The silent power of biomass

Biomass usually provides heat

18.8 percent is the share of biogenic energies currently in the energy mix, more than hydro, wind and solar power combined. 84 percent of bioenergy is consumed in the form of heat, 9 percent in the form of fuel and 7 percent as electricity. This shows that biomass can be used in a variety of ways. The small proportion of electricity production is perhaps one reason why other energy sources are more often in the foreground.

The word “mass” describes very well that biomass is all about different things can act. About 80 percent is it Holz. But it can also be leftovers from food production such as grain straw, lye from the pulp industry or sewage sludge. In addition to forestry, biomass comes mainly from agriculture and waste management. Since 1990, the use of biomass has increased more than 2.5 times. Nature does not suffer from this. Austria Forest cover is growing and currently occupies almost half of the country’s area.

Forests and the timber industry also promote biomass

“It is extremely fortunate that we have such a high level of forest resources,” says Christoph Pfemeter, managing director of the Austrian Biomass Association. It is equally important that the country has one too vibrant timber industry own. Biomass is mainly wood waste. “Biomass is almost always a Byproductvery rarely a main product. Nothing is thrown away, everything is recycled.” The remains of trees that do not become beams and boards are turned into wood chips and sawdust into pellets.

The tradition of using wood has also led to: domestic companies Technology and global market leader are, for example in log wood, wood chips or pellet boilers. “We have export quotas of 80 to 90 percent,” says Pfemeter. The fact that this sector of the economy has developed so positively is also due to the fact that Austria got out of coal and did not switch to nuclear power. Be all over the country Biomass heating plants developed. The decentralized supply structure has led to many towns receiving small local heating networks.

Control as needed is a big advantage

Small biomass power plants can be created using so-called combined heat and power (CHP). both heat and electricity generate. Local electricity production relieves the strain on the networks. In contrast to volatile renewable energies, biomass power plants can also switched on or off if necessary become. Electricity generation can be precisely controlled, as with gas power plants. “If you approach it cleverly, you could use biomass together with other renewable energies to achieve a total exit from fossil energies,” Pfemeter is convinced.

Climate change threatens the balance

But it’s not all just bliss with biomass. Climate change is putting increasing strain on local forests. The proliferation of bark beetlesthe increased heat stress of trees and increased Danger of forest fires are the biggest threats. The proportion increases due to forest damage low quality wood. This means that the proportion of “energy wood” is higher, meaning more raw material is available for biomass plants. “But if a forest owner can no longer produce so much high-quality wood, hopefully he will still produce it at all,” says Pfemeter.

The wood industry depends on forestry, and biomass depends on it. A thriving timber industry is important Forests continues to be good maintain. This in turn reduces the risk of damage from bark beetles, wind throw, snow or forest fires. Forest management is personnel intensivebut this means that a large part of the added value remains in the country. In this system everything is connected. It is important to maintain balance. But you don’t have to worry. The market has grown over centuries and has flexibility.

Industry has great future prospects

The decarbonization of industry and mobility offers new opportunities. Construction machines and tractors, which currently primarily run on fossil fuels, could be relatively easy to use in the future Biofuels Change, instead of natural gas you could do more Biomethan use. Bio-based plastics are on the rise. “In principle, they can produce everything from biomass that they could also produce from oil or gas,” says Pfemeter.

Biomass is also becoming increasingly important in the private sector. Count when replacing boilers and replacing oil or gas heating systems Wood chips or pellet heating systems Along with heat pumps, they are among the most popular options. In large cities like Vienna, biomass currently plays a subordinate role. There will hardly be any changes here in the long term, says Pfemeter. “Biomass is not the solution for everything.” There are also other sustainable approaches to heat supply, such as geothermal energy. “Our Small cities are a great strengthbut as a supplement, biomass is also interesting in large networks.”