important legislative measures in the field of bioenergy are the Renewable Energy Law (EEG) for the electricity market and the Market Incentive Program (MAP) for the heat market. In the area of liquid fuels, there are currently no excise taxes on pure biofuels. This will be expanded to all blended and unblended biofuels by the end of 2002, if the EC gives its agreement. Indirectly, the climate protection program of October 2000 aiming at a CO 2 -reduction by 25 % between 1990 and 2005 has also a major impact on bioenergy. Import dependency is highest in the field of transport fuels. Therefore this area is a major opportunity for biomass derived fuels, e.g. biodiesel and bioethanol in the short term, Fischer-Tropsch diesel or biomass derived hydrogen or methanol in fuel cells in the medium and long term. As a part of the allotment of efforts among the EU s Member States, Germany is committed to reduce the 1990 level of greenhouse gas emissions by 21 % until 2008/2012. In October 2000, the German government adopted a climate protection program setting a national target to reduce CO 2 -emissions by 25 % until 2005, in relation to the 1990 levels. A voluntary agreement between the government and industry, concluded on 9 November 2000, stipulated a reduction of industry CO2 emissions by 28 % until 2005 and of greenhouse gas emissions by 35 % until 2012. A supplement to this agreement detailed an additional CO 2 -emission reduction by 45 million tons by 2010; much of this (23 million tons) will be achieved by a greater use of cogeneration. By 2010, 12,5 % of the electricity shall be produced from renewables; 4 % of the primary energy balance shall be provided from renewable energies. Biomass has a key role in meeting these environmental objectives. The Technical Instruction on Municipal Wastes (TASi) and related ordinances stipulate that by 2005 all wastes put in landfills have to be treated before, either by thermal or by 8
biological and mechanical processes. A limit for the organic waste fraction is set. This will give incentives for waste incineration plants including biomass. Among the different energy carriers, biomass is the only one with significant and continuous contributions to agricultural and rural development. Biomass production can imply new uses for agricultural land and new income opportunities for farmers and foresters. Also biomass logistics and decentral biomass heat and power plants can create new jobs in rural regions. Economic studies show that significant parts of the added value are created and kept in these region. The result is that a major part of bioenergy RTD on federal and Länder level is supported by ministries of agriculture. Grants in 2000 [Mill. Euro/a] Bundeswirtschaftsninisterium: Market introduction program Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Außenkontrolle (BAFA) 45,7 ausgezahlte Zuschüsse Kredit für Wiederaufbau (KfW)- Darlehenszusagen 60,0 KfW-CO2 Minderungsprogramm 24,9 100.000 Dächer-Solarstrom-Programm 213,3 DtA (Deutsche Ausgleichsbank)- environmental 655,2 program davon: wind energy 608,4 hydro power 13,1 biomass 29,6 solar energy 2,5 others 1,6 DtA-ERP-Umwelt- und Energiesparprogramm (Kreditzusagen im Rahmen der entsprechenden DtA- Programme) 938,4 davon: wind energy 911,9 hydro power 0,2 biomass 25,9 solar energy 0,4 others 0,0 Bundesverbraucherschutzministerium market- 2,6 Introduction-program for bio fuels and bio lubricants 9
Whilst scientific leadership has been a driver for renewable energies such as photovoltaics or solar thermal applications, there has been no dedicated research in the field of biomass. Most research is done about the non technical barriers or the legal framework; only scant research is going on regarding new technical solutions for the energetic use of biomass. One example is the anaerobic digestion where the widespread implementation in rural areas is not accompanied by scientific progress. However, scientific interest is high with regard to fuel cells potentially based on biomass feedstocks, and with regard to synthetic fuels. The impact of waste management policies has been described above. Fuel cells and alternative transport fuels are two examples where also industrial interest can be described as a driver for bioenergy RTD. Ranking the driving forces described above is a difficult issue, as the Federal Ministries which are in charge of different bionergy aspects (Ministries of Economics, Environment, Consumer Protection) set different priorities. For Germany as a whole, environmental issues are probably the most important ones, followed by agricultural and rural development. 3. Energy Market and the role of biomass fuels Many regions possess underused biomass supplies, and clean and reliable conversion technologies are available. But for potential users, looking for a energy supply system either for individual housing or small community applications, it is much easier to obtain fuels and heating equipment for heating oil and natural gas than for solid biomass. As showed in the following table 37,1 % of the energy consumption is used for space heating. And only 3 % of the energy used in the heat market is out of biomass. 10
Energy Use Share of space heating PJ % PJ % Domestic 2689 28,7 Share of space heating 2375 25,3 Small scale users 1603 17,1 Share of space heating 951 10,1 Industry 2474 26,4 Share of space heating 148 1,6 Traffic 2614 27,9 Share of space heating 0 0 9380 100 3326 37,1 Energy consumption and share of space heating (source: PROGNOS 1999) 1995 1997 Electricity Heat Total Share of PEV Electricity Heat Total Share of PEV PJ/a % PJ/a % 71,6 111,5 183,2 1,3 74,0 173,2 247,1 1,7 Use of solid bioenergy carriers in the EU for heat and electricity production 11
Energy Endenergy [GWh] Primary energy [GWh] Electricity production of solid fuels 246 640 Electricity production of liquid fuels 4 10 Electricity production of biogas 600 1.560 Electricity production of gas from purification plants 49 127 Electrictiy production of landfill gass 727 1.889 Heat out of solid fuels 41.600 45.217 Heat out of gaseous fuels. 720 783 Heat out of liquid fuels 63 68 Fuels (e.g. biodiesel) 3.718 4.041 Total 47.727 54.335 Endenergy and primary energy provision of biomass 2000 (Source: Staiß (2001), BMU (2002)) 12
Biomass fuels Standardisation Comment Scheitholz - Only standardisation for bio fuels under consideration, e.g. DIN 18895 (1990) Hackschnitzel ÖNORM M7133 Austrian standardisation, demands and regulations Solid fuels Pellets DIN 51731 Pelletöfen DIN 18894 In preparation Briketts DIN 51731 (1993) ASAE S269.4 (1991) Only wood briquets demands and tests US-standardisation, definition und regulations Rapsöl - No standardisation Pflanzenölmethylester Als Brennstoff DIN 51606 (1993) DIN EN14214 EN 14213 Minimum requirements and testing method Biofuels Methanol Ethanol Be valid for admixture to petrol, as well: DIN EN228: maximal 2,8 Gew.% share of oxygen by methanol admixture (<= 3 VOl.% methanol) EG Richtlinien 85/536 EWG und 87/441 EWG Be valid for admixture to petrol, as well: DIN EN228: maximal 2,8 Gew.% share of oxygen by methanol admixture (<= 3 VOl.% methanol) Gaseous fuels Biogas - No standardisaton, high quality fluctuation during the production is possible Existing standardize for biomass fuels and their application Source: Harmann, H. und Strehler, A. 1995. Die Stellung der Biomasse, S. 355 update by FNR 13
4. References Appendix A: Legislative references Law or regulation Number Main Subject Field Affected Remarks EEG (Erneuerbare Energiegesetz) Biomasseverordnung (21 st June 2001) Renewable Energy Biomass The EEG regulates the electricity supply act from renewable energies Regulates materials are passed for biomass due to the EEG There has been an ascertained increase of the use of solid fuels in biomass heating power plants as well as in biogas plants since the new regulation was realised. KWK-Gesetz (19.3.2002) Renewable Energy Regulation to obtain, modernise and increase the use of combined heat and power EE-Förderrichtlinie (15.3.2002) Renewable Energy Directive to support measures of the use renewable energy. Tax exemption of biofuels Biofuels Second act amending the mineral oil tax act 14