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ErneuerbareEnergien
Biomassestrategie
des Landes Brandenburg
RenewableEnergies
Biomass Strategyof the Land Brandenburg
Foreword
With its Energy and Climate Protection Strategy 2020, the German federal state of Land Branden-burg set the agenda towards achieving two major goals: The proportion of renewable energies in primary energy consumption is to rise to 20 %, while, at the same time, the emission of green-house gases is to be reduced by 40 % compared to 1990. In addition to the utilisation of other renewa-ble sources of energy, an increase in the production of bioenergy is required to realise these goals. Therefore, the share of bioenergy in primary energy consumption is to be increased from 25.6 PJ in 2004 to 49 PJ in 2020. As a result, bioenergy is to provide the second largest portion in the production of renewable energy with 41 %, after wind energy. In our state, characterised as it is by agriculture, the production and utilisation of biomass have been major factors for years already and enjoy an on- going boom. Meanwhile, they constitute not only the second mainstay for agriculture but contribute to the stabilisation of the rural areas in a sustained way by securing and creating jobs. New challenges emerge not only in the further de-velopment of the industry but also more and more in the increase of energy efficiency through heat/power cogeneration, the feeding of bio-methane into the natural gas network, the multiple use of raw materials and the progressive use of biogenic waste materials. By way of impressive examples, the awardees of the Federal Competition Bioenergy Regions – the first hybrid power plant in Germany and the energy self-sufficient community of Feldheim – demonstrate that in the Land Bran-denburg these challenges are being met success-fully.
In doing so, sustained development and relevant contributions to the reduction of greenhouse gases can be guaranteed only, if nutrient and top soil cycles are closed, the diversity of crop rotations is maintained and overexploitation is avoided. There-fore, regional and municipal competence networks for monitoring the value chain from the production to the utilisation of biomass steadily gain in signifi-cance. In addition to its considerable biomass potential and the large numbers of bioenergy producers in the state, Brandenburg also is home to excellent research institutions occupied with the utilisation of biomass as energy and material. The establishment of the "Technologie-Plattform Brandenburger Bioraffinerien" (Technology Platform Brandenburg Biorefineries) is only one milestone in the rapid development currently taking place in the field of material utilisation of biomass. We intend to capitalise on these future-oriented markets. Equally, we should perceive the domestic biomass production as an opportunity to pave our farmers' way towards diversification and the stabilisation of their farms. The Biomass Strategy of the Land Brandenburg presented here supports the Energy Strategy 2020 and updates the Biomass Action Plan of 2006. The objectives and measures set out are to provide orientation for the desired direction of development in the industry during the years leading up to 2020.
Anita Tack Jörg Vogelsänger
Structure Page 1 1 Introduction: State Policy in a Global Context
Page 4 2 Boundary Conditions
2.1 Biomass Potential 2.1.1 Ligneous Biomass 2.1.2 Agricultural Biomass Potential 2.1.3 Organic Industrial and Municipal Waste 2.1.4 Biomass Potential - Summary 2.2 Statutory Regulations
Page 17 3 Location Review Biomass Production and Utilisation
3.1 Agricultural Biomass Production 3.2 Energetic Utilisation of Biomass in Total 3.3 Solid Biofuels 3.4 Biogas 3.5 Liquid Biofuels 3.6 CO2 Reduction 3.7 Material Biomass Applications
Page 23 4 Goals, Basic Principles and Strategy for Action
4.1 Goals 4.2 Principles of Sustainability 4.3 Strategy for Action 4.3.1 Cascade Food Security - Material Application - Energy Application 4.3.2 Biomass Production and Availability 4.3.3 Material Utilisation of Biomass 4.3.4 Energy Utilisation of Biomass 4.3.5 Strategies for Action for Individual Energy Sources
Page 28 5 Instruments and Measures for Implementing the Biomass Strategy
5.1 Funding 5.2 Transfer of Technology and Networking 5.3 Research and Development 5.4 Public Relations 5.5 Federal Government Initiatives and EU Projects
Page 39 References
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1 | Introduction: State Policy in a Global Context
Bioenergy – In Contradiction to Food Security and Sustainability? Over the past three years the utilisation of bioenergy has led to intensive discussions and basic objections. Is it morally sound to burn comestible goods or to process them to make fuel, while many countries in the world continue to struggle with famine? In 2007 and 2008, the discussion grew more acute when some experts blamed biofuels for the increase in food prices world-wide. Likewise, the global consequences regarding climate change were used as an argument in the discussion. The production of biofuels or wood pellets can lead to the deforestation of tropical for-ests with all its negative consequences, for instance, the expansion of oil palm plantations for the production of palm oil as a raw material for biodiesel. These problems were and continue to be blamed on any kind of biomass imports, no matter whether it is palm oil from Asia, bioethanol from Brazil or wood from third countries. Another question arises with regards to Germany and Europe: Does the use of domestic biomass raw materials for energy applications lead to competition with the production of comestible goods as regards surface area and thus cause an increase in prices? Given the competitive pressure, are goals as regards the protection of the environment being neglected? Discussing these questions, by way of a debate con-cerning the future development of our agriculture and bioenergy as a whole, is of utmost importance. After all, this debate touches on no less than the future of our rural areas, concerns the ecological and social linkages, that is, the sustainability of our actions. At the same time, neither can we ignore the global issues and problems and our global responsibility. The Biomass Strategy of the Land Brandenburg thus likewise will have to face the scrutiny of these questions. Which answers are currently available – and there-fore without claim to completeness and ultimate sureness – in response to this global problem? In contrast to the deprived areas of this world, Europe is characterised by surplus production. Increase in productivity led to an excess supply of comestible goods, so that programmes for the decommissioning of agricultural land and export subventions were
offered as a solution. Yet the export subventions in the EU and in other countries with excess production leading to global pressure on the market resulted in a decrease in prices for comestible goods across the world. While initially this sounded promising for the poor Third World countries, it effectively destroyed the agricultural system in many of these countries. The farmers were not able to compete with the rich nations' subventioned dumping prices. As a consequence, agricultural production was abandoned exactly in those countries, since food was cheaper to buy on the world market than at home. The drastic increase of prices on the world market in 2007 and 2008 was caused by low yields in Australia, stock market speculations and an increased demand for agricultural raw materials spurred on by the growing production of bioenergy fuels. The increase in prices for comestible goods had catastrophic consequences for the population of developing countries in particular. Ethical positions such as “Against the production of bioenergy fuels from corn in light of hunger in the world” and “Against the destruction of tropical forests, annihilation of orang-utans and exploitation of the population for the creation of oil palm plantations for biodiesel pro-duction” met with considerable approval by the public. As serious as these issues are, as important is the level-headed analysis of background facts. In 2008, only 5 % of the world's grain crop was used for the production of bioenergy and only 2 % of agricultural area for the production of bioenergy fuels (Agentur für Erneuerbare Energien e.V., 2009, quoted from FAO 2009). By far the greater part of the production area is located in the USA, Europe and Brazil, that is, in the regions of agricultural excess production. Only two countries, Indonesia and Malaysia, produce more than 75 % of the world's palm oil supply. The sustainability problems related to the cultivation of palm oil are concentrated on these two countries, while effectively only a smaller part of the palm oil production is used for the production of biodiesel. The figures here range between 5 % (Agentur für Erneu-erbare Energien e.V., 2009) and 19 % (Carus, 2010). Given the problems mentioned above, it cannot be ignored that the increased pressure for more land through the production of bioenergy fuels can result in direct and indirect changes in how the land is used
Introduction: State Policy in a Global Context │1
2
and lead to the displacement of indigenous popula-tions. However, the causes of hunger and destruction of the rainforest are deeper and have more complex roots. Reducing the complexity of the issue, the following hypothesis can be phrased: Skimming off surplus amounts on the agricultural raw materials market contributes to relieving the pressure on the world market, which in turn results in the increase of prices for agricultural products and overall stabilisation. This increase in prices creates motivation to recultivate currently not used agricultural expanses, to halt rural depopulation and to increase agricultural productivity. Progress in productivity is urgently required, for within the next 20 to 30 years, 40 % more comestible goods will be needed to feed the growing world population. In its most recent report, the FAO confirms that considerable crop reserves still remain unexploited world-wide. To cultivate these in a sustained manner while protecting the environment is one of the great challenges in a global context. With its requirements for sustainable production and utilisation of bioenergy fuels and liquid biomass for power generation, the EU has made first steps in the right direction. As a forerunner in the develop-ment of corresponding sustainability regulations, Germany intends to go a step further. The federal government's coalition agreement states: "As regards biomass, we intend to establish initiatives for an internationally valid sustainability certificate comprising the production of fuels and power as well as the utilisation for comestibles and animal feed." After the opening to the East, Europe now faces the challenge to redistribute funds in the agricultural sector and to optimise their deployment in maintaining existing cultivated landscapes. Although increased competition in agriculture signifies pressure to adapt, it also can lead to increased effi-ciency and repopulation of rural areas, as is the case in other countries across the world. Moreover, current studies show, that even given the high demands as regards biodiversity and environ-mental protection, the expanses for cultivation of energy crops in Germany could be increased to 4.4 million hectare. This equals a little more than doubling the area used today (SRU 2007).
Back to the Land Brandenburg: Does the production of bioenergy make sense – even given this context? The study on bioenergy potential on arable land by the "Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde" (Piorr et al., 2010) confirms the existence of reserves for biomass production under the prerequisite of maintaining secure food production as well as location-specific sustainable production. Compared with the rest of Germany, the soil in Bran-denburg is of reduced fertility. In many locations, the production of rye is the most sustainable variety of cultivation. This was considerably stabilised by the production of bioethanol. The alternative of bioenergy fuel production thus contributes to giving an important crop variety well adapted to the area a long-term perspective. The cultivation of rape for the production of biodiesel is likewise well founded. Although the energy yield per hectare is lower than that of sugar cane or second generation bioenergy fuels from wood, the production of rape has considerable advantages: It provides high-quality, locally grown protein animal feed, has excellent effects as a rotational crop and requires only little energy input when processed to make biodiesel.
Another example is expanding the biogas produc-tion. Here the focus is on using organic waste and researching energy efficient solutions such as pow-er/heat cogeneration and biomethane production. No matter whether the plants are large or small – they all have to submit to the precept that, for example, increased planting of maize does not lead to monocultures and the ploughing up of grassland.
3
Sustained biomass cultivation with crop rotation suited to the area, balanced top soil values and closed cycles is of existential significance, in particular on the sandy soils of the Mark Brandenburg and under the conditions of global warming. Environmentally friendly agricultural practices such as tillage without ploughs, precision fertilisation or intermediary crops can effectively support this goal.
Sustainability in biomass production and utilisation is a central element of the Biomass Strategy and, alongside increasing energy efficiency and the employment of innovative technologies, it constitutes the greatest challenge for all stakeholders in the value chain. To maintain the competitiveness of Brandenburg farmers, to guarantee jobs in the long term and to employ climate-friendly, local energy sources; this is the challenge we need to meet.
Regional Political Enactment Energy Strategy 2020 In May 2008, the government of the Land Brandenburg passed the Energy Strategy 2020 bill. It defines the energy policy goals and is part of the federal state's Energy and Climate Protection Strategy. As regards the energy utilisation of biomass, it has been decided that the goal is to achieve a share of 49 PJ in primary energy consumption by 2020. In doing so, safeguarding the value creation from agricultural comestibles production has precedence over the production of biomass. Catalogue of Measures for Climate Protection and for Adapting to the Consequences of Climate Change Brandenburg's political Catalogue of Measures for Climate Protection and for Adapting to the Consequences of Climate Change is part of the federal state's Energy and Climate Protection Strategy and was passed by the state government in May 2008. Energy Strategy and Catalogue of Measures identify the following precepts: Regional cycles from cultivation to utilisation of biomass are to be consolidated. In addi-tion to the increased use of liquid manure and waste, the spotlight in future will fall on cogeneration and the feeding of biogas into the natural gas distribution system. Due regard will be paid to adherence to sustain-ability principles when importing biogenic energy sources. Other fields of action are research on, further development of and implementation of technologies for the utilisation of biomass as well as incorporating minimum requirements with regard to the efficiency of using renewable raw materials into the federal state's funding guidelines. In the long term, the Catalogue of Measures for Climate Protection categorically gives precedence to the material utilisation of biomass over its energy use. Coalition Agreement In the parliamentary coalition agreement between SPD and Die Linke for the 5th legislative period of the Brandenburg Landtag from November 2009, the federal state's government avows to continue consequently to develop the energy and material employment of biomass according to the cascade of "Food security, material utilisation with remaining biomass for biogas production". This also signifies continued support for agricultural efforts towards the production of renewable raw materials as an additional source of income. Activities regarding research and the development of technologies in this field are to be significantly increased. Programme for the Updating of the Land Brandenburg's Strategies for Climate Protection and Energy By a March 2010 state parliament resolution, the federal state government is requested to take into consideration further goals, principles and measures in the updating of these strategies.
2
and lead to the displacement of indigenous popula-tions. However, the causes of hunger and destruction of the rainforest are deeper and have more complex roots. Reducing the complexity of the issue, the following hypothesis can be phrased: Skimming off surplus amounts on the agricultural raw materials market contributes to relieving the pressure on the world market, which in turn results in the increase of prices for agricultural products and overall stabilisation. This increase in prices creates motivation to recultivate currently not used agricultural expanses, to halt rural depopulation and to increase agricultural productivity. Progress in productivity is urgently required, for within the next 20 to 30 years, 40 % more comestible goods will be needed to feed the growing world population. In its most recent report, the FAO confirms that considerable crop reserves still remain unexploited world-wide. To cultivate these in a sustained manner while protecting the environment is one of the great challenges in a global context. With its requirements for sustainable production and utilisation of bioenergy fuels and liquid biomass for power generation, the EU has made first steps in the right direction. As a forerunner in the develop-ment of corresponding sustainability regulations, Germany intends to go a step further. The federal government's coalition agreement states: "As regards biomass, we intend to establish initiatives for an internationally valid sustainability certificate comprising the production of fuels and power as well as the utilisation for comestibles and animal feed." After the opening to the East, Europe now faces the challenge to redistribute funds in the agricultural sector and to optimise their deployment in maintaining existing cultivated landscapes. Although increased competition in agriculture signifies pressure to adapt, it also can lead to increased effi-ciency and repopulation of rural areas, as is the case in other countries across the world. Moreover, current studies show, that even given the high demands as regards biodiversity and environ-mental protection, the expanses for cultivation of energy crops in Germany could be increased to 4.4 million hectare. This equals a little more than doubling the area used today (SRU 2007).
Back to the Land Brandenburg: Does the production of bioenergy make sense – even given this context? The study on bioenergy potential on arable land by the "Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde" (Piorr et al., 2010) confirms the existence of reserves for biomass production under the prerequisite of maintaining secure food production as well as location-specific sustainable production. Compared with the rest of Germany, the soil in Bran-denburg is of reduced fertility. In many locations, the production of rye is the most sustainable variety of cultivation. This was considerably stabilised by the production of bioethanol. The alternative of bioenergy fuel production thus contributes to giving an important crop variety well adapted to the area a long-term perspective. The cultivation of rape for the production of biodiesel is likewise well founded. Although the energy yield per hectare is lower than that of sugar cane or second generation bioenergy fuels from wood, the production of rape has considerable advantages: It provides high-quality, locally grown protein animal feed, has excellent effects as a rotational crop and requires only little energy input when processed to make biodiesel.
Another example is expanding the biogas produc-tion. Here the focus is on using organic waste and researching energy efficient solutions such as pow-er/heat cogeneration and biomethane production. No matter whether the plants are large or small – they all have to submit to the precept that, for example, increased planting of maize does not lead to monocultures and the ploughing up of grassland.
3
Sustained biomass cultivation with crop rotation suited to the area, balanced top soil values and closed cycles is of existential significance, in particular on the sandy soils of the Mark Brandenburg and under the conditions of global warming. Environmentally friendly agricultural practices such as tillage without ploughs, precision fertilisation or intermediary crops can effectively support this goal.
Sustainability in biomass production and utilisation is a central element of the Biomass Strategy and, alongside increasing energy efficiency and the employment of innovative technologies, it constitutes the greatest challenge for all stakeholders in the value chain. To maintain the competitiveness of Brandenburg farmers, to guarantee jobs in the long term and to employ climate-friendly, local energy sources; this is the challenge we need to meet.
Regional Political Enactment Energy Strategy 2020 In May 2008, the government of the Land Brandenburg passed the Energy Strategy 2020 bill. It defines the energy policy goals and is part of the federal state's Energy and Climate Protection Strategy. As regards the energy utilisation of biomass, it has been decided that the goal is to achieve a share of 49 PJ in primary energy consumption by 2020. In doing so, safeguarding the value creation from agricultural comestibles production has precedence over the production of biomass. Catalogue of Measures for Climate Protection and for Adapting to the Consequences of Climate Change Brandenburg's political Catalogue of Measures for Climate Protection and for Adapting to the Consequences of Climate Change is part of the federal state's Energy and Climate Protection Strategy and was passed by the state government in May 2008. Energy Strategy and Catalogue of Measures identify the following precepts: Regional cycles from cultivation to utilisation of biomass are to be consolidated. In addi-tion to the increased use of liquid manure and waste, the spotlight in future will fall on cogeneration and the feeding of biogas into the natural gas distribution system. Due regard will be paid to adherence to sustain-ability principles when importing biogenic energy sources. Other fields of action are research on, further development of and implementation of technologies for the utilisation of biomass as well as incorporating minimum requirements with regard to the efficiency of using renewable raw materials into the federal state's funding guidelines. In the long term, the Catalogue of Measures for Climate Protection categorically gives precedence to the material utilisation of biomass over its energy use. Coalition Agreement In the parliamentary coalition agreement between SPD and Die Linke for the 5th legislative period of the Brandenburg Landtag from November 2009, the federal state's government avows to continue consequently to develop the energy and material employment of biomass according to the cascade of "Food security, material utilisation with remaining biomass for biogas production". This also signifies continued support for agricultural efforts towards the production of renewable raw materials as an additional source of income. Activities regarding research and the development of technologies in this field are to be significantly increased. Programme for the Updating of the Land Brandenburg's Strategies for Climate Protection and Energy By a March 2010 state parliament resolution, the federal state government is requested to take into consideration further goals, principles and measures in the updating of these strategies.
4
2 | Boundary Conditions
The utilisation of biomass as a material or a source of energy is subject to a number of fixed and variable boundary conditions, which determine the freedom of action in the production and utilisation of biomass. These include the biomass potential of the Land Brandenburg as well as legal provisions on a federal and EU level.
2.1 Biomass Potential
Table 1 illustrates the materials generally summarised as biomass. This list goes beyond the definition of biomass according to Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and Biomass Ordinance (BiomasseV). The following chapters illustrate the potential for each named kind of biomass in Land Brandenburg.
The values were determined with due consideration to structural, ecological and other non-technical limita-tions. Economic factors were not taken into account. In calculating the energy potential of agricultural biomass, the potential of each respective energy source (biogas, bioethanol, biodiesel) is given.
2.1.1 Ligneous Biomass
Wood is the prime raw material for sawmills and wood-based industries located in the Land Branden-burg. Moreover, wood is the most important bioenergy source. In discussing wood potential, one has to differentiate between wood from forests (forestry), wood produced on agricultural expanses (agrarian wood) and waste wood, that has been used already and now is recycled.
Table 1
Biomass Types
Biogenic residual matter and organic waste Sustainable raw materials Agriculture: Straw, livestock manure Forestry: Smallwood, residual forest wood Wood and paper industry: Waste wood, paper
sludge, etc. Bioenergy production: Mash, rapeseed cake,
fermentation residue from biogas plants Landscape management: Green waste, pruning
waste, etc. Animal cadaver utilisation: Offal, animal fat, etc. Comestible goods and luxury food industry:
Spent grain, pomace, etc. Waste management: Biological waste Sewage management: Sewage gas, sludge
Forest wood Energy crops, e.g. maize, rape, corn, yet also fast
growing wood such as willows, poplars and robinia Growth on grassland areas Agricultural cultivated plants for material use, e.g.
fibre plants, plants rich in starch
Source: Adapted after SRU, 2007
Forest wood Brandenburg has some 1.05 hectare of forest, corres-ponding to 35.5 % of the federal state's territory. With 73 %, the pine tree is the most prevalent kind of tree. The Brandenburg forest commands nearly 260 million m³ of wood reserves. Over the course of the past seven years, the reserves in Brandenburg's forests increased by 10 % or, respectively, 24 m³ per hectare. The average wood reserve is at 263 m³ per hectare, which is 20 % below Germany's country-wide average. In the past years (2000 – 2007), approximately 3.7 million m³ of forest wood were harvested each year.
When viewed in the longer term, the sustainably available amounts of wood are subject to change. This results from the actual, differing ages of the forests. Table 2 indicates the theoretically available potential, both as regards the amount of wood and the energy derived from forest wood, that can be gained leading up to the year 2026, provided forest manage-ment continues along the Land Brandenburg's forest management guidelines currently in force. The table shows that the theoretically available amount of wood that can be used in a sustained manner will be less than half the current amount by 2026.
5
The larger part of the total growth increase in wood is used by the timber-processing industry. Only a small part is available for use as energy wood. Whereas trunk and industrial wood goes to material utilisation, energy wood is obtained by the thinning out of small wood (chopping down of entire trees) and from utilising tree tops and residual wood from thinning out and rejuvenation. Part of the industrial wood is used for producing energy. For calculating the energy potential of wood reserves, it is decisive to determine this share of industrial wood. Thus for the sake of calculation, it is estimated that the share of industrial wood in energy applications amounts to 10 % (Muchin et al, 2007).
According to the calculations at hand, the theoretically available wood potential for material use decreases from 3.10 million tadm in 2006 to 1.35 million tadm in 2016 and further down to 1.32 million tadm in 2026. The energy potential from young trees and residual forest wood was 8.69 PJ in 2006. In 2016, this will be at 4.35 PJ and in 2026 down to 3.63 PJ. If in addition 10 % of industrial wood are made available for energy applications, the potential rises by 3.59 PJ in 2006 and by 1.52 PJ in 2016 and 1.37 PJ in 2026 respectively (Table 2).
Table 2 Theoretical Amount and Energy Potential of Forest Wood
2006 2016 2026
Amount (million
tadm) Energy*
(PJ) Amount
(million tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Amount (million
tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Trunk wood 0.852 12.238 0.4 5.746 0.458 6.579
Industrial wood 2.499 35.896 1.059 15.211 0.954 13.703
Wood for material appli-cations Total *** 3.101 1.353 1.317
Energy wood from young trees 0.038 0.546 0.034 0.488 0.023 0.330
Energy wood from tree tops and residual forest wood 0.567 8.144 0.269 3.864 0.230 3.304
Energy wood Total ** 12.280 5.873 5.004
Ligneous biomass Total 3.956 56.824 1.764 25.338 1.666 23.930
* calculated for 40 % wood moisture, ** energy wood assortment plus 10 % of industrial wood, *** trunk wood and 90 % of industrial wood, Source of amount values: Muchin et al, 2007
This amount for utilisation constitutes the biologically available, sustainably usable maximum limit. It can be achieved only if the available wood in the Land Bran-denburg was to be harvested at 100 %. However, under realistic conditions the theoretical annual amount for utilisation is limited by the following factors:
- Legal sanctions (e.g. preservation of environment and species, soil conservation, water conservation, etc.)
- Trafficability of the terrain (e.g. sites with ground water close to the surface)
- Small areas (too little incurred use due to isolated location)
- Lack of interest in commercial wood harvesting in small private forests on the part of forest owners
In order to take these factors into consideration, it is realistic to correct the said wood potential by the factor 0.7 (Muchin et al, 2007). This results in a corrected amount potential of trunk and industrial wood for material applications of 2.17 million tadm in 2006, 0.95 million tadm in 2016 and 0.92 million tadm in 2026.
4
2 | Boundary Conditions
The utilisation of biomass as a material or a source of energy is subject to a number of fixed and variable boundary conditions, which determine the freedom of action in the production and utilisation of biomass. These include the biomass potential of the Land Brandenburg as well as legal provisions on a federal and EU level.
2.1 Biomass Potential
Table 1 illustrates the materials generally summarised as biomass. This list goes beyond the definition of biomass according to Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and Biomass Ordinance (BiomasseV). The following chapters illustrate the potential for each named kind of biomass in Land Brandenburg.
The values were determined with due consideration to structural, ecological and other non-technical limita-tions. Economic factors were not taken into account. In calculating the energy potential of agricultural biomass, the potential of each respective energy source (biogas, bioethanol, biodiesel) is given.
2.1.1 Ligneous Biomass
Wood is the prime raw material for sawmills and wood-based industries located in the Land Branden-burg. Moreover, wood is the most important bioenergy source. In discussing wood potential, one has to differentiate between wood from forests (forestry), wood produced on agricultural expanses (agrarian wood) and waste wood, that has been used already and now is recycled.
Table 1
Biomass Types
Biogenic residual matter and organic waste Sustainable raw materials Agriculture: Straw, livestock manure Forestry: Smallwood, residual forest wood Wood and paper industry: Waste wood, paper
sludge, etc. Bioenergy production: Mash, rapeseed cake,
fermentation residue from biogas plants Landscape management: Green waste, pruning
waste, etc. Animal cadaver utilisation: Offal, animal fat, etc. Comestible goods and luxury food industry:
Spent grain, pomace, etc. Waste management: Biological waste Sewage management: Sewage gas, sludge
Forest wood Energy crops, e.g. maize, rape, corn, yet also fast
growing wood such as willows, poplars and robinia Growth on grassland areas Agricultural cultivated plants for material use, e.g.
fibre plants, plants rich in starch
Source: Adapted after SRU, 2007
Forest wood Brandenburg has some 1.05 hectare of forest, corres-ponding to 35.5 % of the federal state's territory. With 73 %, the pine tree is the most prevalent kind of tree. The Brandenburg forest commands nearly 260 million m³ of wood reserves. Over the course of the past seven years, the reserves in Brandenburg's forests increased by 10 % or, respectively, 24 m³ per hectare. The average wood reserve is at 263 m³ per hectare, which is 20 % below Germany's country-wide average. In the past years (2000 – 2007), approximately 3.7 million m³ of forest wood were harvested each year.
When viewed in the longer term, the sustainably available amounts of wood are subject to change. This results from the actual, differing ages of the forests. Table 2 indicates the theoretically available potential, both as regards the amount of wood and the energy derived from forest wood, that can be gained leading up to the year 2026, provided forest manage-ment continues along the Land Brandenburg's forest management guidelines currently in force. The table shows that the theoretically available amount of wood that can be used in a sustained manner will be less than half the current amount by 2026.
5
The larger part of the total growth increase in wood is used by the timber-processing industry. Only a small part is available for use as energy wood. Whereas trunk and industrial wood goes to material utilisation, energy wood is obtained by the thinning out of small wood (chopping down of entire trees) and from utilising tree tops and residual wood from thinning out and rejuvenation. Part of the industrial wood is used for producing energy. For calculating the energy potential of wood reserves, it is decisive to determine this share of industrial wood. Thus for the sake of calculation, it is estimated that the share of industrial wood in energy applications amounts to 10 % (Muchin et al, 2007).
According to the calculations at hand, the theoretically available wood potential for material use decreases from 3.10 million tadm in 2006 to 1.35 million tadm in 2016 and further down to 1.32 million tadm in 2026. The energy potential from young trees and residual forest wood was 8.69 PJ in 2006. In 2016, this will be at 4.35 PJ and in 2026 down to 3.63 PJ. If in addition 10 % of industrial wood are made available for energy applications, the potential rises by 3.59 PJ in 2006 and by 1.52 PJ in 2016 and 1.37 PJ in 2026 respectively (Table 2).
Table 2 Theoretical Amount and Energy Potential of Forest Wood
2006 2016 2026
Amount (million
tadm) Energy*
(PJ) Amount
(million tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Amount (million
tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Trunk wood 0.852 12.238 0.4 5.746 0.458 6.579
Industrial wood 2.499 35.896 1.059 15.211 0.954 13.703
Wood for material appli-cations Total *** 3.101 1.353 1.317
Energy wood from young trees 0.038 0.546 0.034 0.488 0.023 0.330
Energy wood from tree tops and residual forest wood 0.567 8.144 0.269 3.864 0.230 3.304
Energy wood Total ** 12.280 5.873 5.004
Ligneous biomass Total 3.956 56.824 1.764 25.338 1.666 23.930
* calculated for 40 % wood moisture, ** energy wood assortment plus 10 % of industrial wood, *** trunk wood and 90 % of industrial wood, Source of amount values: Muchin et al, 2007
This amount for utilisation constitutes the biologically available, sustainably usable maximum limit. It can be achieved only if the available wood in the Land Bran-denburg was to be harvested at 100 %. However, under realistic conditions the theoretical annual amount for utilisation is limited by the following factors:
- Legal sanctions (e.g. preservation of environment and species, soil conservation, water conservation, etc.)
- Trafficability of the terrain (e.g. sites with ground water close to the surface)
- Small areas (too little incurred use due to isolated location)
- Lack of interest in commercial wood harvesting in small private forests on the part of forest owners
In order to take these factors into consideration, it is realistic to correct the said wood potential by the factor 0.7 (Muchin et al, 2007). This results in a corrected amount potential of trunk and industrial wood for material applications of 2.17 million tadm in 2006, 0.95 million tadm in 2016 and 0.92 million tadm in 2026.
6
From the energy wood assortment described above plus 10 % of industrial wood an energetic potential of
8.59 PJ is available for 2006, which will decrease to 3.50 PJ by 2026 (Table 3).
Table 3 Corrected Amount and Energy Potential of Forest Wood
2006 2016 2026
Amount
(million tadm) Energy*
(PJ) Amount
(million tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Amount (million
tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Wood for material applications Total ***
2.17 0.947 0.922
Energy wood Total
0.598 8.59 0.286 4.11 0.244 3.50
Ligneous biomass Total
2.77 1.23 1.17
* calculated for 40°% wood moisture
Table 4 Residual Wood Potential from Timber-Processing Industry, 2006
Wood Source Amounts 2006
(m³/a) Amounts 2006
(t/a) Energy (MWh)
Energy (PJ)
Bark from timber-processing industry 441,000 176,400 502,740 1.81
Production wood chips and sawdust 519,000 207,600
591,660 2.13
Other production waste 114,000 45,600 129,960 0.47
Total 429,600 4.41
Source of amount values: Bilke et al, 2006, calculation of energy content at 40 % moisture and 400 kg/m³ gross density
Residual Wood from the Timber-Processing Industry In addition to the energy potential of forest wood, the potential of residual wood from the timber-processing industry can be utilised. Table 4 shows that in 2006, a residual wood energy potential of approximately 4.41 PJ was available. If the structure of the timber-processing industry in Brandenburg remains stable in the medium term, this potential will remain roughly constant. Since at least part of the input of the timber-processing industry is imported, some part of waste has to be attributed to imports.
Waste Wood The energy potential of utilising waste wood cannot be calculated precisely, as there are no up-to-date and complete numbers regarding waste wood sources. According to Hagemann (2008), approximately 600.000 t of waste wood were burned in Brandenburg plants in 2004. However, only some 17 % of this wood comes from Brandenburg. On the basis of these numbers, the potential from Brandenburg waste wood amounts to approximately 100.000 t or, respectively, 1.55 PJ. In general, it can be assumed that at present all available waste wood already is being used in the existing biomass cogeneration plants or, respectively, in co-firing.
7
Agrarian Wood The aim of agrarian wood production is the exploita-tion of additional wood potential for energy or also material applications (wood chip production). Research results from the Hochschule für Nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (Murach et al., 2009) demonstrate that fast growing wood can be economi-cally superior to annual agricultural cultivation. This applies to nutrient-poor sites in Brandenburg, where the groundwater levels can be used only for trees with their deeper roots but not for agricultural crops. Here, willow and poplar can be expected to yield optimal growth in the lower ground affected by groundwater, whereas in very nutrient-poor, dry sites, robinias display greater growth than do poplar and willow. However, robinias too are dependent on good availability of water if they are to generate a yield of more than 8 t per year and hectare. According to estimates by Murach et al. (2008), fast growing trees are economically competitive or superior when com-pared to annual agricultural cultivation on at least 100,000 hectare of agricultural floor space. Thus, theoretically more than 1 million tadm ligneous biomass could be produced on about 10 % of the Land Bran-denburg's arable land. This calculated theoretical cultivation potential currently meets with reservation on part of farmers regarding the cultivation of fast growing trees. The reasons include the high investment costs for creating the plantations, connected with a high primary growth risk for the plants (robinia) or, respectively, cuttings (willow and poplar) in the event of prolonged drought, the lack of availability of harvesting machines, relatively long-term capital commitment as well as uncertain experience as regards potential yield.
Harvest, turnover, treatment and transport of the wood are just as decisive in rendering the cultivation of agrarian wood economically feasible as are the realised yields (Schulze et al, 2008). In light of the particular suitability of Brandenburg sites for the cultivation of agrarian wood compared to other federal states (Murach et al. 2009), the ecological advantages (NABU 2008) and the high energy and climate protection potential, the comprehensive evaluation of the agrarian wood option in Brandenburg is of great significance. Due to unforeseeable utilisation intentions on part of major energy providers such as Vattenfall Europe AG or RWE AG, the development of acreage for the cultivation of agrarian wood is hardly calculable at present. Based on a rough estimate, it is assumed that the current area under cultivation will increase at least tenfold to approximately 10,000 hectare and thus will yield a potential amount of 100,000 tadm or, respectively, an energy potential of about 1.4 PJ.
2.1.2 Agricultural Biomass Potential
Ultimately, it is a matter of the respective achievable revenue, whether the produced agrarian raw materials, apart from the farm's own needs (animal feed requirements, humus balance, proprietary biogas plant), are used as comestibles or animal feed, for material applications or for the generation of energy. Since market prices are subject to greater fluctuation, it is difficult to calculate agricultural biomass potential or to forecast developments.
In the context of the study "Bioenergie-Potenziale in Brandenburg" (Bioenergy Potential in Brandenburg) by the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (Piorr et al., 2010), it was assessed, which area theoretically is available for the production of renewable raw materials. The study assumed complete self-sufficiency for the population of Bran-denburg and Berlin.
6
From the energy wood assortment described above plus 10 % of industrial wood an energetic potential of
8.59 PJ is available for 2006, which will decrease to 3.50 PJ by 2026 (Table 3).
Table 3 Corrected Amount and Energy Potential of Forest Wood
2006 2016 2026
Amount
(million tadm) Energy*
(PJ) Amount
(million tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Amount (million
tadm) Energy*
(PJ)
Wood for material applications Total ***
2.17 0.947 0.922
Energy wood Total
0.598 8.59 0.286 4.11 0.244 3.50
Ligneous biomass Total
2.77 1.23 1.17
* calculated for 40°% wood moisture
Table 4 Residual Wood Potential from Timber-Processing Industry, 2006
Wood Source Amounts 2006
(m³/a) Amounts 2006
(t/a) Energy (MWh)
Energy (PJ)
Bark from timber-processing industry 441,000 176,400 502,740 1.81
Production wood chips and sawdust 519,000 207,600
591,660 2.13
Other production waste 114,000 45,600 129,960 0.47
Total 429,600 4.41
Source of amount values: Bilke et al, 2006, calculation of energy content at 40 % moisture and 400 kg/m³ gross density
Residual Wood from the Timber-Processing Industry In addition to the energy potential of forest wood, the potential of residual wood from the timber-processing industry can be utilised. Table 4 shows that in 2006, a residual wood energy potential of approximately 4.41 PJ was available. If the structure of the timber-processing industry in Brandenburg remains stable in the medium term, this potential will remain roughly constant. Since at least part of the input of the timber-processing industry is imported, some part of waste has to be attributed to imports.
Waste Wood The energy potential of utilising waste wood cannot be calculated precisely, as there are no up-to-date and complete numbers regarding waste wood sources. According to Hagemann (2008), approximately 600.000 t of waste wood were burned in Brandenburg plants in 2004. However, only some 17 % of this wood comes from Brandenburg. On the basis of these numbers, the potential from Brandenburg waste wood amounts to approximately 100.000 t or, respectively, 1.55 PJ. In general, it can be assumed that at present all available waste wood already is being used in the existing biomass cogeneration plants or, respectively, in co-firing.
7
Agrarian Wood The aim of agrarian wood production is the exploita-tion of additional wood potential for energy or also material applications (wood chip production). Research results from the Hochschule für Nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (Murach et al., 2009) demonstrate that fast growing wood can be economi-cally superior to annual agricultural cultivation. This applies to nutrient-poor sites in Brandenburg, where the groundwater levels can be used only for trees with their deeper roots but not for agricultural crops. Here, willow and poplar can be expected to yield optimal growth in the lower ground affected by groundwater, whereas in very nutrient-poor, dry sites, robinias display greater growth than do poplar and willow. However, robinias too are dependent on good availability of water if they are to generate a yield of more than 8 t per year and hectare. According to estimates by Murach et al. (2008), fast growing trees are economically competitive or superior when com-pared to annual agricultural cultivation on at least 100,000 hectare of agricultural floor space. Thus, theoretically more than 1 million tadm ligneous biomass could be produced on about 10 % of the Land Bran-denburg's arable land. This calculated theoretical cultivation potential currently meets with reservation on part of farmers regarding the cultivation of fast growing trees. The reasons include the high investment costs for creating the plantations, connected with a high primary growth risk for the plants (robinia) or, respectively, cuttings (willow and poplar) in the event of prolonged drought, the lack of availability of harvesting machines, relatively long-term capital commitment as well as uncertain experience as regards potential yield.
Harvest, turnover, treatment and transport of the wood are just as decisive in rendering the cultivation of agrarian wood economically feasible as are the realised yields (Schulze et al, 2008). In light of the particular suitability of Brandenburg sites for the cultivation of agrarian wood compared to other federal states (Murach et al. 2009), the ecological advantages (NABU 2008) and the high energy and climate protection potential, the comprehensive evaluation of the agrarian wood option in Brandenburg is of great significance. Due to unforeseeable utilisation intentions on part of major energy providers such as Vattenfall Europe AG or RWE AG, the development of acreage for the cultivation of agrarian wood is hardly calculable at present. Based on a rough estimate, it is assumed that the current area under cultivation will increase at least tenfold to approximately 10,000 hectare and thus will yield a potential amount of 100,000 tadm or, respectively, an energy potential of about 1.4 PJ.
2.1.2 Agricultural Biomass Potential
Ultimately, it is a matter of the respective achievable revenue, whether the produced agrarian raw materials, apart from the farm's own needs (animal feed requirements, humus balance, proprietary biogas plant), are used as comestibles or animal feed, for material applications or for the generation of energy. Since market prices are subject to greater fluctuation, it is difficult to calculate agricultural biomass potential or to forecast developments.
In the context of the study "Bioenergie-Potenziale in Brandenburg" (Bioenergy Potential in Brandenburg) by the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (Piorr et al., 2010), it was assessed, which area theoretically is available for the production of renewable raw materials. The study assumed complete self-sufficiency for the population of Bran-denburg and Berlin.
8
Furthermore, key production aspects for the various crops in Germany were taken into consideration. The demand for comestible goods and animal feed as well as for seeds was analysed for the following crops featuring a potential suitability for biomass production: Wheat, rye, barley, triticale, maize, sugar beets and rape. The acreage demand for the production of other crops was assumed to have remained the same as in the reference year 2007. Because of the land decommissioning obligation, the share of decommissioned and fallow land in 2007 still amounted to nearly 10 % of arable land.
After this obligation became obsolete in 2008, its share decreased to 4.6 % by 2009. It is assumed that the future fallow land share will be between 0 and 5 % of arable land. According to the result of this very conservative analysis of potential, approximately 300,000 ha of arable land is available in Brandenburg, given the assumption, that decommissioned land is used for biomass once it is cultivated again and approximately 3 % of decommissioned and fallow land remain. The biomass cultivation potential thus corresponds to nearly 30 % of the federal state's arable land (Table 5).
Table 5
Theoretical Utilisation of Brandenburg's Arable Land Assuming Self-Sufficiency of the Population of Brandenburg and Berlin (Reference Year 2007)
Area [% of arable land]
Area [ha]
Arable land Total 100 1,034,886
thereof decommissioned / fallow land
9.9 102,900
thereof cultivation of other crops *
15.1 155,956
Arable land 2007 minus decommissioned / fallow land and cultivation of other crops
75 776,030
Acreage requirement for satisfying the demand for comestibles and feeding stuff as well as seed pro-duction for self-supply **
Minimum Yield 811,431
Average Yield 52.6 544,230
Maximum Yield 440,029
Area in ha (Share of de-
commissioned / fallow land 5 %)
Area in ha (full utilisation of decommis-
sioned / fallow land)
Available remaining area for biomass production
Minimum Yield
0 0 (deficit of 35,401 ha)
15,756 67,499
Average Yield 22.4 231,800 282,957 334,114
Maximum Yield 32.5 336,001 387,158 438,315
* consistent with the actual scope of cultivation 2007 for leguminous plants, root crops excluding sugar beet, vegetables, garden plants, commercial plants excluding rape, and fodder excluding silage maize ** self-supply with corn, maize, sugar beet and rape Source: Piorr et al., 2010
In theory, these numbers are valid for those years with average yield. In drought years, the area theoretically available for biomass production decreases by some 16,000 ha to 67,500 ha, whereas in years with high
yield, some 388,000 ha to 440,000 ha can be used for the cultivation of renewable raw materials. In a second step, sustained crop rotation with balanced humus values was assumed; taking into
9
consideration the previously calculated demand for comestibles and feeding stuff, seeds and litter, the biomass potential of the acreage was then estimated. According to this calculation, 842,000 t corn, 123,000 t rapeseed and nearly 2 million t silage maize from
agricultural biomass production are available for alternative utilisation (reference year 2007). In the event of energy application, this could generate 14.5 PJ (Table 6).
Table 6
Biomass and Energy Potential of Renewable Raw Materials in Brandenburg Assuming Average Yields and a Drought Every Four Years
Raw Material Available
Amount of Raw Material [t FM/a]
Producible Amount of Energy Sources
Energy [PJ]
Bioethanol [t/a]
Corn 842,185 237,115 6.34
thereof rye 396,688 109,753 2.93
Biodiesel [t/a]
Winter rape 123,122 38,783 1.42
Biomethane [m³/a]
Silage maize 1.94 million 187 million * 6.73
Winter rye WCS ** 401,112** 34 million * 1.23**
Total 2,905,207 14.49
* gas yield according to KTBL, dough ripeness (178.4 m³/t FM biogas yield with 54 % methane) ** winter rye corn and winter rye WCS production compete with each other, therefore the rye WCS potential is not included in the total potential. *** gas yield according to KTBL (163.2 m³/t FM biogas yield with 52.3 % methane) Source for raw material amounts and energy source amounts bioethanol and biodiesel: Piorr et al., 2010 Livestock Manure The animal population in the Land Brandenburg has not significantly changed over the course of the past five years. On the basis of the numbers for 2008, indoor breeding of animals produces approximately 1.66 million t/a of dung and 6.5 million t/a of liquid manure. The complete fermentation of this livestock manure in biogas plants could produce 7.21 PJ. This is complemented by a potential of nearly 1 PJ from fermenting about 140,000 t/a dry chicken dung from keeping some 5.6 million laying hens and broilers. The development of processes for fermenting dry chicken dung is intensively pursued and first plants already are in operation. A further potential of about 180,000 t fresh manure equalling about 0.32 PJ can be gleaned from keeping some 20,200 horses. The numbers regarding available amounts of manure are subject to the condition that the future develop-ment of animal populations and therefore the amount of liquid manure produced is difficult to forecast due to price fluctuations in the milk and meat market.
Straw Potential The potential of straw for the entire federal state cannot be evaluated, since in Brandenburg straw amounts worthy of note for energy or material applica-tions are available at best only on a regional level. As the most important organic fertiliser, straw from corn plays an essential part in humus reproduction. In the period 2003 to 2008, after deducting the straw demand for litter and feeding stuff in keeping animals, an annual amount of about 1.7 million tonnes of straw were available across the federal state. This equals 136 kg humus-C/ha acreage. However, due to the weather significant annual variations can occur. In the same period, the average humus demand in the federal state amounted to 209 kg humus-C/ha acreage. This demand was satis-fied by livestock manure, straw from corn and rape and other harvest by-products and organic fertilisers.
8
Furthermore, key production aspects for the various crops in Germany were taken into consideration. The demand for comestible goods and animal feed as well as for seeds was analysed for the following crops featuring a potential suitability for biomass production: Wheat, rye, barley, triticale, maize, sugar beets and rape. The acreage demand for the production of other crops was assumed to have remained the same as in the reference year 2007. Because of the land decommissioning obligation, the share of decommissioned and fallow land in 2007 still amounted to nearly 10 % of arable land.
After this obligation became obsolete in 2008, its share decreased to 4.6 % by 2009. It is assumed that the future fallow land share will be between 0 and 5 % of arable land. According to the result of this very conservative analysis of potential, approximately 300,000 ha of arable land is available in Brandenburg, given the assumption, that decommissioned land is used for biomass once it is cultivated again and approximately 3 % of decommissioned and fallow land remain. The biomass cultivation potential thus corresponds to nearly 30 % of the federal state's arable land (Table 5).
Table 5
Theoretical Utilisation of Brandenburg's Arable Land Assuming Self-Sufficiency of the Population of Brandenburg and Berlin (Reference Year 2007)
Area [% of arable land]
Area [ha]
Arable land Total 100 1,034,886
thereof decommissioned / fallow land
9.9 102,900
thereof cultivation of other crops *
15.1 155,956
Arable land 2007 minus decommissioned / fallow land and cultivation of other crops
75 776,030
Acreage requirement for satisfying the demand for comestibles and feeding stuff as well as seed pro-duction for self-supply **
Minimum Yield 811,431
Average Yield 52.6 544,230
Maximum Yield 440,029
Area in ha (Share of de-
commissioned / fallow land 5 %)
Area in ha (full utilisation of decommis-
sioned / fallow land)
Available remaining area for biomass production
Minimum Yield
0 0 (deficit of 35,401 ha)
15,756 67,499
Average Yield 22.4 231,800 282,957 334,114
Maximum Yield 32.5 336,001 387,158 438,315
* consistent with the actual scope of cultivation 2007 for leguminous plants, root crops excluding sugar beet, vegetables, garden plants, commercial plants excluding rape, and fodder excluding silage maize ** self-supply with corn, maize, sugar beet and rape Source: Piorr et al., 2010
In theory, these numbers are valid for those years with average yield. In drought years, the area theoretically available for biomass production decreases by some 16,000 ha to 67,500 ha, whereas in years with high
yield, some 388,000 ha to 440,000 ha can be used for the cultivation of renewable raw materials. In a second step, sustained crop rotation with balanced humus values was assumed; taking into
9
consideration the previously calculated demand for comestibles and feeding stuff, seeds and litter, the biomass potential of the acreage was then estimated. According to this calculation, 842,000 t corn, 123,000 t rapeseed and nearly 2 million t silage maize from
agricultural biomass production are available for alternative utilisation (reference year 2007). In the event of energy application, this could generate 14.5 PJ (Table 6).
Table 6
Biomass and Energy Potential of Renewable Raw Materials in Brandenburg Assuming Average Yields and a Drought Every Four Years
Raw Material Available
Amount of Raw Material [t FM/a]
Producible Amount of Energy Sources
Energy [PJ]
Bioethanol [t/a]
Corn 842,185 237,115 6.34
thereof rye 396,688 109,753 2.93
Biodiesel [t/a]
Winter rape 123,122 38,783 1.42
Biomethane [m³/a]
Silage maize 1.94 million 187 million * 6.73
Winter rye WCS ** 401,112** 34 million * 1.23**
Total 2,905,207 14.49
* gas yield according to KTBL, dough ripeness (178.4 m³/t FM biogas yield with 54 % methane) ** winter rye corn and winter rye WCS production compete with each other, therefore the rye WCS potential is not included in the total potential. *** gas yield according to KTBL (163.2 m³/t FM biogas yield with 52.3 % methane) Source for raw material amounts and energy source amounts bioethanol and biodiesel: Piorr et al., 2010 Livestock Manure The animal population in the Land Brandenburg has not significantly changed over the course of the past five years. On the basis of the numbers for 2008, indoor breeding of animals produces approximately 1.66 million t/a of dung and 6.5 million t/a of liquid manure. The complete fermentation of this livestock manure in biogas plants could produce 7.21 PJ. This is complemented by a potential of nearly 1 PJ from fermenting about 140,000 t/a dry chicken dung from keeping some 5.6 million laying hens and broilers. The development of processes for fermenting dry chicken dung is intensively pursued and first plants already are in operation. A further potential of about 180,000 t fresh manure equalling about 0.32 PJ can be gleaned from keeping some 20,200 horses. The numbers regarding available amounts of manure are subject to the condition that the future develop-ment of animal populations and therefore the amount of liquid manure produced is difficult to forecast due to price fluctuations in the milk and meat market.
Straw Potential The potential of straw for the entire federal state cannot be evaluated, since in Brandenburg straw amounts worthy of note for energy or material applica-tions are available at best only on a regional level. As the most important organic fertiliser, straw from corn plays an essential part in humus reproduction. In the period 2003 to 2008, after deducting the straw demand for litter and feeding stuff in keeping animals, an annual amount of about 1.7 million tonnes of straw were available across the federal state. This equals 136 kg humus-C/ha acreage. However, due to the weather significant annual variations can occur. In the same period, the average humus demand in the federal state amounted to 209 kg humus-C/ha acreage. This demand was satis-fied by livestock manure, straw from corn and rape and other harvest by-products and organic fertilisers.
10
Before the feasible straw potential by extraction from the material cycle can be determined, one has to consider that there are huge regional variations in humus demand and straw availability and that changed boundary conditions will occur in the future. The humus demand will rise due to increased temperatures (climate change) and the ensuing higher degree of mineralisation of organic soil substance. Increased humus demand will also originate in the increased cultivation of silage maize for the growing number of biogas plants. During the forecasted rising number of dry years, as, for instance, in 2003, less straw will be available due to a drop in yield. In addi-tion, the humus effect of straw and other organic fertilisers as well as the growing of short stemmed varieties of corn and rape has been overestimated. Straw potential possibly available for non-agricultural utilisation therefore needs to be evaluated on a regional level taking into consideration all future changes in the boundary conditions and the criteria for the preservation of soil and sustainability. Otherwise the humus supply and fertility of Brandenburg soil could be in jeopardy (Zimmer, J. & R. Schade, 2009).
Grassland Potential In 2008, Brandenburg had 282,000 ha grassland. 56 % of this, that is, some 159,000 ha were ex- tensively used through agrarian support programmes. The planting on this acreage constitutes in part an unused biomass potential. The same applies to intensively used grassland, the yield of which is not entirely required for animal feed production. Calculations on the basis of current animal popula-tions reveal that 12 % of grassland are available for planting for material or energy applications. At an average yield this corresponds to approximately 200,000 t/a dry matter. The biomass from intensively used grassland can be fermented in biogas plants. This results in an energy potential of 1.44 PJ.
The energy potential from extensively used grassland is evaluated for thermal utilisation because of the lower quality and inferior fermentability (however, relevant processes are in their development phase). Approximately 1 PJ could be produced in this manner. The result thus is a total grassland potential of about 2.5 PJ (Table 7).
2.1.3 Organic Industrial and Municipal Waste
In evaluating potential deriving from waste and residual matter one has to consider that these materials usually are being used already and there-fore are not available for alternative utilisation or this could lead to undesired competitive situations. Municipal and Industrial Organic Waste The evaluation of organic waste by way of the organic waste bin is not a widespread activity in the Land Brandenburg, in part because of the mostly rural structure. In 2008, organic waste was separately evaluated via the organic waste bin in the administra-tive districts of Oder-Spree, Ostprignitz - Ruppin, Potsdam - Mittelmark, Uckermark and in the urban municipalities of Brandenburg an der Havel and Frankfurt (Oder). In these municipalities, 257,000 inhabitants were offered the use of separate organic waste collection. The waste accumulated to a total of 9,449 tonnes. This was augmented by 71,174 tonnes of compost-able waste from gardens and parks collected by the public waste disposal organisations across the entire federal state.
Table 7 Grassland Potential 2007 - Amounts and Energy
Grassland Total
ha 288,000
Cultivation without require-
ments
with require-
ments
ha 126,500 161,500
Grassland for biomass
ha 12 % (34,209 ha)
ha 18,295 15,914
Yield t DM/ha 7.5 4.0
Total yield t DM 137,209 63,654
Biogas yield m³/t DM 540
Heating value MJ/kg DM 16.8
Energy yield MWh 400,000
Energy potential PJ 1.44 1.07 Source: supplemented on the basis of Priebe, LELF, unpublished
11
In the Land Brandenburg, the collected organic waste is processed almost entirely to produce high-quality, marketable compost. In 2008, the public waste disposal authorities produced 79,499 tonnes com-posted organic waste, this equals a share of 98.6 % (MUGV, 2009). Added to this are the organic waste amounts on part of commercial producers. In total, the production capacity for composting in the federal state amounts to about 1.4 million tonnes per year. The state's ten largest composting facilities alone, with at least 20,000 t annual capacity each, have a joint capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year. An energy utilisation, particularly of separately collected organic waste, by a fermentation stage within the composting facility can be an expedient alternative to mere com-posting in these larger facilities. The energy applica-tion of the produced biogas can yield energy far surpassing own requirements (BMU, 2009). In 2006, the energy potential from the comestible goods and luxury food industry in Brandenburg was estimated at 0.42 PJ. The major share is constituted by residual waste from dairies and the production of beer and fruit juices (FNR, 2006). Mash from the Biofuel Industry and Alcohol Production Grain mash is the organic residual waste from fermenting corn and originates in the production of bioethanol and in agricultural distilleries. Only small amounts can be marketed as animal feed, therefore it is available for energy applications. At full capacity utilisation of 200,000 t per year, the bioethanol plant in Schwedt produces more than 2 million t of mash, which since the middle of 2010 is fermented in the largest biogas plant in Germany. The ensuing gas is refined and fed into the natural gas distribution system. The energy potential of the rye mash from the bioethanol plant in Schwedt amounts to nearly 2 PJ. At full capacity utilisation, the agricultural distilleries in Brandenburg produce another 0.125 million t mash (0.1 PJ), provided that marketing opportunities can be found for the alcohol after the Monopoly Administra-tion for Spirits is phased out. Fermentation Waste from Biogas Plants The fermentation waste originating in the fermentation of biomass in biogas plants can be used in energy (combustion, gasification) or even material applica-tions (construction and insulating material). Like straw, however, fermentation waste plays a significant role in maintaining regional material cycles and are indispen-
sable for the carbon cycle of soils. Fermentation waste ought to or, rather, must be used in energy and material applications only, if the biomass processed in the biogas plant was produced supraregionally and transporting the fermentation waste to be distributed on the fields of origin is ecologically unsound. There-fore, the energy potential of fermentation waste is not included in the calculation.
Paper Industry In all four Brandenburg paper mill sites (2x Schwedt, Spremberg and Eisenhüttenstadt), the energy utilisa-tion of paper sludge originating as a waste product in production is planned for already implemented. The residual matter often is burned together with alterna-tive fuels in state-of-the-art cogeneration plants. The resulting energy, in particular the process steam, is used by way of self-supply in the plants. There is no further, additionally useable potential available from paper sludge. Sewage Gas / Sewage Sludge When operated on an anaerobic basis, sewage purification plants can produce sewage gas. Like biogas, the sewage gas produced in the digesters is composed of methane, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases. Depending on the methane content, it is burned to produce power and heat and usually is used for process energy in sewage treatment.
In Brandenburg, biological sewage purification mostly uses aerobic processes. Given favourable contingent conditions, anaerobic operation to produce sewage gas can be economically feasible in plants as of about 20,000 population equivalent. However, it requires fundamental changes to and investment in the existing plant technology. The Land Brandenburg features 30 sewage plants of this size, treating the sewage of a total of 1 million inhabitants as well as commercial sewage.
10
Before the feasible straw potential by extraction from the material cycle can be determined, one has to consider that there are huge regional variations in humus demand and straw availability and that changed boundary conditions will occur in the future. The humus demand will rise due to increased temperatures (climate change) and the ensuing higher degree of mineralisation of organic soil substance. Increased humus demand will also originate in the increased cultivation of silage maize for the growing number of biogas plants. During the forecasted rising number of dry years, as, for instance, in 2003, less straw will be available due to a drop in yield. In addi-tion, the humus effect of straw and other organic fertilisers as well as the growing of short stemmed varieties of corn and rape has been overestimated. Straw potential possibly available for non-agricultural utilisation therefore needs to be evaluated on a regional level taking into consideration all future changes in the boundary conditions and the criteria for the preservation of soil and sustainability. Otherwise the humus supply and fertility of Brandenburg soil could be in jeopardy (Zimmer, J. & R. Schade, 2009).
Grassland Potential In 2008, Brandenburg had 282,000 ha grassland. 56 % of this, that is, some 159,000 ha were ex- tensively used through agrarian support programmes. The planting on this acreage constitutes in part an unused biomass potential. The same applies to intensively used grassland, the yield of which is not entirely required for animal feed production. Calculations on the basis of current animal popula-tions reveal that 12 % of grassland are available for planting for material or energy applications. At an average yield this corresponds to approximately 200,000 t/a dry matter. The biomass from intensively used grassland can be fermented in biogas plants. This results in an energy potential of 1.44 PJ.
The energy potential from extensively used grassland is evaluated for thermal utilisation because of the lower quality and inferior fermentability (however, relevant processes are in their development phase). Approximately 1 PJ could be produced in this manner. The result thus is a total grassland potential of about 2.5 PJ (Table 7).
2.1.3 Organic Industrial and Municipal Waste
In evaluating potential deriving from waste and residual matter one has to consider that these materials usually are being used already and there-fore are not available for alternative utilisation or this could lead to undesired competitive situations. Municipal and Industrial Organic Waste The evaluation of organic waste by way of the organic waste bin is not a widespread activity in the Land Brandenburg, in part because of the mostly rural structure. In 2008, organic waste was separately evaluated via the organic waste bin in the administra-tive districts of Oder-Spree, Ostprignitz - Ruppin, Potsdam - Mittelmark, Uckermark and in the urban municipalities of Brandenburg an der Havel and Frankfurt (Oder). In these municipalities, 257,000 inhabitants were offered the use of separate organic waste collection. The waste accumulated to a total of 9,449 tonnes. This was augmented by 71,174 tonnes of compost-able waste from gardens and parks collected by the public waste disposal organisations across the entire federal state.
Table 7 Grassland Potential 2007 - Amounts and Energy
Grassland Total
ha 288,000
Cultivation without require-
ments
with require-
ments
ha 126,500 161,500
Grassland for biomass
ha 12 % (34,209 ha)
ha 18,295 15,914
Yield t DM/ha 7.5 4.0
Total yield t DM 137,209 63,654
Biogas yield m³/t DM 540
Heating value MJ/kg DM 16.8
Energy yield MWh 400,000
Energy potential PJ 1.44 1.07 Source: supplemented on the basis of Priebe, LELF, unpublished
11
In the Land Brandenburg, the collected organic waste is processed almost entirely to produce high-quality, marketable compost. In 2008, the public waste disposal authorities produced 79,499 tonnes com-posted organic waste, this equals a share of 98.6 % (MUGV, 2009). Added to this are the organic waste amounts on part of commercial producers. In total, the production capacity for composting in the federal state amounts to about 1.4 million tonnes per year. The state's ten largest composting facilities alone, with at least 20,000 t annual capacity each, have a joint capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year. An energy utilisation, particularly of separately collected organic waste, by a fermentation stage within the composting facility can be an expedient alternative to mere com-posting in these larger facilities. The energy applica-tion of the produced biogas can yield energy far surpassing own requirements (BMU, 2009). In 2006, the energy potential from the comestible goods and luxury food industry in Brandenburg was estimated at 0.42 PJ. The major share is constituted by residual waste from dairies and the production of beer and fruit juices (FNR, 2006). Mash from the Biofuel Industry and Alcohol Production Grain mash is the organic residual waste from fermenting corn and originates in the production of bioethanol and in agricultural distilleries. Only small amounts can be marketed as animal feed, therefore it is available for energy applications. At full capacity utilisation of 200,000 t per year, the bioethanol plant in Schwedt produces more than 2 million t of mash, which since the middle of 2010 is fermented in the largest biogas plant in Germany. The ensuing gas is refined and fed into the natural gas distribution system. The energy potential of the rye mash from the bioethanol plant in Schwedt amounts to nearly 2 PJ. At full capacity utilisation, the agricultural distilleries in Brandenburg produce another 0.125 million t mash (0.1 PJ), provided that marketing opportunities can be found for the alcohol after the Monopoly Administra-tion for Spirits is phased out. Fermentation Waste from Biogas Plants The fermentation waste originating in the fermentation of biomass in biogas plants can be used in energy (combustion, gasification) or even material applica-tions (construction and insulating material). Like straw, however, fermentation waste plays a significant role in maintaining regional material cycles and are indispen-
sable for the carbon cycle of soils. Fermentation waste ought to or, rather, must be used in energy and material applications only, if the biomass processed in the biogas plant was produced supraregionally and transporting the fermentation waste to be distributed on the fields of origin is ecologically unsound. There-fore, the energy potential of fermentation waste is not included in the calculation.
Paper Industry In all four Brandenburg paper mill sites (2x Schwedt, Spremberg and Eisenhüttenstadt), the energy utilisa-tion of paper sludge originating as a waste product in production is planned for already implemented. The residual matter often is burned together with alterna-tive fuels in state-of-the-art cogeneration plants. The resulting energy, in particular the process steam, is used by way of self-supply in the plants. There is no further, additionally useable potential available from paper sludge. Sewage Gas / Sewage Sludge When operated on an anaerobic basis, sewage purification plants can produce sewage gas. Like biogas, the sewage gas produced in the digesters is composed of methane, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases. Depending on the methane content, it is burned to produce power and heat and usually is used for process energy in sewage treatment.
In Brandenburg, biological sewage purification mostly uses aerobic processes. Given favourable contingent conditions, anaerobic operation to produce sewage gas can be economically feasible in plants as of about 20,000 population equivalent. However, it requires fundamental changes to and investment in the existing plant technology. The Land Brandenburg features 30 sewage plants of this size, treating the sewage of a total of 1 million inhabitants as well as commercial sewage.
12
Plants purifying Berlin sewage are not contained in this calculation. Whether this potential really can be used under aspect of economic efficiency has to be individually evaluated case by case. The energy potential of sewage gas derives from the number of inhabitants and enterprises connected to larger treatment facilities. Sewage gas provides a specific energy potential of 60 kWh per inhabitant and year. At currently 1.5 million inhabitants or, respectively, population equivalent, the energy poten-tial thus amounts to about 0.22 PJ. The federal state government currently deems investments in water distribution and sewage disposal infrastructure as more urgent than refurnishing exist-ing sewage plants to produce sewage gas. On grounds of services to the public, this precedence will remain in effect also in the future. Nonetheless, a study is planned to produce more detailed insights into the energy efficiency of municipal sewage plants. Each year, about 90,000 t dry matter sewage sludge accrue. At present, the sewage sludge is mostly dis-posed of in thermal applications, that is, by co- combustion in power plants. A small part is used as fertiliser in agriculture and landscape management (Fig. 1). In future, sewage sludge ought to be further refined and used in material applications, for instance, as phosphorous fertiliser (Magnesium-Ammonium-Phosphate MAP).
Fig. 1 Sewage Sludge Treatment 2008 in t/a DM
Data source: Amt für Statistik Brandenburg (Brandenburg Statis-tics Office)
Landscape Management Material In the Germany-wide studies at hand, landscape management material summarises organic waste from
maintaining public green space (parks, sports grounds, cemeteries, roadside maintenance) on the one hand, and material accruing from general land-scape management (former agricultural spaces main-tained for reasons of landscape and nature conservation). The potential from maintaining public green spaces already is contained in the "Municipal Organic Waste" and the growth on nature conservation areas is contained in the "Grassland Potential". Further potential from landscape management material derives, for example, in maintaining planting around water bodies and on waysides. In Branden-burg, the rows of (hybrid) poplars alongside water bodies and agricultural paths are particularly note-worthy. This potential can easily be used locally (land-scape management wood for combustion). In addition, the energy potential of reed requires evaluation, and its utilisation is currently under research. As yet, no further significant potential for the produc-tion of energy in total can be expected from landscape management. According to a study by the Land Bran-denburg State Office for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, the potential from landscape management material amounts to about 30,000 t fresh matter with an energy potential of 0.2 PJ (Landesumweltamt 2001).
2.1.4 Biomass Potential - Summary
Biomass for energy and material utilisation is available from forestry and agriculture as well as from industrial and municipal waste.
In accordance with the targeted utilisation cascade "material utilisation precedes energy utilisation", biomass from forestry is in major part to be used in the timber-processing industry. If the entire amount of trunk wood and 90 % of industrial wood is recycled to material applications, 2.17 million tadm currently (2006) are available in this context (Table 8). The potential from inferior quality energy wood assortments (thinning, tree tops and residual forest wood) and from 10 % of industrial wood amounted to 0.6 million tadm or 8.6 PJ in 2006. Due to the variation in age classification of the Bran-denburg forests, the harvestable amount of wood both for material and energy applications will significantly decrease over the next few decades. In 2026, only less than 1 million tadm of high-quality assortments will be available. In the case of energy wood, the potential decreases from 8.6 PJ in 2006 to 3.5 PJ in 2026 (Fig. 2).
13
This will have a dramatic effect on raw material supply both for the federal state's timber-processing industry and for users of wood for energy, who in future will have to rely increasingly on imports. The waste wood potential from the timber-processing industry is dependant on the development of that branch of industry. Provided no major restructuring takes place, i.e. closure of processing plants, new facilities or changes in the processing capacity, the potential amounts to about 430,000 t or about 4.4 PJ. This biomass also can come from imports. The energy potential of the waste wood recycled across the federal state was estimated at about 1.5 PJ, given an amount of 100,000 t. The entire amount of waste wood currently is used in biomass power plants or in co-firing. If the cultivated land for short rotational crops was increased to 10,000 ha with an average yield of about 1 tadm, about 100,000 t wood chips or 1.4 PJ could be generated until 2020.
Table 8 Ligneous Biomass and Energy Plant Potential
Trunk wood and Industrial wood 2006 2,170,000 t
Energy wood assortments 2006 598,000 t
Trunk wood and Industrial wood 2016 947,000 t
Energy wood assortments 2016 286,000 t
Residual wood 429,600 t
Waste wood 100,000 t
Agrarian wood on short rotational plantations 2020 100,000 t
Corn 842,185 t
Rapeseed 123,122 t
Silage maize 1,940,000 t
Grassland 201,000 t
An average of about 9 million tonnes fresh matter per year or 14.5 PJ energy can be generated from culti-vating energy crops on arable land in Brandenburg, taking drought years into consideration. Grassland expanses make available 200,000 t dry matter or 2.5 PJ. The potential from livestock manure from keeping animals totals 8.6 PJ and is composed of 1.66 million t dung, 6.5 million t liquid manure, 140,000 t dry chicken manure and 180,000 t fresh horse dung.
At about 2.7 PJ, the potential from municipal and commercial waste in the Land Brandenburg does not contribute considerably to the production of bioenergy. The greatest potential is the utilisation of sludge from the biofuels industry at the site Schwedt. This potential amounting to 2 million t or nearly 2 PJ is to be fully exploited over the course of the next few years. The energy utilisation of sewage gas is of interest on a regional level but of lesser significance on a federal state level. At 0.4 PJ, the potential from the comestible goods and luxury food industry like-wise is comparatively low. It has to be noted that relocation or shut-down of industry facilities can result in decisive changes in these numbers at any time. In total, the residual matter potential does not amount to the scale featured by other federal states due to the comparatively low number of industrial enterprises and the lower population figures.
Fig. 2 Bioenergy Potential in Brandenburg [in PJ]
In summary, Brandenburg currently features an avail-able energy biomass potential of about 44 PJ, which will decrease to about 40 PJ by 2016. Even if the existing potential was to be fully exploited, the target of 49 PJ primary energy consumption from bioenergy from domestic sources alone by 2020 cannot be achieved. The decrease of biomass potential from forest wood, however, can be compensated at least in part by the increased exploitation of the agricultural biomass and residual matter potential. In this field, considerable reserves can be exploited on regional level. In detail, this applies to biogenic residual matter and hitherto unused potential from grassland, livestock manure and, at regionally balanced humus values, also to straw. In principle, one has to consider that none of the high-ly volatile import and export flows can be represented in any of the estimates of potential.
12
Plants purifying Berlin sewage are not contained in this calculation. Whether this potential really can be used under aspect of economic efficiency has to be individually evaluated case by case. The energy potential of sewage gas derives from the number of inhabitants and enterprises connected to larger treatment facilities. Sewage gas provides a specific energy potential of 60 kWh per inhabitant and year. At currently 1.5 million inhabitants or, respectively, population equivalent, the energy poten-tial thus amounts to about 0.22 PJ. The federal state government currently deems investments in water distribution and sewage disposal infrastructure as more urgent than refurnishing exist-ing sewage plants to produce sewage gas. On grounds of services to the public, this precedence will remain in effect also in the future. Nonetheless, a study is planned to produce more detailed insights into the energy efficiency of municipal sewage plants. Each year, about 90,000 t dry matter sewage sludge accrue. At present, the sewage sludge is mostly dis-posed of in thermal applications, that is, by co- combustion in power plants. A small part is used as fertiliser in agriculture and landscape management (Fig. 1). In future, sewage sludge ought to be further refined and used in material applications, for instance, as phosphorous fertiliser (Magnesium-Ammonium-Phosphate MAP).
Fig. 1 Sewage Sludge Treatment 2008 in t/a DM
Data source: Amt für Statistik Brandenburg (Brandenburg Statis-tics Office)
Landscape Management Material In the Germany-wide studies at hand, landscape management material summarises organic waste from
maintaining public green space (parks, sports grounds, cemeteries, roadside maintenance) on the one hand, and material accruing from general land-scape management (former agricultural spaces main-tained for reasons of landscape and nature conservation). The potential from maintaining public green spaces already is contained in the "Municipal Organic Waste" and the growth on nature conservation areas is contained in the "Grassland Potential". Further potential from landscape management material derives, for example, in maintaining planting around water bodies and on waysides. In Branden-burg, the rows of (hybrid) poplars alongside water bodies and agricultural paths are particularly note-worthy. This potential can easily be used locally (land-scape management wood for combustion). In addition, the energy potential of reed requires evaluation, and its utilisation is currently under research. As yet, no further significant potential for the produc-tion of energy in total can be expected from landscape management. According to a study by the Land Bran-denburg State Office for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, the potential from landscape management material amounts to about 30,000 t fresh matter with an energy potential of 0.2 PJ (Landesumweltamt 2001).
2.1.4 Biomass Potential - Summary
Biomass for energy and material utilisation is available from forestry and agriculture as well as from industrial and municipal waste.
In accordance with the targeted utilisation cascade "material utilisation precedes energy utilisation", biomass from forestry is in major part to be used in the timber-processing industry. If the entire amount of trunk wood and 90 % of industrial wood is recycled to material applications, 2.17 million tadm currently (2006) are available in this context (Table 8). The potential from inferior quality energy wood assortments (thinning, tree tops and residual forest wood) and from 10 % of industrial wood amounted to 0.6 million tadm or 8.6 PJ in 2006. Due to the variation in age classification of the Bran-denburg forests, the harvestable amount of wood both for material and energy applications will significantly decrease over the next few decades. In 2026, only less than 1 million tadm of high-quality assortments will be available. In the case of energy wood, the potential decreases from 8.6 PJ in 2006 to 3.5 PJ in 2026 (Fig. 2).
13
This will have a dramatic effect on raw material supply both for the federal state's timber-processing industry and for users of wood for energy, who in future will have to rely increasingly on imports. The waste wood potential from the timber-processing industry is dependant on the development of that branch of industry. Provided no major restructuring takes place, i.e. closure of processing plants, new facilities or changes in the processing capacity, the potential amounts to about 430,000 t or about 4.4 PJ. This biomass also can come from imports. The energy potential of the waste wood recycled across the federal state was estimated at about 1.5 PJ, given an amount of 100,000 t. The entire amount of waste wood currently is used in biomass power plants or in co-firing. If the cultivated land for short rotational crops was increased to 10,000 ha with an average yield of about 1 tadm, about 100,000 t wood chips or 1.4 PJ could be generated until 2020.
Table 8 Ligneous Biomass and Energy Plant Potential
Trunk wood and Industrial wood 2006 2,170,000 t
Energy wood assortments 2006 598,000 t
Trunk wood and Industrial wood 2016 947,000 t
Energy wood assortments 2016 286,000 t
Residual wood 429,600 t
Waste wood 100,000 t
Agrarian wood on short rotational plantations 2020 100,000 t
Corn 842,185 t
Rapeseed 123,122 t
Silage maize 1,940,000 t
Grassland 201,000 t
An average of about 9 million tonnes fresh matter per year or 14.5 PJ energy can be generated from culti-vating energy crops on arable land in Brandenburg, taking drought years into consideration. Grassland expanses make available 200,000 t dry matter or 2.5 PJ. The potential from livestock manure from keeping animals totals 8.6 PJ and is composed of 1.66 million t dung, 6.5 million t liquid manure, 140,000 t dry chicken manure and 180,000 t fresh horse dung.
At about 2.7 PJ, the potential from municipal and commercial waste in the Land Brandenburg does not contribute considerably to the production of bioenergy. The greatest potential is the utilisation of sludge from the biofuels industry at the site Schwedt. This potential amounting to 2 million t or nearly 2 PJ is to be fully exploited over the course of the next few years. The energy utilisation of sewage gas is of interest on a regional level but of lesser significance on a federal state level. At 0.4 PJ, the potential from the comestible goods and luxury food industry like-wise is comparatively low. It has to be noted that relocation or shut-down of industry facilities can result in decisive changes in these numbers at any time. In total, the residual matter potential does not amount to the scale featured by other federal states due to the comparatively low number of industrial enterprises and the lower population figures.
Fig. 2 Bioenergy Potential in Brandenburg [in PJ]
In summary, Brandenburg currently features an avail-able energy biomass potential of about 44 PJ, which will decrease to about 40 PJ by 2016. Even if the existing potential was to be fully exploited, the target of 49 PJ primary energy consumption from bioenergy from domestic sources alone by 2020 cannot be achieved. The decrease of biomass potential from forest wood, however, can be compensated at least in part by the increased exploitation of the agricultural biomass and residual matter potential. In this field, considerable reserves can be exploited on regional level. In detail, this applies to biogenic residual matter and hitherto unused potential from grassland, livestock manure and, at regionally balanced humus values, also to straw. In principle, one has to consider that none of the high-ly volatile import and export flows can be represented in any of the estimates of potential.
14
However, the import of biomass plays a significant part in supplying the existing biomass facilities already today and will intensify further through the politically desired increased supply of biomass for material applications.
2.2 Statutory Regulations
The production and utilisation of biomass is subject to a number of statutory regulations. In the following paragraphs, the most important of these are presen-ted. EU Renewable Energy Directive With the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EG) from 23 April 2009, the European Parliament for the first time introduced an overall settlement for all fields of renewable energies (power, heating/cooling and transport). With this directive, the EU provides its member states with central targets for the further development of energy production and gross final energy consump-tion. By 2020, 20 % of gross final energy consumption and 10 % of energy consumption in the transportation sector across the EU are to derive from renewable sources. Germany is allotted a national target of 18 % of gross final energy consumption. The directive also regulates sustainability criteria for the production of biomass for energy applications; initially only for biofuels and liquid biofuels. The member states are required to have transposed the directive into national law by 5 December 2010. The currently still effective Electricity Directive 2001/77/EG and the Biofuel Directive 2003/30/EG will be nullified by 1 January 2012. For the implementation of the EU Directive 2009/28/EG, Germany passed the Biomass Electricity Sustainability and the Biofuels Sustainability Ordinance.
EU Biofuels Directive The EU Biofuels Directive (2003/30/EG) from 8 May 2003 provides standard values for the amount of renewable fuels to substitute conventional fuels in transportation. Germany was allotted 5.75 % energy total share of renewable fuels in total fuel consump-tion by 2010. The directive will be nullified by the effective date 1 January 2012. Biomass Electricity Sustainability Ordinance (BioSt-NachV) Biofuel Sustainability Ordinance (Biokraft-NachV) In August 2009, the Biomass Electricity Sustainability Ordinance (BioSt-NachV) for electricity from liquid biomass came into effect. The Biofuel Sustainability Ordinance (Biokraft-NachV) was passed in September 2009. It applies to liquid bioenergy sources serving to achieve the biofuels targets or those which are eligible for tax incentives. As of 1 January 2011, both ordinances ensure that in Germany only those biomass applications fulfilling set sustainability standards receive funding through the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), are included in the target or receive tax incentives. The sustained production of biomass and the achievement of a minimum value of greenhouse gas reduction potential of the bioenergy source has to be verified by certification. Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) The EEG became effective on 1 April 2000 and regulates the preferential acceptance of and remuneration for electricity from renewable energy sources through the network provider. With its statutory electricity feed-in remuneration, it is the ba-sis for the funding of the production of renewable elec-tricity and thus also of power from biomass in Germa-ny. As regards biomass, the currently effective version from 25 October 2008 was last amended by the German Growth Acceleration Act (Wachstums-beschleunigungsgesetz). Biomass Ordinance (BiomasseV) The Biomass Ordinance from 21 June 2001, last amended in August 2005, regulates, within the scope of the Renewable Energy Sources Act, which matter is regarded as biomass, which technical processes for producing electricity from biomass fall under the scope of the Act and which environmental standards have to be adhered to in producing electricity from biomass.
15
Gas Network Access Ordinance (GasNZV) Gas Network Tariffs Ordinance (GasNEV) Two implementation ordinances for the Energy Management Act (Energiewirtschaftsgesetz) apply to the feed-in of refined biogas into the natural gas network: The Gas Network Access Ordinance and the Gas Network Tariffs Ordinance. Both ordinances were passed in July 2005 and last amended in the middle of 2010. The Gas Network Access Ordinance regulates the network connection of biogas producers as well as the network access for the transport of biogas. It further-more determines the distribution of costs for the network connection between the supplier and the network operator. Amongst other things, the Gas Network Tariffs Ordinance regulates the specification of the method for determining the gas network tariffs. According to the ordinance, biogas transport customers receive a flat rate of 0.007 Euro per kWh fed-in biogas for avoided network costs from the network operator into whose network they directly feed the biogas. Act on the Promotion of Renewable Energies in the Heat Sector (EEWärmeG) The Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG), effective since 1 January 2009, constitutes the first instrument for promoting the use of renewable energy in the heat sector. Particularly aimed at climate protection, the purpose of this act is to protect fossil resources and to reduce the dependence on energy imports, to enable sustainable energy supply development and to promote the further development of technologies for the production of heat from renewable sources. It obligates owners of new buildings to use renewable energy sources, which in the case of biomass, has to amount to 50 %. The share of renewable energies in the heating/cooling of buildings is to be increased to 14 % by 2020. Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) The Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) became effective on 22 March 1974. Amongst other things, it contains regulations as regards the composi-tion of fuels and lubricants as well as an authorisation to adopt regulations regarding the requirements for the protection from the harmful environmental impact caused by air pollutants. On the basis of the German Biofuels Quota Act (Biokraftstoffquotengesetz) and the Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act (Gesetz zur Änderung der Förderung von Biokraftstoffen),
minimum thresholds and minimum standards for the admixture of biofuels were included in the BImSchG. Ordinance on Small Combustion Facilities (Klein-feuerungsanlagenverordnung: 1. BImSchV) The Ordinance on Small Combustion Facilities (1. BlmSchV) regulates the erection, configuration and operations of combustion facilities larger than 4 kW, which do not require a permission according to § 4 of the Federal Immission Control Act (Small Combustion Facilities). It became effective on 22 March 2010 and, amongst other things, regulates which material is allowed to be burned in small combustion facilities. Of further great significance for the thermal utilisation of solid biofuels are the extension of the requirement for inspection and the determination of limit values for particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions from single-room combustion plants.
Ordinance on Fuel Quality (Kraftstoffqualitätsver-ordnung: 10. BImSchV) The Ordinance on the Composition and Labelling of Qualities of Fuels (10. BImSchV) from 13 December 1993 regulates the quality demands on fuels in Germany. In its amendment from 27 January 2009, the admixing limit for biodiesel in diesel fuel in particular was raised from 5 to 7 Vol%. Furthermore, the standards for vegetable oil and bioethanol fuel (E 85) and, for the first time, standards for natural and biogas applica-tions as fuels were adopted into the Fuel Quality Ordinance.
14
However, the import of biomass plays a significant part in supplying the existing biomass facilities already today and will intensify further through the politically desired increased supply of biomass for material applications.
2.2 Statutory Regulations
The production and utilisation of biomass is subject to a number of statutory regulations. In the following paragraphs, the most important of these are presen-ted. EU Renewable Energy Directive With the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EG) from 23 April 2009, the European Parliament for the first time introduced an overall settlement for all fields of renewable energies (power, heating/cooling and transport). With this directive, the EU provides its member states with central targets for the further development of energy production and gross final energy consump-tion. By 2020, 20 % of gross final energy consumption and 10 % of energy consumption in the transportation sector across the EU are to derive from renewable sources. Germany is allotted a national target of 18 % of gross final energy consumption. The directive also regulates sustainability criteria for the production of biomass for energy applications; initially only for biofuels and liquid biofuels. The member states are required to have transposed the directive into national law by 5 December 2010. The currently still effective Electricity Directive 2001/77/EG and the Biofuel Directive 2003/30/EG will be nullified by 1 January 2012. For the implementation of the EU Directive 2009/28/EG, Germany passed the Biomass Electricity Sustainability and the Biofuels Sustainability Ordinance.
EU Biofuels Directive The EU Biofuels Directive (2003/30/EG) from 8 May 2003 provides standard values for the amount of renewable fuels to substitute conventional fuels in transportation. Germany was allotted 5.75 % energy total share of renewable fuels in total fuel consump-tion by 2010. The directive will be nullified by the effective date 1 January 2012. Biomass Electricity Sustainability Ordinance (BioSt-NachV) Biofuel Sustainability Ordinance (Biokraft-NachV) In August 2009, the Biomass Electricity Sustainability Ordinance (BioSt-NachV) for electricity from liquid biomass came into effect. The Biofuel Sustainability Ordinance (Biokraft-NachV) was passed in September 2009. It applies to liquid bioenergy sources serving to achieve the biofuels targets or those which are eligible for tax incentives. As of 1 January 2011, both ordinances ensure that in Germany only those biomass applications fulfilling set sustainability standards receive funding through the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), are included in the target or receive tax incentives. The sustained production of biomass and the achievement of a minimum value of greenhouse gas reduction potential of the bioenergy source has to be verified by certification. Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) The EEG became effective on 1 April 2000 and regulates the preferential acceptance of and remuneration for electricity from renewable energy sources through the network provider. With its statutory electricity feed-in remuneration, it is the ba-sis for the funding of the production of renewable elec-tricity and thus also of power from biomass in Germa-ny. As regards biomass, the currently effective version from 25 October 2008 was last amended by the German Growth Acceleration Act (Wachstums-beschleunigungsgesetz). Biomass Ordinance (BiomasseV) The Biomass Ordinance from 21 June 2001, last amended in August 2005, regulates, within the scope of the Renewable Energy Sources Act, which matter is regarded as biomass, which technical processes for producing electricity from biomass fall under the scope of the Act and which environmental standards have to be adhered to in producing electricity from biomass.
15
Gas Network Access Ordinance (GasNZV) Gas Network Tariffs Ordinance (GasNEV) Two implementation ordinances for the Energy Management Act (Energiewirtschaftsgesetz) apply to the feed-in of refined biogas into the natural gas network: The Gas Network Access Ordinance and the Gas Network Tariffs Ordinance. Both ordinances were passed in July 2005 and last amended in the middle of 2010. The Gas Network Access Ordinance regulates the network connection of biogas producers as well as the network access for the transport of biogas. It further-more determines the distribution of costs for the network connection between the supplier and the network operator. Amongst other things, the Gas Network Tariffs Ordinance regulates the specification of the method for determining the gas network tariffs. According to the ordinance, biogas transport customers receive a flat rate of 0.007 Euro per kWh fed-in biogas for avoided network costs from the network operator into whose network they directly feed the biogas. Act on the Promotion of Renewable Energies in the Heat Sector (EEWärmeG) The Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG), effective since 1 January 2009, constitutes the first instrument for promoting the use of renewable energy in the heat sector. Particularly aimed at climate protection, the purpose of this act is to protect fossil resources and to reduce the dependence on energy imports, to enable sustainable energy supply development and to promote the further development of technologies for the production of heat from renewable sources. It obligates owners of new buildings to use renewable energy sources, which in the case of biomass, has to amount to 50 %. The share of renewable energies in the heating/cooling of buildings is to be increased to 14 % by 2020. Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) The Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) became effective on 22 March 1974. Amongst other things, it contains regulations as regards the composi-tion of fuels and lubricants as well as an authorisation to adopt regulations regarding the requirements for the protection from the harmful environmental impact caused by air pollutants. On the basis of the German Biofuels Quota Act (Biokraftstoffquotengesetz) and the Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act (Gesetz zur Änderung der Förderung von Biokraftstoffen),
minimum thresholds and minimum standards for the admixture of biofuels were included in the BImSchG. Ordinance on Small Combustion Facilities (Klein-feuerungsanlagenverordnung: 1. BImSchV) The Ordinance on Small Combustion Facilities (1. BlmSchV) regulates the erection, configuration and operations of combustion facilities larger than 4 kW, which do not require a permission according to § 4 of the Federal Immission Control Act (Small Combustion Facilities). It became effective on 22 March 2010 and, amongst other things, regulates which material is allowed to be burned in small combustion facilities. Of further great significance for the thermal utilisation of solid biofuels are the extension of the requirement for inspection and the determination of limit values for particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions from single-room combustion plants.
Ordinance on Fuel Quality (Kraftstoffqualitätsver-ordnung: 10. BImSchV) The Ordinance on the Composition and Labelling of Qualities of Fuels (10. BImSchV) from 13 December 1993 regulates the quality demands on fuels in Germany. In its amendment from 27 January 2009, the admixing limit for biodiesel in diesel fuel in particular was raised from 5 to 7 Vol%. Furthermore, the standards for vegetable oil and bioethanol fuel (E 85) and, for the first time, standards for natural and biogas applica-tions as fuels were adopted into the Fuel Quality Ordinance.
16
Energy Taxation Act (EnergieStG) The Energy Taxation Act (EnergieStG) from 15 July 2006 regulates both the taxation of all fossil energy sources and of the energy products vegetable oils, biodiesel, bioethanol and synthetic hydrocarbons from biomass used as heating oil or fuel in Germany. The taxation of biofuels was changed by the Biofuels Quota Act, the Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act and last by the German Growth Acceleration Act. Biofuels Quota Act (BioKraftQuG) The Biofuels Quota Act from 18 December 2008 in-troduces an increasing taxation for 2007 to 2012 for the hitherto tax-exempt pure biogenic fuels biodiesel and vegetable oil and establishes a binding target in keeping with minimum requirements for biofuels. Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act (Bio-KraftÄndG) On 16 July 2009, the Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act became effective. The total quota for biofuels has been lowered in retrospect for 2009 from 6.25 % to 5.25 %. As of 2010, this share is to be raised to 6.25 % and is to remain on this level until 2014. The quota is to be reassessed in 2011. Furthermore, the Act provides as of 2015 for a drastic change in the promotional approach from a quota to a greenhouse gas reduction obligation. From 2009 to 2012, the taxation on pure biogenic biodiesel will be lowered by 3 cent per litre each year compared to the effective regulation in the Biofuels Quota Act.
Growth Acceleration Act (Wachstumsbeschleunigungsgesetz) Amongst other things, the Act for the Acceleration of Economic Growth (Wachstumsbeschleunigungs-gesetz) from 22 December 2009 creates protection for the remuneration of biogas facilities erected prior to 1 January 2009 by a restatement of the facility definition in the EEG. By changing the Energy Taxation Act, an increase in the taxation of biodiesel and vegetable oil as pure biogenic fuels is waived for the years 2010 to 2012.
17
3 | Location Review Biomass Production and Utilisation 3.1 Agricultural Biomass Production
The agrarian state of Brandenburg features about 1 million ha arable land and some 290,000 ha permanent grassland. In 2007, renewable raw materials were cultivated on 190,131 ha. Compared to 2006, this was more than twice the expanse and amounted to about 18.4 % of the arable land in the federal state. Table 9 illustrates the development of the area cultivated for renewable raw materials.
Since 2008, evaluating the acreage used for biomass production across Germany is not possible any more due to the cessation of the decommissioning obliga-tion and the only partial application for the energy crop bonus.
The main crops of rape, corn and maize as well as many other crops can no longer be differentiated on the basis of their intended use. On the assumption of a relatively stable provision of animal feed, one can assume for the federal state of Brandenburg that the increase of the area used for cultivating maize is due solely to the increased production of silage maize for biogas plants, effecting an added expanse of about 40,000 - 50,000 ha in 2009. At a total maize cultivation area of 162,000 ha (about 16 % of arable land) in the Land Brandenburg, the share of maize for employment in biogas plants compared to the total maize cultivation area currently amounts to about 28 %.
Table 9
Cultivation of Renewable Raw Materials in Brandenburg [ha]
Crops 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Rape 32,954 38,523 43,367 65,030 n.s. n.s.
Maize 54 1,859 9,417 20,674 n.s. n.s.
Rye 16,850 33,402 18,731 64,650 n.s. n.s.
Wheat 954 2,104 16,308 n.s. n.s.
Triticale 234 3,080 7,347 n.s. n.s.
Starch potatoes 7,627 7,172 6,946 6,735 6,087 n.s.
Linseed 3,697 7,160 7,080 3,142 2,043 n.s.
Millet 76 2,621 2,535
Sudan grass 12 276 1,332 2,078
Sugar beet 138 895 n.s.
Barley 3,909 789 n.s.
Meadows/Pastures 621 397 n.s.
Sunflowers/Sunflower mix 271 1,077 717 529 339 n.s.
Fast-growing trees/Agrarian wood 116 116 36 197 688
Hemp 412 300 163 118 106 87
Oats 198 198 n.s. 102 n.s.
Butterbur 18 30 16 16 n.s. n.s.
Flax 50 n.s.
Evening primrose 10 22 10 10 n.s. n.s.
Dye plants 8 2 2 6 n.s. n.s.
Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus) 3 7
Other 13 510 143 n.s.
Total 61,901 91,111 91,960 190,131 n.s. n.s. Source: Agricultural Reports 2008, 2009 and Applications for Agrarian Subsidies 2009
Location Review Biomass Production and Utilisation │3
16
Energy Taxation Act (EnergieStG) The Energy Taxation Act (EnergieStG) from 15 July 2006 regulates both the taxation of all fossil energy sources and of the energy products vegetable oils, biodiesel, bioethanol and synthetic hydrocarbons from biomass used as heating oil or fuel in Germany. The taxation of biofuels was changed by the Biofuels Quota Act, the Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act and last by the German Growth Acceleration Act. Biofuels Quota Act (BioKraftQuG) The Biofuels Quota Act from 18 December 2008 in-troduces an increasing taxation for 2007 to 2012 for the hitherto tax-exempt pure biogenic fuels biodiesel and vegetable oil and establishes a binding target in keeping with minimum requirements for biofuels. Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act (Bio-KraftÄndG) On 16 July 2009, the Biofuel Promotion Restructuring Act became effective. The total quota for biofuels has been lowered in retrospect for 2009 from 6.25 % to 5.25 %. As of 2010, this share is to be raised to 6.25 % and is to remain on this level until 2014. The quota is to be reassessed in 2011. Furthermore, the Act provides as of 2015 for a drastic change in the promotional approach from a quota to a greenhouse gas reduction obligation. From 2009 to 2012, the taxation on pure biogenic biodiesel will be lowered by 3 cent per litre each year compared to the effective regulation in the Biofuels Quota Act.
Growth Acceleration Act (Wachstumsbeschleunigungsgesetz) Amongst other things, the Act for the Acceleration of Economic Growth (Wachstumsbeschleunigungs-gesetz) from 22 December 2009 creates protection for the remuneration of biogas facilities erected prior to 1 January 2009 by a restatement of the facility definition in the EEG. By changing the Energy Taxation Act, an increase in the taxation of biodiesel and vegetable oil as pure biogenic fuels is waived for the years 2010 to 2012.
17
3 | Location Review Biomass Production and Utilisation 3.1 Agricultural Biomass Production
The agrarian state of Brandenburg features about 1 million ha arable land and some 290,000 ha permanent grassland. In 2007, renewable raw materials were cultivated on 190,131 ha. Compared to 2006, this was more than twice the expanse and amounted to about 18.4 % of the arable land in the federal state. Table 9 illustrates the development of the area cultivated for renewable raw materials.
Since 2008, evaluating the acreage used for biomass production across Germany is not possible any more due to the cessation of the decommissioning obliga-tion and the only partial application for the energy crop bonus.
The main crops of rape, corn and maize as well as many other crops can no longer be differentiated on the basis of their intended use. On the assumption of a relatively stable provision of animal feed, one can assume for the federal state of Brandenburg that the increase of the area used for cultivating maize is due solely to the increased production of silage maize for biogas plants, effecting an added expanse of about 40,000 - 50,000 ha in 2009. At a total maize cultivation area of 162,000 ha (about 16 % of arable land) in the Land Brandenburg, the share of maize for employment in biogas plants compared to the total maize cultivation area currently amounts to about 28 %.
Table 9
Cultivation of Renewable Raw Materials in Brandenburg [ha]
Crops 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Rape 32,954 38,523 43,367 65,030 n.s. n.s.
Maize 54 1,859 9,417 20,674 n.s. n.s.
Rye 16,850 33,402 18,731 64,650 n.s. n.s.
Wheat 954 2,104 16,308 n.s. n.s.
Triticale 234 3,080 7,347 n.s. n.s.
Starch potatoes 7,627 7,172 6,946 6,735 6,087 n.s.
Linseed 3,697 7,160 7,080 3,142 2,043 n.s.
Millet 76 2,621 2,535
Sudan grass 12 276 1,332 2,078
Sugar beet 138 895 n.s.
Barley 3,909 789 n.s.
Meadows/Pastures 621 397 n.s.
Sunflowers/Sunflower mix 271 1,077 717 529 339 n.s.
Fast-growing trees/Agrarian wood 116 116 36 197 688
Hemp 412 300 163 118 106 87
Oats 198 198 n.s. 102 n.s.
Butterbur 18 30 16 16 n.s. n.s.
Flax 50 n.s.
Evening primrose 10 22 10 10 n.s. n.s.
Dye plants 8 2 2 6 n.s. n.s.
Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus) 3 7
Other 13 510 143 n.s.
Total 61,901 91,111 91,960 190,131 n.s. n.s. Source: Agricultural Reports 2008, 2009 and Applications for Agrarian Subsidies 2009
Location Review Biomass Production and Utilisation │3
18
The cultivation of Sudan grass and agrarian wood in short rotational crop plantations has steadily increased. In 2009, subsidy applications for 688 ha agrarian wood were submitted and it is estimated that the 1,000 ha mark will be reached in 2010. The largest plantations are located on the sewage irriga-tion fields south of Berlin and in the post-mining land-scape of Lusatia. Furthermore, there are experimental plantations maintained by various Brandenburg research institutions and pilot projects for strip farming of fast-growing trees.
3.2 Energetic Utilisation of Biomass in Total
The share of bioenergy in the primary energy consumption (PEC) of the Land Brandenburg was continuously increased over the course of the past years and amounted to 38.9 PJ already in 2006. In 2004, the base year of the federal state's current energy and climate strategy, the share amounted only to 25.6 PJ.
The share of renewable energy in gross power production in the Land Brandenburg was 13.4 % in 2006, compared to 8.4 % in 2003. Including sewage gas, the share of biomass in gross power production amounted to 3.9 %
In heat generation, renewable energies contributed with a share of 14.6 %, the bulk of which was biomass at 98.6 %. On a federal level, the share of renewable energies in primary energy consumption in 2006 was about 5.7 %. In the same year, the share in heat generation amounted to about 6.1 %, with a 94 % contribution from biomass (BMU, 2009).
3.3 Solid Biofuels
As in the whole of Germany, wood is the most important source of bioenergy also in Brandenburg. More than 75 % of heat and power generated from biomass derives from wood. At present, the Land Brandenburg features more than 22 biomass cogeneration plants with an installed performance of 157 MWel. Of these, 17 plants use the accrued heat with an installed performance of 362 MWth. Altogether 28 MWth are installed in 12 biomass heat plants larger than 1 MWth. In addition to wood chips, residual wood from the timber-processing industry and waste wood are combusted (Fig. 3).
Moreover, there is a large number of small combus-tion facilities for wood chips, pellets and logs. In 2006, their number was assessed by an enquiry to the chimney sweepers' guild (Table 10). It can be assumed that their number significantly increased over the past three years. For instance, the Deutsches Pelletinstitut (German Pellet Fuels Institute) alone prognosticates a doubling of pellet heating systems in Germany between 2006 and 2010 (DEPI, 2010). By 31 December 2009, the number of biomass heating systems was extrapolated to 3,571 facilities with an installed thermal performance of 142.8 MW.
Calculating the Biomass Share in Primary Energy Consumption The Statistical Office Berlin-Brandenburg reports the share of bioenergy in the primary energy consumption in 2006 to have amounted to 51.6 PJ. Thus, the Energy Strategy 2020 goal of 49 PJ would have been achieved already. However, this is not realistic. As of 2006, the wood consumption in private homes is evaluated across Germany by way of calculation on the basis of the proportion of forest and the wood yield derived from it. According to this method, the private energy wood consumption for Brandenburg as a densely forest-ed yet comparatively thinly populated federal state is evaluated much too high and therefore is adjusted on the basis of the number of house-holds. This procedure was coordinated between the state government administrations in the interministerial work group "Energy Strategy" and will be applied also in future. After adjustment, the share of bioenergy in primary energy consumption 2006 is reported at 38.9 PJ.
19
By 31 December 2009, the annual capacity in the aforementioned solid biofuels facilities amounted to 942,000 MWh electric and 2,179,112 MWh thermal. This corresponds to an equivalent of 7.8 PJ heat and 3.4 PJ power production. The only hitherto commercial facility for the thermo-chemical gasification of wood chippings with a downstream cogeneration plant (500 kWel) is located in South Brandenburg.
Table 10 Number of Small Combus-tion Facilities, Status 2006
Perfor-mance
Wood Chip-pings
Pellets Wood Logs
Up to 15 kW 46 266 222,262
15-88 kW 84 115 33,160
> 100 kW 82 18 171
Total 212 399 255,593
Source: Bilke et al. 2006, Fischer 2006
The combustion of straw or corn is as yet not a common practice in the Land Brandenburg. At present, there are four pellet works with a total production capacity of 285,000 t/a (Table 11) located in the federal state. The raw materials used are forest wood, wood chips and residual wood from saw mills.
Table 11
Pellet Works in Brandenburg
Site Capacity t/a
Schwedt 100,000
Calau 90,000
Eberswalde 50,000
Fehrbellin 45,000
Total 285,000
Fig. 3 Biomass Cogeneration and Biomass Heat Plants per Administrative Districts (2009)
18
The cultivation of Sudan grass and agrarian wood in short rotational crop plantations has steadily increased. In 2009, subsidy applications for 688 ha agrarian wood were submitted and it is estimated that the 1,000 ha mark will be reached in 2010. The largest plantations are located on the sewage irriga-tion fields south of Berlin and in the post-mining land-scape of Lusatia. Furthermore, there are experimental plantations maintained by various Brandenburg research institutions and pilot projects for strip farming of fast-growing trees.
3.2 Energetic Utilisation of Biomass in Total
The share of bioenergy in the primary energy consumption (PEC) of the Land Brandenburg was continuously increased over the course of the past years and amounted to 38.9 PJ already in 2006. In 2004, the base year of the federal state's current energy and climate strategy, the share amounted only to 25.6 PJ.
The share of renewable energy in gross power production in the Land Brandenburg was 13.4 % in 2006, compared to 8.4 % in 2003. Including sewage gas, the share of biomass in gross power production amounted to 3.9 %
In heat generation, renewable energies contributed with a share of 14.6 %, the bulk of which was biomass at 98.6 %. On a federal level, the share of renewable energies in primary energy consumption in 2006 was about 5.7 %. In the same year, the share in heat generation amounted to about 6.1 %, with a 94 % contribution from biomass (BMU, 2009).
3.3 Solid Biofuels
As in the whole of Germany, wood is the most important source of bioenergy also in Brandenburg. More than 75 % of heat and power generated from biomass derives from wood. At present, the Land Brandenburg features more than 22 biomass cogeneration plants with an installed performance of 157 MWel. Of these, 17 plants use the accrued heat with an installed performance of 362 MWth. Altogether 28 MWth are installed in 12 biomass heat plants larger than 1 MWth. In addition to wood chips, residual wood from the timber-processing industry and waste wood are combusted (Fig. 3).
Moreover, there is a large number of small combus-tion facilities for wood chips, pellets and logs. In 2006, their number was assessed by an enquiry to the chimney sweepers' guild (Table 10). It can be assumed that their number significantly increased over the past three years. For instance, the Deutsches Pelletinstitut (German Pellet Fuels Institute) alone prognosticates a doubling of pellet heating systems in Germany between 2006 and 2010 (DEPI, 2010). By 31 December 2009, the number of biomass heating systems was extrapolated to 3,571 facilities with an installed thermal performance of 142.8 MW.
Calculating the Biomass Share in Primary Energy Consumption The Statistical Office Berlin-Brandenburg reports the share of bioenergy in the primary energy consumption in 2006 to have amounted to 51.6 PJ. Thus, the Energy Strategy 2020 goal of 49 PJ would have been achieved already. However, this is not realistic. As of 2006, the wood consumption in private homes is evaluated across Germany by way of calculation on the basis of the proportion of forest and the wood yield derived from it. According to this method, the private energy wood consumption for Brandenburg as a densely forest-ed yet comparatively thinly populated federal state is evaluated much too high and therefore is adjusted on the basis of the number of house-holds. This procedure was coordinated between the state government administrations in the interministerial work group "Energy Strategy" and will be applied also in future. After adjustment, the share of bioenergy in primary energy consumption 2006 is reported at 38.9 PJ.
19
By 31 December 2009, the annual capacity in the aforementioned solid biofuels facilities amounted to 942,000 MWh electric and 2,179,112 MWh thermal. This corresponds to an equivalent of 7.8 PJ heat and 3.4 PJ power production. The only hitherto commercial facility for the thermo-chemical gasification of wood chippings with a downstream cogeneration plant (500 kWel) is located in South Brandenburg.
Table 10 Number of Small Combus-tion Facilities, Status 2006
Perfor-mance
Wood Chip-pings
Pellets Wood Logs
Up to 15 kW 46 266 222,262
15-88 kW 84 115 33,160
> 100 kW 82 18 171
Total 212 399 255,593
Source: Bilke et al. 2006, Fischer 2006
The combustion of straw or corn is as yet not a common practice in the Land Brandenburg. At present, there are four pellet works with a total production capacity of 285,000 t/a (Table 11) located in the federal state. The raw materials used are forest wood, wood chips and residual wood from saw mills.
Table 11
Pellet Works in Brandenburg
Site Capacity t/a
Schwedt 100,000
Calau 90,000
Eberswalde 50,000
Fehrbellin 45,000
Total 285,000
Fig. 3 Biomass Cogeneration and Biomass Heat Plants per Administrative Districts (2009)
20
3.4 Biogas
Over the past years, the number of biogas plants has steadily increased across the federal state. At present, 176 facilities with an installed performance of 112 MWel and 125 MWth are in operation, further 85 facilities with more than 26 MWel have already received a licence (Fig. 4). It is reckoned that the number of facilities will reach 200 by the end of 2010. The average installed electric performance is 640 kWel. At 7,500 operating hours by 31 December 2009, the annual capacity of Branden-burg biogas plants amounted to about 840,000 MWhel and 937,500 MWhth. According to the numbers given by the German Bio-gas Association, about 5,000 biogas plants with an installed electric performance of altogether 1,890 MW were on the grid in Germany by the end of 2009.
The average installed performance thus amounted to approximately 380 kWel. By the end of 2009, the Land Brandenburg ranked eighth amongst all federal states as regards both the number of facilities and the installed electric performance. In January 2010, there were an estimated 35 biogas plants in the whole of Germany refining the gas to natural gas quality and feeding into the natural gas grid. In August 2010, three of these sites were located in the Land Brandenburg (Rathenow, Schwedt and Ketzin), with a total production capacity of about 4,200 m3/h. Some 10 more facilities for refining gas are in the planning phase.
Fig. 4 Biogas Plants per Administrative Districts (2009)
21
Six biogas plants in the federal state are licenced for utilisation of biogenic waste (Status February 2009). In these facilities, residual matter such as, amongst others, market, kitchen and food waste, animal waste, sludge and commercial slurry can be fermented. Furthermore, Brandenburg features (Status 31 December 2009) 19 sewage gas plants for the anaerobic treatment of sewage sludge with about 11.8 MWel and 14.9 MWth installed performance. The produced heat is used in 15 sites. In total, an annual performance of 61,360 MWhel and 77,480 MWhth can be achieved, corresponding to 0.28 PJ thermal and 0.22 PJ electric.
3.5 Liquid Biofuels
Brandenburg is home to five facilities for the produc-tion of biodiesel with a total capacity of 730,000 t/a and to one facility for the production of bioethanol with a capacity of 200,000 t/a. Because of a decline in sales on the B100 market as a consequence of taxation and the surplus capacities in biodiesel production for admixture in Germany, the German biodiesel plants are facing a sales problem.
The sales of biodiesel in Germany thus decreased from 3.2 million t in 2007 to 2.5 million t in 2009. Conversely, the production capacity in 2009 was at 5.1 million t/a. The number of biodiesel filling stations and rapeseed oil company filling stations is not known. However, the decline in pure biogenic fuel sales put numerous biodiesel pumps out of operation. At present, there are seven bioethanol filling stations for E 85 in the federal state. Brandenburg features only very few rapeseed oil mills. One of these is the agrarian cooperative Rädigke in the Fläming region producing rapeseed oil fuel for their requirements but also for sales on the regional market.
3.6 CO2 Reduction
By 31 December 2009, the achieved state of develop-ment in bioenergy utilisation allowed for a reduction of about 2.4 million t CO2 per year (Landesamt für Um-welt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Branden-burg, 2010). This number does not include the utilisation of heat in biogas plants (Table 12).
Table 12 State of Development of Biomass Utilisation for the Generation of Power and Heat in Brandenburg, Status End 2009
Type of Facility Number Performance Annual Perfor-mance
CO2- Reduction1
Energy Generation
Generation of Electricity MW electric MWh kt/a PJ
Biogas plants 176 112 840,000 861.84 3.024
Sewage gas plants 20 11.8 61,360 62.95 0.221
Biomass cogeneration plants 22 157 942,000 966.49 3.391
Sum: 280.8 1,843,360 1,891.3 6.636
Type of Facility Number Performance Annual Perfor-mance
CO2 Reduc-tion2
Energy Gener-ation
Generation of Heat MW therm. MWh kt/a PJ
Sewage gas plants 15 14.9 77,480 19.4 0.279
Biomass cogeneration plants 17 362 1,810,000 452.5 6.516
Biomass heat plants > 1 MW approx.
12
28 112,000 28.0 0.403
Biomass heating systems approx. 3,571 142.84 257,112 64.3 0.926
Sum: 547.7 2,256,592 564.1 8.124 1 compared to lignite, 41 % degree of efficiency, 2 compared to 50/50 natural gas/heating oil, 90 % boiler efficiency Source: Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz, Referat T2, 2010
20
3.4 Biogas
Over the past years, the number of biogas plants has steadily increased across the federal state. At present, 176 facilities with an installed performance of 112 MWel and 125 MWth are in operation, further 85 facilities with more than 26 MWel have already received a licence (Fig. 4). It is reckoned that the number of facilities will reach 200 by the end of 2010. The average installed electric performance is 640 kWel. At 7,500 operating hours by 31 December 2009, the annual capacity of Branden-burg biogas plants amounted to about 840,000 MWhel and 937,500 MWhth. According to the numbers given by the German Bio-gas Association, about 5,000 biogas plants with an installed electric performance of altogether 1,890 MW were on the grid in Germany by the end of 2009.
The average installed performance thus amounted to approximately 380 kWel. By the end of 2009, the Land Brandenburg ranked eighth amongst all federal states as regards both the number of facilities and the installed electric performance. In January 2010, there were an estimated 35 biogas plants in the whole of Germany refining the gas to natural gas quality and feeding into the natural gas grid. In August 2010, three of these sites were located in the Land Brandenburg (Rathenow, Schwedt and Ketzin), with a total production capacity of about 4,200 m3/h. Some 10 more facilities for refining gas are in the planning phase.
Fig. 4 Biogas Plants per Administrative Districts (2009)
21
Six biogas plants in the federal state are licenced for utilisation of biogenic waste (Status February 2009). In these facilities, residual matter such as, amongst others, market, kitchen and food waste, animal waste, sludge and commercial slurry can be fermented. Furthermore, Brandenburg features (Status 31 December 2009) 19 sewage gas plants for the anaerobic treatment of sewage sludge with about 11.8 MWel and 14.9 MWth installed performance. The produced heat is used in 15 sites. In total, an annual performance of 61,360 MWhel and 77,480 MWhth can be achieved, corresponding to 0.28 PJ thermal and 0.22 PJ electric.
3.5 Liquid Biofuels
Brandenburg is home to five facilities for the produc-tion of biodiesel with a total capacity of 730,000 t/a and to one facility for the production of bioethanol with a capacity of 200,000 t/a. Because of a decline in sales on the B100 market as a consequence of taxation and the surplus capacities in biodiesel production for admixture in Germany, the German biodiesel plants are facing a sales problem.
The sales of biodiesel in Germany thus decreased from 3.2 million t in 2007 to 2.5 million t in 2009. Conversely, the production capacity in 2009 was at 5.1 million t/a. The number of biodiesel filling stations and rapeseed oil company filling stations is not known. However, the decline in pure biogenic fuel sales put numerous biodiesel pumps out of operation. At present, there are seven bioethanol filling stations for E 85 in the federal state. Brandenburg features only very few rapeseed oil mills. One of these is the agrarian cooperative Rädigke in the Fläming region producing rapeseed oil fuel for their requirements but also for sales on the regional market.
3.6 CO2 Reduction
By 31 December 2009, the achieved state of develop-ment in bioenergy utilisation allowed for a reduction of about 2.4 million t CO2 per year (Landesamt für Um-welt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Branden-burg, 2010). This number does not include the utilisation of heat in biogas plants (Table 12).
Table 12 State of Development of Biomass Utilisation for the Generation of Power and Heat in Brandenburg, Status End 2009
Type of Facility Number Performance Annual Perfor-mance
CO2- Reduction1
Energy Generation
Generation of Electricity MW electric MWh kt/a PJ
Biogas plants 176 112 840,000 861.84 3.024
Sewage gas plants 20 11.8 61,360 62.95 0.221
Biomass cogeneration plants 22 157 942,000 966.49 3.391
Sum: 280.8 1,843,360 1,891.3 6.636
Type of Facility Number Performance Annual Perfor-mance
CO2 Reduc-tion2
Energy Gener-ation
Generation of Heat MW therm. MWh kt/a PJ
Sewage gas plants 15 14.9 77,480 19.4 0.279
Biomass cogeneration plants 17 362 1,810,000 452.5 6.516
Biomass heat plants > 1 MW approx.
12
28 112,000 28.0 0.403
Biomass heating systems approx. 3,571 142.84 257,112 64.3 0.926
Sum: 547.7 2,256,592 564.1 8.124 1 compared to lignite, 41 % degree of efficiency, 2 compared to 50/50 natural gas/heating oil, 90 % boiler efficiency Source: Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz, Referat T2, 2010
22
3.7 Material Biomass Applications
Timber Industry Traditionally, the timber industry constitutes the most important material application of biomass. In Bran-denburg, some 3,800 people are employed in the industry, generating more than 1 billion Euro in turn-over per year. Noteworthy sites are located in Baruth, Heiligengrabe and Beeskow as well as in Lusatia and in the Uckermark and Prignitz districts featuring effi-cient small and medium-sized companies. With more than 80 %, pines from the forests of the Mark Bran-denburg constitute the timber industry's main raw material. Production output is derived timber products and furniture; in addition, there are numerous building contractors specialising in wood. 38 % of products are exported. Paper Industry With 3,600 employees and 1.2 billion Euro turnover in 2008, the Brandenburg paper industry likewise is of great significance. Important paper industry sites are Schwedt, Spremberg, Peitz, Eberswalde, Wuster-mark, Eisenhüttenstadt and Falkensee. The paper producers process 100 % recycled paper and thus do not use timber as a raw material. Starch Potatoes Three quarters of the potatoes harvested in the Land Brandenburg go to the production of starch. At present, there are three processing sites: Golßen (Dahme-Spreewald) with 50 employees, Kyritz (Ostprignitz-Ruppin) with 100 employees (both Emsland-Stärke GmbH) as well as Dallmin in the Prignitz district (Avebe Kartoffelstärke Prig-nitz/Wendland GmbH). Between 1998 and 2005, the German starch industry's turnover increased from 1 billion to 1.22 billion Euro. Starch products are required for the production of paper and corrugated cardboard and as a raw material in the chemical, technical and comestible goods industries. Fibre Plants Several enterprises in Zehdenick, Falkenhagen and Prenzlau process natural fibres from hemp and flax. Among others, they produce materials for thermal and acoustic insulation as well as sealants.
Moreover, plant and mulch mats for gardening and landscaping are produced, as well as other weaves and strings. In addition to flax and hemp, jute, sisal and linseed fibres are processed.
Dye and Medicinal Plants So far, the cultivation and processing of dye and me-dicinal plants is of low significance. After a long period of neglect, the agricultural cultivation and processing of dye plants (Mignonette/Reseda and Madder) was reintroduced in Brandenburg in the mid-1990s. Sites for cultivation and processing are, for example, the Spreewald and Spremberg. The plants are used to dye natural fibres such as hemp, flax and wool. Evening primroses are cultivated on a small scale (Table 9). Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) seed oil is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and in the chemical industry and also as a high-quality food supplement. Since 2002, the Land Brandenburg State Office for Rural Development, Agriculture and Land Reassignment, Güterfelde site, furthermore conducts research on the cultivation suitability of the Leuzea medicinal plant. Other technologies for the material application of biomass, such as the carbonisation of biomass, indus-trial biotechnologies and biorefineries for the produc-tion of biogenic basic materials, are currently in the research and development phase in Brandenburg (cf. Chapter 5).
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4 | Goals, Basic Principles and Strategy for Action The goals, basic principles and strategy for action as regards biomass production and utilisation are geared towards implementing the National Biomass Action Plans and the Energy and Climate Protection Strategy 2020 of the Land Brandenburg. Moreover, they take into consideration pertinent issues from the 5th legis-lative period coalition agreement as well as state parliamentary resolutions (cf. Chapter 1).
4.1 Goals
The following high level goals are to be realised by developing the utilisation of biomass: Substitution of fossil energy sources and fossil raw
materials by biomass Climate protection by lowering greenhouse gas
emissions Increased independence as regards energy and
raw materials supply, in particular by utilisation of local biomass
Contribution towards employment, added value and
economic development, in particular in rural areas The material application of biomass in the Land Bran-denburg is to be further developed commensurate with the current scientific and technical possibilities. A biomass refinery concept is to be developed by 2011. The scope of energy utilisation of biomass is to reach the goal of 49 PJ in 2020, in particular through an increase in energy efficiency by cogeneration, by feeding biomethane into the natural gas grid, the multiple utilisation of raw materials and the increased use of biogenic residual matter. The biomass utilised is to be derived from the Land Brandenburg to the highest possible degree. Here, the agricultural production of renewable raw materials can be increased to a share of up to 30 % of arable land without jeopardising food security (cf. Chapter 2).
4.2 Principles of Sustainability
The goals of the biomass strategy can be achieved only under observation of basic principles of sustain-ability. In the biomass strategy context, the term sustainability is used in a comprehensive manner, including ecological, economic and social components and according to the following definition:
With a view to climate change, aspects of ecological sustainability play an important part in the Land Bran-denburg. The sandy soils of the Mark Brandenburg have a low capacity for storing water and thus are particularly threatened by drought. This effect is increased by top soil degradation. In order to maintain the top soil's diversified functions and fertility, the long-term safeguarding of a harmonious humus balance therefore constitutes a central principle of sustainability, which can be addressed by the avoidance of monocultures and expanding the crop variety in energy plant cultivation. Since this principle applies both to the cultivation of biomass and to the production of comestible goods and animal feed, a further development of good agri-cultural practice may be required. In any case, strict adherence to these regulations and to the cross compliance provisions is to be maintained. The closure of material cycles is of essential significance. On agriculturally used acreage, it is therefore recommended to conduct a field-based humus balance within a crop rotation to avoid both the over- and undersupply of organic substance and nutrients to the ground. In areas used for forestry, overexploitation of wood resources is to be avoided.
Sustainability is the concept of sustainable development of the economic, ecological and so-cial dimension of human existence. These three pillars of sustainability mutually affect each other and require balanced coordination in the long term." Source: Committee of Enquiry of the German Bun-destag "Protection of Mankind and the Environ-ment".
Goals, Basic Principles and Strategy for Action │4
22
3.7 Material Biomass Applications
Timber Industry Traditionally, the timber industry constitutes the most important material application of biomass. In Bran-denburg, some 3,800 people are employed in the industry, generating more than 1 billion Euro in turn-over per year. Noteworthy sites are located in Baruth, Heiligengrabe and Beeskow as well as in Lusatia and in the Uckermark and Prignitz districts featuring effi-cient small and medium-sized companies. With more than 80 %, pines from the forests of the Mark Bran-denburg constitute the timber industry's main raw material. Production output is derived timber products and furniture; in addition, there are numerous building contractors specialising in wood. 38 % of products are exported. Paper Industry With 3,600 employees and 1.2 billion Euro turnover in 2008, the Brandenburg paper industry likewise is of great significance. Important paper industry sites are Schwedt, Spremberg, Peitz, Eberswalde, Wuster-mark, Eisenhüttenstadt and Falkensee. The paper producers process 100 % recycled paper and thus do not use timber as a raw material. Starch Potatoes Three quarters of the potatoes harvested in the Land Brandenburg go to the production of starch. At present, there are three processing sites: Golßen (Dahme-Spreewald) with 50 employees, Kyritz (Ostprignitz-Ruppin) with 100 employees (both Emsland-Stärke GmbH) as well as Dallmin in the Prignitz district (Avebe Kartoffelstärke Prig-nitz/Wendland GmbH). Between 1998 and 2005, the German starch industry's turnover increased from 1 billion to 1.22 billion Euro. Starch products are required for the production of paper and corrugated cardboard and as a raw material in the chemical, technical and comestible goods industries. Fibre Plants Several enterprises in Zehdenick, Falkenhagen and Prenzlau process natural fibres from hemp and flax. Among others, they produce materials for thermal and acoustic insulation as well as sealants.
Moreover, plant and mulch mats for gardening and landscaping are produced, as well as other weaves and strings. In addition to flax and hemp, jute, sisal and linseed fibres are processed.
Dye and Medicinal Plants So far, the cultivation and processing of dye and me-dicinal plants is of low significance. After a long period of neglect, the agricultural cultivation and processing of dye plants (Mignonette/Reseda and Madder) was reintroduced in Brandenburg in the mid-1990s. Sites for cultivation and processing are, for example, the Spreewald and Spremberg. The plants are used to dye natural fibres such as hemp, flax and wool. Evening primroses are cultivated on a small scale (Table 9). Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) seed oil is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and in the chemical industry and also as a high-quality food supplement. Since 2002, the Land Brandenburg State Office for Rural Development, Agriculture and Land Reassignment, Güterfelde site, furthermore conducts research on the cultivation suitability of the Leuzea medicinal plant. Other technologies for the material application of biomass, such as the carbonisation of biomass, indus-trial biotechnologies and biorefineries for the produc-tion of biogenic basic materials, are currently in the research and development phase in Brandenburg (cf. Chapter 5).
23
4 | Goals, Basic Principles and Strategy for Action The goals, basic principles and strategy for action as regards biomass production and utilisation are geared towards implementing the National Biomass Action Plans and the Energy and Climate Protection Strategy 2020 of the Land Brandenburg. Moreover, they take into consideration pertinent issues from the 5th legis-lative period coalition agreement as well as state parliamentary resolutions (cf. Chapter 1).
4.1 Goals
The following high level goals are to be realised by developing the utilisation of biomass: Substitution of fossil energy sources and fossil raw
materials by biomass Climate protection by lowering greenhouse gas
emissions Increased independence as regards energy and
raw materials supply, in particular by utilisation of local biomass
Contribution towards employment, added value and
economic development, in particular in rural areas The material application of biomass in the Land Bran-denburg is to be further developed commensurate with the current scientific and technical possibilities. A biomass refinery concept is to be developed by 2011. The scope of energy utilisation of biomass is to reach the goal of 49 PJ in 2020, in particular through an increase in energy efficiency by cogeneration, by feeding biomethane into the natural gas grid, the multiple utilisation of raw materials and the increased use of biogenic residual matter. The biomass utilised is to be derived from the Land Brandenburg to the highest possible degree. Here, the agricultural production of renewable raw materials can be increased to a share of up to 30 % of arable land without jeopardising food security (cf. Chapter 2).
4.2 Principles of Sustainability
The goals of the biomass strategy can be achieved only under observation of basic principles of sustain-ability. In the biomass strategy context, the term sustainability is used in a comprehensive manner, including ecological, economic and social components and according to the following definition:
With a view to climate change, aspects of ecological sustainability play an important part in the Land Bran-denburg. The sandy soils of the Mark Brandenburg have a low capacity for storing water and thus are particularly threatened by drought. This effect is increased by top soil degradation. In order to maintain the top soil's diversified functions and fertility, the long-term safeguarding of a harmonious humus balance therefore constitutes a central principle of sustainability, which can be addressed by the avoidance of monocultures and expanding the crop variety in energy plant cultivation. Since this principle applies both to the cultivation of biomass and to the production of comestible goods and animal feed, a further development of good agri-cultural practice may be required. In any case, strict adherence to these regulations and to the cross compliance provisions is to be maintained. The closure of material cycles is of essential significance. On agriculturally used acreage, it is therefore recommended to conduct a field-based humus balance within a crop rotation to avoid both the over- and undersupply of organic substance and nutrients to the ground. In areas used for forestry, overexploitation of wood resources is to be avoided.
Sustainability is the concept of sustainable development of the economic, ecological and so-cial dimension of human existence. These three pillars of sustainability mutually affect each other and require balanced coordination in the long term." Source: Committee of Enquiry of the German Bun-destag "Protection of Mankind and the Environ-ment".
Goals, Basic Principles and Strategy for Action │4
24
Further Options for Sustainable Biomass Production: - Intermediate crop planting - Nurse crops - Protection of groundwater reserves - Reduced employment of pesticides on the basis of
thresholds - Minimisation of surface runoff and soil erosion - Cultivation adapted to site conditions and
adaptation of crop rotation systems to climate change
- Two culture systems - Promotion of biodiversity, for example by creating
field margins and border structures - Climate-flexible restructuring of forests - Eschewal of genetic engineering in arable farming
The emission of gases harmful to the climate during the production of biomass is to be kept at a minimum to achieve a positive climate balance for the produced raw materials or energy sources. The ploughing up of grassland, in particular in fens, is to be avoided. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions can be minimised by appropriate storage and scattering of residual matter from fermentation close to the ground, the employment of stabilised fertilisers, preserving tillage as well as by the application of fertilisers on the basis of specific area requirements (precision farm-ing).
Reliable framework conditions for the production and utilisation of biomass constitute an essential criterion of economic sustainability. On principle, the produc-tion of biomass, comestibles and feeding stuff ought to be treated equally in order to guarantee diversifica-tion in a reliable and predictable branch of agricultural production and to safeguard it. The required steps towards this goal are avoidance of separate expert demands on the production of renewable raw materials (with the exception of sustainability ordinances) and minimising additional administrative effort. The regional utilisation of biomass for local added value, for the safeguarding and creation of jobs, for shortening transport routes and for saving in finance and energy will be given precedence always and on principle over centralised utilisation. Here, the development and further expansion of regional value chains from biomass cultivation over utilisation to the ultimate consumer is given special significance.
The existing biomass facilities therefore are to be provided with the highest possible degree of biomass from local sources.
4.3 Strategy for Action
The strategy for action describes desired directions of development for the further expansion of biomass production and utilisation supported by the federal state government.
4.3.1 Cascade Food Security - Material Applica-tion - Energy Application
LTDS 5/625-B: The federal state government consequently further expands the energy and material utilisation of biomass, following the cascade of food security, material application and energy application (fuel, electricity, heat), and strengthens regional cycles from cultivation of biomass to its utilisation. The production of comestible goods and feeding stuff to ensure the food security for the population of Branden-burg and Berlin principally precedes material and energy biomass applications. However, a large part of comesti-ble goods is subject to the import and export business, so that food security from regional cultivation can be evaluated only as a theoretical value (cf. Chapter 2 |). Because of its carbon content, biomass is the only alternative for substituting fossil raw materials in material applications. Conversely, in addition to bioenergy, fossil energy sources can be substituted in the medium and long term by other renewable energies such as wind power, solar power, geothermal energy and, on a supraregional scope, by hydroelectric power. To a degree, products made of renewable raw materials, in particular from wood, capture carbon over a long period of time and thereby significantly contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. This reduction effect can be further enhanced by their subsequent recycling in energy applications. Therefore, a cascade of material and sub-sequent energy utilisation is desired and to be preferred over a purely energy utilisation as a matter of principle. Moreover, the material utilisation of biomass compared to its energy application usually creates more added value. This precedence rule was taken into account in the evaluation of potential by waiving the utilisation of trunk wood and by limiting the share of industrial wood in energy applications.
25
4.3.2 Biomass Production and Availability
In the production of biomass, the employment and on-going or, respectively, new development of innovative procedures is highly desirable. This includes the growing and testing of crops with suitable content matter (variety trials) and featuring high and stable yield even under changed climatic conditions. In doing so, crop rotation and cultivation systems need to be expanded and adapted to new challenges as regards climate change and biodiversity. LTDS 5/625-B: Residual biomass for the production of energy in particular is to be consistently further developed. In this context, the federal state government is assessing possibilities for increasing the efficiency of existing biogas facilities and improving the feed-in of biogas into the natural gas grid. Increasingly, livestock manure, agricultural by-products, organic waste and material from landscape management are to be used. They are suitable as input material for biogas plants and accumulate any-how in various production and utilisation processes. Recycling them in this manner not only saves on energy and reduces greenhouse gases, but also clos-es material cycles and minimises the demand for renewable raw materials. This contributes to the avoidance of utilisation competition on agricultural expanses. Particular attention is paid to the production of agrari-an timber, which is to be increased with preference on suitable sites in cleared and post-mining landscapes. Depending on the site, this could take the form of either short rotational plantations or protective strips with fast-growing timber or agrarian forest systems.
The scientifically forecasted high degree of acreage potential is contrasted by the largest cultivation area in Germany. In total, though, it still is rather insignificant. Practical pilot projects are required to clarify, whether the great significance research attributes to this form of land-use for Brandenburg on the basis of current knowledge can be verified in practice.
4.3.3 Material Utilisation of Biomass
The traditional material utilisation of wood, starch po-tatoes, fibre, dye and medicinal plants is to be expanded where possible, and in any case to be stabilised. The utilisation of wood as a material in the construction of public buildings is supported. In the coming years and decades, the development of biorefineries with their numerous distillation processes features the largest potential for increasing the material utilisation of biomass. The Land Brandenburg will use the chance to take a nationally leading role in this research field. However, the introduction of large-scale facilities may take place only under considera-tion of the aforementioned sustainability criteria. The production of bio-carbons and the further development of production processes on an industrial scale will be supported. Research projects are to investigate the material application of bio-carbons for the production of humus-stable terra preta (black earth) substrates. In doing so, sustained contribution to the improvement of soil fertility and climate protec-tion is of particular interest. Possibilities for marketing terra preta as a plant substrate and soil improvement additive are to be used, for instance, in improving degraded soils on dump sites in the Brandenburg lignite mining region.
24
Further Options for Sustainable Biomass Production: - Intermediate crop planting - Nurse crops - Protection of groundwater reserves - Reduced employment of pesticides on the basis of
thresholds - Minimisation of surface runoff and soil erosion - Cultivation adapted to site conditions and
adaptation of crop rotation systems to climate change
- Two culture systems - Promotion of biodiversity, for example by creating
field margins and border structures - Climate-flexible restructuring of forests - Eschewal of genetic engineering in arable farming
The emission of gases harmful to the climate during the production of biomass is to be kept at a minimum to achieve a positive climate balance for the produced raw materials or energy sources. The ploughing up of grassland, in particular in fens, is to be avoided. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions can be minimised by appropriate storage and scattering of residual matter from fermentation close to the ground, the employment of stabilised fertilisers, preserving tillage as well as by the application of fertilisers on the basis of specific area requirements (precision farm-ing).
Reliable framework conditions for the production and utilisation of biomass constitute an essential criterion of economic sustainability. On principle, the produc-tion of biomass, comestibles and feeding stuff ought to be treated equally in order to guarantee diversifica-tion in a reliable and predictable branch of agricultural production and to safeguard it. The required steps towards this goal are avoidance of separate expert demands on the production of renewable raw materials (with the exception of sustainability ordinances) and minimising additional administrative effort. The regional utilisation of biomass for local added value, for the safeguarding and creation of jobs, for shortening transport routes and for saving in finance and energy will be given precedence always and on principle over centralised utilisation. Here, the development and further expansion of regional value chains from biomass cultivation over utilisation to the ultimate consumer is given special significance.
The existing biomass facilities therefore are to be provided with the highest possible degree of biomass from local sources.
4.3 Strategy for Action
The strategy for action describes desired directions of development for the further expansion of biomass production and utilisation supported by the federal state government.
4.3.1 Cascade Food Security - Material Applica-tion - Energy Application
LTDS 5/625-B: The federal state government consequently further expands the energy and material utilisation of biomass, following the cascade of food security, material application and energy application (fuel, electricity, heat), and strengthens regional cycles from cultivation of biomass to its utilisation. The production of comestible goods and feeding stuff to ensure the food security for the population of Branden-burg and Berlin principally precedes material and energy biomass applications. However, a large part of comesti-ble goods is subject to the import and export business, so that food security from regional cultivation can be evaluated only as a theoretical value (cf. Chapter 2 |). Because of its carbon content, biomass is the only alternative for substituting fossil raw materials in material applications. Conversely, in addition to bioenergy, fossil energy sources can be substituted in the medium and long term by other renewable energies such as wind power, solar power, geothermal energy and, on a supraregional scope, by hydroelectric power. To a degree, products made of renewable raw materials, in particular from wood, capture carbon over a long period of time and thereby significantly contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. This reduction effect can be further enhanced by their subsequent recycling in energy applications. Therefore, a cascade of material and sub-sequent energy utilisation is desired and to be preferred over a purely energy utilisation as a matter of principle. Moreover, the material utilisation of biomass compared to its energy application usually creates more added value. This precedence rule was taken into account in the evaluation of potential by waiving the utilisation of trunk wood and by limiting the share of industrial wood in energy applications.
25
4.3.2 Biomass Production and Availability
In the production of biomass, the employment and on-going or, respectively, new development of innovative procedures is highly desirable. This includes the growing and testing of crops with suitable content matter (variety trials) and featuring high and stable yield even under changed climatic conditions. In doing so, crop rotation and cultivation systems need to be expanded and adapted to new challenges as regards climate change and biodiversity. LTDS 5/625-B: Residual biomass for the production of energy in particular is to be consistently further developed. In this context, the federal state government is assessing possibilities for increasing the efficiency of existing biogas facilities and improving the feed-in of biogas into the natural gas grid. Increasingly, livestock manure, agricultural by-products, organic waste and material from landscape management are to be used. They are suitable as input material for biogas plants and accumulate any-how in various production and utilisation processes. Recycling them in this manner not only saves on energy and reduces greenhouse gases, but also clos-es material cycles and minimises the demand for renewable raw materials. This contributes to the avoidance of utilisation competition on agricultural expanses. Particular attention is paid to the production of agrari-an timber, which is to be increased with preference on suitable sites in cleared and post-mining landscapes. Depending on the site, this could take the form of either short rotational plantations or protective strips with fast-growing timber or agrarian forest systems.
The scientifically forecasted high degree of acreage potential is contrasted by the largest cultivation area in Germany. In total, though, it still is rather insignificant. Practical pilot projects are required to clarify, whether the great significance research attributes to this form of land-use for Brandenburg on the basis of current knowledge can be verified in practice.
4.3.3 Material Utilisation of Biomass
The traditional material utilisation of wood, starch po-tatoes, fibre, dye and medicinal plants is to be expanded where possible, and in any case to be stabilised. The utilisation of wood as a material in the construction of public buildings is supported. In the coming years and decades, the development of biorefineries with their numerous distillation processes features the largest potential for increasing the material utilisation of biomass. The Land Brandenburg will use the chance to take a nationally leading role in this research field. However, the introduction of large-scale facilities may take place only under considera-tion of the aforementioned sustainability criteria. The production of bio-carbons and the further development of production processes on an industrial scale will be supported. Research projects are to investigate the material application of bio-carbons for the production of humus-stable terra preta (black earth) substrates. In doing so, sustained contribution to the improvement of soil fertility and climate protec-tion is of particular interest. Possibilities for marketing terra preta as a plant substrate and soil improvement additive are to be used, for instance, in improving degraded soils on dump sites in the Brandenburg lignite mining region.
26
4.3.4 Energy Utilisation of Biomass
The diversity in cultivated crops for renewable raw materials for different purposes in energy production should not be limited. Although the cultivation of domestic energy plants for biofuels production has a lower energy performance per unit of area when compared to power/heat cogeneration, it is, in addition to hybrid-electric and purely electric power trains, the only alternative for substituting fossil fuels in the short and medium term. When comparing different biofuels with regard to their energy efficiency and contribution towards climate protection, one has to consider that positive side effects, such as the production of high-quality animal feed and side products (e.g. rapeseed cake, glycerine), as well as the impact on soil fertility or added value are not included in the evaluation. At the same time, one has to consider that, depending on the market, biomass production provides regional diversification options for agricultural enterprises.
Basically, any chosen energy application of biomass ought to achieve the highest possible degree of energy efficiency combined with the greatest possible reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Cogeneration features the highest energy yield. Therefore, the focus in the further development of biomass and biogas facilities is on the simultaneous utilisation of power and heat. Existing district heating networks with provider facilities that need replacing in the next few years are ideal sites for biomass cogeneration plants and biogas facilities. The inclusion of biomass in the power production for virtual power plants and as an energy source for hybrid power plants can contribute towards a more continuous utilisation of other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, thus improving their capability to meet the demand. Integrative solutions for stabilising the power production based on renewable energies are therefore ground-breaking and of particular interest
4.3.5 Strategies for Action for Individual
Energy Sources
Solid Biomass Fuels The efficiency of existing cogeneration plants is to be increased by utilising the produced heat. In addi-tion to line-based possibilities, the use of heat storage systems, for instance, is to be evaluated. If a reasonable utilisation of heat by heat extraction is not possible on a regional level, the heat is to be utilised by additional transformation into power (e.g. ORC process, Stirling engine).
Where possible, new biomass cogeneration plants are to be constructed only, if the heat will be used at a minimum of 70 %. Sites with industrial settle-ments or suitable municipal institutions are particu-larly suited. The introduction of marketable technologies for thermal-chemical gasification of timber is to be supported, since given the potential heat utilisation, higher degrees of total efficiency can be achieved.
Virtual Power Plant and Hybrid Power Plant So far, renewable energies such as, for instance, wind power, do not allow for balancing yield fluctuations within the energy source itself. A solution is provided by combined operation of decentralised facilities of a different kind of regenerative power generation (e.g. biomass facilities) to form "virtual power plants" with only one interconnection point. The compound solution stabilises the feeding of power into the grid. However, the market launch of virtual power plants still requires additional financial incentives. In the hybrid power plant Prenzlau, Germany's first hybrid power plant, this concept is combined with a storage solution. During windy periods the surplus electricity is used to produce hydrogen, which then is stored. In periods with little wind, the produced hydrogen either can be mixed with biogas and transformed into power and heat in two cogeneration units to meet demand or it can be used as a regenerative fuel.
27
The number of private small combustion facilities based on wood logs, wood chippings and wood pellets is to be further increased with due consideration of the threshold values according to the Ordinance for Small Combustion Facilities (1. BlmSchV). Thermal utilisation of straw is to take place only, if an ideal humus balance can be maintained in the region. For this purpose, facilities capable of initial gasification of entire straw bales and subsequent low-emission combustion are to be employed. Biogenic Gases Retrofitting of existing biogas facilities with new technologies to increase the gas yield (e.g. substrate pre-treatment, process optimisation) is supported, provided the regional humus balances can be ideally maintained. The number of biogas plants is to be further increased under due consideration of site-adapted crop rotation and closed regional cycles. In farms featuring animal husbandry, the accrued livestock manure is to be used for biogas production to the greatest extent possible. In the new construction of biogas facilities, the minimisation of environmental pollution is to be given particular attention. These factors should be taken into consideration already when planning the plant capacity and choosing the site.
Preferentially, facilities including power generation and concepts for the utilisation of heat as well as facilities featuring gas refining and feed-in into the natural gas grid are to be constructed. In this context, the federal state government supports projects for the installation of microgas or local heat supply networks and for the application of heat storage systems.
Also, it will continue to promote facilitated access conditions to the natural gas grid, in particular, for smaller biogas facilities. When gas is refined, the separated CO2 usually is emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, the government of the Land Brandenburg is especially interested in research and pilot plants for processes utilising CO2. As regards organic waste and sewage sludge utilisation, waste water and waste dumps, it is to be evaluated whether composting combined with biogas production or sewage gas generation are possible options. In suitable cases, the potential is to be used for generating power. The Land Brandenburg provides funding for innovative projects for the generation of regenerative hydrogen. Biofuels It is intended to maintain the existing production capacity of the Brandenburg biofuel industry and to fully utilise it. Dynamic tax regulation for pure biogenic fuels to prevent over- or under-compensation is essential for the preservation of the biofuel industry. Furthermore, the extension of the tax incentive for pure biogenic fuels in agricul-ture to also include forestry businesses, shipping and rail traffic is promoted. The market for pure biogenic fuels with a corre-sponding infrastructure of filling stations is to be revived. At the same time, the creation of favour-able framework conditions is to prompt logistics companies to convert to biodiesel in order to minimise fuel “tourism”. The utilisation of plant oils and biodiesel in agricul-ture and forestry is to be expanded to reduce CO2 emissions and, in particular, to protect the soil and ground water in environmentally sensitive areas. In doing so, preference is on the use of locally produced rapeseed oil and regionally produced biodiesel. In as far as an economically sound perspective is given; the conversion of agrarian distilleries to produce bioethanol for fuel production is promoted. In general, development activities towards increas-ing the use of pure biogenic fuels are supported. This includes integrating the necessary technology into existing vehicle fleets, for instance, the development of retrofitting sets for bioethanol utilisation (E 85).
26
4.3.4 Energy Utilisation of Biomass
The diversity in cultivated crops for renewable raw materials for different purposes in energy production should not be limited. Although the cultivation of domestic energy plants for biofuels production has a lower energy performance per unit of area when compared to power/heat cogeneration, it is, in addition to hybrid-electric and purely electric power trains, the only alternative for substituting fossil fuels in the short and medium term. When comparing different biofuels with regard to their energy efficiency and contribution towards climate protection, one has to consider that positive side effects, such as the production of high-quality animal feed and side products (e.g. rapeseed cake, glycerine), as well as the impact on soil fertility or added value are not included in the evaluation. At the same time, one has to consider that, depending on the market, biomass production provides regional diversification options for agricultural enterprises.
Basically, any chosen energy application of biomass ought to achieve the highest possible degree of energy efficiency combined with the greatest possible reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Cogeneration features the highest energy yield. Therefore, the focus in the further development of biomass and biogas facilities is on the simultaneous utilisation of power and heat. Existing district heating networks with provider facilities that need replacing in the next few years are ideal sites for biomass cogeneration plants and biogas facilities. The inclusion of biomass in the power production for virtual power plants and as an energy source for hybrid power plants can contribute towards a more continuous utilisation of other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, thus improving their capability to meet the demand. Integrative solutions for stabilising the power production based on renewable energies are therefore ground-breaking and of particular interest
4.3.5 Strategies for Action for Individual
Energy Sources
Solid Biomass Fuels The efficiency of existing cogeneration plants is to be increased by utilising the produced heat. In addi-tion to line-based possibilities, the use of heat storage systems, for instance, is to be evaluated. If a reasonable utilisation of heat by heat extraction is not possible on a regional level, the heat is to be utilised by additional transformation into power (e.g. ORC process, Stirling engine).
Where possible, new biomass cogeneration plants are to be constructed only, if the heat will be used at a minimum of 70 %. Sites with industrial settle-ments or suitable municipal institutions are particu-larly suited. The introduction of marketable technologies for thermal-chemical gasification of timber is to be supported, since given the potential heat utilisation, higher degrees of total efficiency can be achieved.
Virtual Power Plant and Hybrid Power Plant So far, renewable energies such as, for instance, wind power, do not allow for balancing yield fluctuations within the energy source itself. A solution is provided by combined operation of decentralised facilities of a different kind of regenerative power generation (e.g. biomass facilities) to form "virtual power plants" with only one interconnection point. The compound solution stabilises the feeding of power into the grid. However, the market launch of virtual power plants still requires additional financial incentives. In the hybrid power plant Prenzlau, Germany's first hybrid power plant, this concept is combined with a storage solution. During windy periods the surplus electricity is used to produce hydrogen, which then is stored. In periods with little wind, the produced hydrogen either can be mixed with biogas and transformed into power and heat in two cogeneration units to meet demand or it can be used as a regenerative fuel.
27
The number of private small combustion facilities based on wood logs, wood chippings and wood pellets is to be further increased with due consideration of the threshold values according to the Ordinance for Small Combustion Facilities (1. BlmSchV). Thermal utilisation of straw is to take place only, if an ideal humus balance can be maintained in the region. For this purpose, facilities capable of initial gasification of entire straw bales and subsequent low-emission combustion are to be employed. Biogenic Gases Retrofitting of existing biogas facilities with new technologies to increase the gas yield (e.g. substrate pre-treatment, process optimisation) is supported, provided the regional humus balances can be ideally maintained. The number of biogas plants is to be further increased under due consideration of site-adapted crop rotation and closed regional cycles. In farms featuring animal husbandry, the accrued livestock manure is to be used for biogas production to the greatest extent possible. In the new construction of biogas facilities, the minimisation of environmental pollution is to be given particular attention. These factors should be taken into consideration already when planning the plant capacity and choosing the site.
Preferentially, facilities including power generation and concepts for the utilisation of heat as well as facilities featuring gas refining and feed-in into the natural gas grid are to be constructed. In this context, the federal state government supports projects for the installation of microgas or local heat supply networks and for the application of heat storage systems.
Also, it will continue to promote facilitated access conditions to the natural gas grid, in particular, for smaller biogas facilities. When gas is refined, the separated CO2 usually is emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, the government of the Land Brandenburg is especially interested in research and pilot plants for processes utilising CO2. As regards organic waste and sewage sludge utilisation, waste water and waste dumps, it is to be evaluated whether composting combined with biogas production or sewage gas generation are possible options. In suitable cases, the potential is to be used for generating power. The Land Brandenburg provides funding for innovative projects for the generation of regenerative hydrogen. Biofuels It is intended to maintain the existing production capacity of the Brandenburg biofuel industry and to fully utilise it. Dynamic tax regulation for pure biogenic fuels to prevent over- or under-compensation is essential for the preservation of the biofuel industry. Furthermore, the extension of the tax incentive for pure biogenic fuels in agricul-ture to also include forestry businesses, shipping and rail traffic is promoted. The market for pure biogenic fuels with a corre-sponding infrastructure of filling stations is to be revived. At the same time, the creation of favour-able framework conditions is to prompt logistics companies to convert to biodiesel in order to minimise fuel “tourism”. The utilisation of plant oils and biodiesel in agricul-ture and forestry is to be expanded to reduce CO2 emissions and, in particular, to protect the soil and ground water in environmentally sensitive areas. In doing so, preference is on the use of locally produced rapeseed oil and regionally produced biodiesel. In as far as an economically sound perspective is given; the conversion of agrarian distilleries to produce bioethanol for fuel production is promoted. In general, development activities towards increas-ing the use of pure biogenic fuels are supported. This includes integrating the necessary technology into existing vehicle fleets, for instance, the development of retrofitting sets for bioethanol utilisation (E 85).
28
5 | Instruments and Measures for Implementing the Biomass Strategy
Already in 2006 the share of biomass in the primary energy consumption in Brandenburg amounted to 38.9 PJ.1 To achieve the Energy Strategy 2020 goal of 49 PJ, the energy utilisation of biomass, when compared to 2006, needs to be increased by 10 PJ until 2020. By funding policy measures, the German federal government provides favourable framework conditions for investments regarding the utilisation of bioenergy. Federal state political measures and instruments complement this and, in particular, concentrate on technology transfer, network support, research funding and public relations. These activities first and foremost are focused on sustainability principles, the expansion of material biomass utilisation and higher efficiency of bioenergy facilities.
5.1 Funding
The federal government supports the expansion of bioenergy generation and utilisation by a broad range of funding programmes. The main funding instrument for the energy utilisation of biomass is the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The generation of power from biogas and biogenic solid fuels is financed by apportionment through the feed-in tariff set down in the EEG. This tariff is regulated in such a way that normally complete cost coverage can be obtained. By designing the feed-in tariff as a bonus system, additional investment funding for such facilities is therefore not necessary in most cases. The following paragraphs list the relevant funding programmes of the Land Brandenburg. RENplus Directive The introduction and application of new, innovative technologies for the utilisation of renewable energies, i.e. also biomass facilities, is funded through the Land Brandenburg's State Ministry for Economics and Eu-ropean Affairs (MWE) Directive for the Promotion of Employing Renewable Energies as part of the measures for increasing energy efficiency and supply security in the context of implementing the Land Brandenburg's energy strategy.
1 See information box p. 19
The aim is to increase the share of renewable ener-gies in primary energy consumption as well as redu-cing environmental pollution through carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter by way of commercial economy investments in the fields of energy efficiency and technological development. More information under www.mwe.brandenburg.de. Funding Directive Environmental Protection (Förderrichtlinie Umweltschutz) Funding of measures regarding waste management as well as emission control and climate protection are funded on the basis of this directive passed by the Land Brandenburg's State Ministry for the Environ-ment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (MUGV). The main aim is, among others, to gain the highest possible material and energy use from treated residual waste, to implement exemplary measures for energy saving, reduction of CO2 emissions and energy recovery, and to reduce/use waste heat, as well as promoting the utilisation of cogeneration. More information under www.mwe.brandenburg.de. Campaign 'Sustainable Development – Local Agenda 21 in the Land Brandenburg' Within the context of this joint campaign by MUGV and the syndicate Arbeitsgemeinschaft Natur- und Umweltbildung ANU Brandenburg e.V., funding for measures to implement the Local Agenda 21 can be applied for. Funding is provided for, amongst other things, measures for strengthening regional added value from an environmentally friendly economy, measures for establishing and strengthening regional cycles, for decentralised energy generation, energy saving and for the utilisation of regenerative energies. More information under www.mwe.brandenburg.de. Technology Transfer Directive The Land Brandenburg's State Ministry for Infrastruc-ture and Agriculture (MIL) Directive for the Granting of Funds for Cooperation in the Development of New Products, Processes and Technologies in Agriculture, the Food Industry and Forestry is responsible for granting funds for cooperation in the development of new products, processes and technologies in agricul-ture, the food industry and forestry.
29
The projects receiving funding are to support the sustained strengthening of the economy in rural areas. Eligible for funding are the costs for planning, developing and testing innovative products, processes and technologies prior to their launch for commercial purposes. More information under www.mil.brandenburg.de. Directive for the Granting of Funds for Individual Operations Investments in Agricultural Enterprises Amongst other things, the following goals are set down for funding on the basis of this directive: Supporting sustainable agriculture targeted funding for long-term investments and investments in building and work-intensive fields as well as income maintenance in the non-agricultural sector. Brandenburg farmers can obtain subsidies for the establishment of short rotational crop plantations. The funding is granted for the plantation implementation costs. In the past, local biomass facilities, e.g. agricul-tural rapeseed oil mills, likewise received funding through this directive. More information under www.mil.brandenburg.de. LEADER The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Develop-ment (EAFRD) is the European Union's (EU) central instrument for funding the development of rural areas. The joint initiative LEADER is one key aspect in EAFRD funding. It is characterised by an inter- disciplinary and regional approach. The Land Bran-denburg features 12 LEADER regions, in which the funding of biomass facilities also is an option, depending on the thematical setting of priorities. Decisions in these matters are made directly by the LEADER campaign groups on location. More information under www.mil.brandenburg.de.
Research Funding by the Brandenburg State Min-istry for Science, Research and Culture (MWFK) On the one hand, funding draws on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). For instance, pilot, model and cooperation projects for the develop-ment of production and income alternatives in rural areas or large and long-term trials in cooperation with practical experience for the effective design of measures for sustained land use under the conditions of effective resource management and safeguarding a high degree of biodiversity in the local environment can be funded through the programme "Knowledge and Technology Transfer for Innovations – Funding for Research Institutions in Industry Competence Fields" (Wissens- und Technologietransfer für Innova-tionen – Förderung von Wissenschaftseinrichtungen in Branchenkompetenzfeldern). On the other hand, the programme "Research and Innovation Funding for Increasing the Innovation Strength at Brandenburg Universities" (Forschungs- und Innovationsförderung zur Steigerung der Innovationskraft an Brandenburger Hochschulen) stands for targeted funding of innovative research projects at the federal state's universities, for example, the development of methods for estimating the potential of grassland biomass. Furthermore, the European Social Fund (ESF) provides funding for young scientist groups at universities, e.g. for the development of regional adaptation strategies in light of accelerated climate change, and for networking with companies, such as the "Verbundforschung Bio-kohle Brandenburg" (Joint Research Biocoal Bran-denburg). More information under www.efre.brandenburg.de or www.mwfk.brandenburg.de.
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5 | Instruments and Measures for Implementing the Biomass Strategy
Already in 2006 the share of biomass in the primary energy consumption in Brandenburg amounted to 38.9 PJ.1 To achieve the Energy Strategy 2020 goal of 49 PJ, the energy utilisation of biomass, when compared to 2006, needs to be increased by 10 PJ until 2020. By funding policy measures, the German federal government provides favourable framework conditions for investments regarding the utilisation of bioenergy. Federal state political measures and instruments complement this and, in particular, concentrate on technology transfer, network support, research funding and public relations. These activities first and foremost are focused on sustainability principles, the expansion of material biomass utilisation and higher efficiency of bioenergy facilities.
5.1 Funding
The federal government supports the expansion of bioenergy generation and utilisation by a broad range of funding programmes. The main funding instrument for the energy utilisation of biomass is the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The generation of power from biogas and biogenic solid fuels is financed by apportionment through the feed-in tariff set down in the EEG. This tariff is regulated in such a way that normally complete cost coverage can be obtained. By designing the feed-in tariff as a bonus system, additional investment funding for such facilities is therefore not necessary in most cases. The following paragraphs list the relevant funding programmes of the Land Brandenburg. RENplus Directive The introduction and application of new, innovative technologies for the utilisation of renewable energies, i.e. also biomass facilities, is funded through the Land Brandenburg's State Ministry for Economics and Eu-ropean Affairs (MWE) Directive for the Promotion of Employing Renewable Energies as part of the measures for increasing energy efficiency and supply security in the context of implementing the Land Brandenburg's energy strategy.
1 See information box p. 19
The aim is to increase the share of renewable ener-gies in primary energy consumption as well as redu-cing environmental pollution through carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter by way of commercial economy investments in the fields of energy efficiency and technological development. More information under www.mwe.brandenburg.de. Funding Directive Environmental Protection (Förderrichtlinie Umweltschutz) Funding of measures regarding waste management as well as emission control and climate protection are funded on the basis of this directive passed by the Land Brandenburg's State Ministry for the Environ-ment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (MUGV). The main aim is, among others, to gain the highest possible material and energy use from treated residual waste, to implement exemplary measures for energy saving, reduction of CO2 emissions and energy recovery, and to reduce/use waste heat, as well as promoting the utilisation of cogeneration. More information under www.mwe.brandenburg.de. Campaign 'Sustainable Development – Local Agenda 21 in the Land Brandenburg' Within the context of this joint campaign by MUGV and the syndicate Arbeitsgemeinschaft Natur- und Umweltbildung ANU Brandenburg e.V., funding for measures to implement the Local Agenda 21 can be applied for. Funding is provided for, amongst other things, measures for strengthening regional added value from an environmentally friendly economy, measures for establishing and strengthening regional cycles, for decentralised energy generation, energy saving and for the utilisation of regenerative energies. More information under www.mwe.brandenburg.de. Technology Transfer Directive The Land Brandenburg's State Ministry for Infrastruc-ture and Agriculture (MIL) Directive for the Granting of Funds for Cooperation in the Development of New Products, Processes and Technologies in Agriculture, the Food Industry and Forestry is responsible for granting funds for cooperation in the development of new products, processes and technologies in agricul-ture, the food industry and forestry.
29
The projects receiving funding are to support the sustained strengthening of the economy in rural areas. Eligible for funding are the costs for planning, developing and testing innovative products, processes and technologies prior to their launch for commercial purposes. More information under www.mil.brandenburg.de. Directive for the Granting of Funds for Individual Operations Investments in Agricultural Enterprises Amongst other things, the following goals are set down for funding on the basis of this directive: Supporting sustainable agriculture targeted funding for long-term investments and investments in building and work-intensive fields as well as income maintenance in the non-agricultural sector. Brandenburg farmers can obtain subsidies for the establishment of short rotational crop plantations. The funding is granted for the plantation implementation costs. In the past, local biomass facilities, e.g. agricul-tural rapeseed oil mills, likewise received funding through this directive. More information under www.mil.brandenburg.de. LEADER The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Develop-ment (EAFRD) is the European Union's (EU) central instrument for funding the development of rural areas. The joint initiative LEADER is one key aspect in EAFRD funding. It is characterised by an inter- disciplinary and regional approach. The Land Bran-denburg features 12 LEADER regions, in which the funding of biomass facilities also is an option, depending on the thematical setting of priorities. Decisions in these matters are made directly by the LEADER campaign groups on location. More information under www.mil.brandenburg.de.
Research Funding by the Brandenburg State Min-istry for Science, Research and Culture (MWFK) On the one hand, funding draws on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). For instance, pilot, model and cooperation projects for the develop-ment of production and income alternatives in rural areas or large and long-term trials in cooperation with practical experience for the effective design of measures for sustained land use under the conditions of effective resource management and safeguarding a high degree of biodiversity in the local environment can be funded through the programme "Knowledge and Technology Transfer for Innovations – Funding for Research Institutions in Industry Competence Fields" (Wissens- und Technologietransfer für Innova-tionen – Förderung von Wissenschaftseinrichtungen in Branchenkompetenzfeldern). On the other hand, the programme "Research and Innovation Funding for Increasing the Innovation Strength at Brandenburg Universities" (Forschungs- und Innovationsförderung zur Steigerung der Innovationskraft an Brandenburger Hochschulen) stands for targeted funding of innovative research projects at the federal state's universities, for example, the development of methods for estimating the potential of grassland biomass. Furthermore, the European Social Fund (ESF) provides funding for young scientist groups at universities, e.g. for the development of regional adaptation strategies in light of accelerated climate change, and for networking with companies, such as the "Verbundforschung Bio-kohle Brandenburg" (Joint Research Biocoal Bran-denburg). More information under www.efre.brandenburg.de or www.mwfk.brandenburg.de.
30
5.2 Transfer of Technology and Networking
Technology transfer, information and networking between enterprises, science and administration support the further dissemination and improvement of innovative technologies. One instrument in this respect is the establishment of energy platforms and networks. In Land Brandenburg already there are some state-wide energy platforms and networks and, moreover, numerous regional networks. ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg (ZAB) [Branden-burg Economic Development Board] The ZAB is the seat of the federal state's energy saving agency. According to its statutory mandate to provide independent energy advisory services, it is placed at the disposal of energy producing and energy consuming institutions. The ZAB provides technical and economic counsel regarding questions of energy efficiency in buildings, heating and cogeneration. This also applies to the energy utilisation of biomass. (www.zab-brandenburg.de). Energie Technologie Initiative Brandenburg (ETI) [Brandenburg Energy Technology Initiative] Since the ETI's establishment, this state-wide energy platform funded by the Ministry of Economics and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce IHK Potsdam targets the further development of production and utilisation of bioenergy. Three bioenergy teams, responsible for the subjects biogas, biofuels and solid biofuels, regularly discuss innovative procedures and legal framework conditions.
The team meetings and ETI expert conferences pro-vide an option for the transfer of knowledge and tech-nology, for exchange of experiences and for intro-ducing cooperation. (www.eti-brandenburg.de) Competence Network Oil Industry / Biofuels Commensurate with the Land Brandenburg's business development strategy "Stärken stärken" (Strengthen-ing Strengths), the federal state government created 16 competence networks in the key industries with funds from the joint task "Verbesserung der regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur" (GRW - Improving the Regional Business Structure). One of these is the Network Oil Industry / Biofuels. The network’s main goal is to develop the Berlin-Brandenburg region to become a competence and production centre for modern fuels. This is to be achieved by three subordinate goals: Strengthening the innovation basis, optimising added value and honing the profile of the biofuel site Berlin-Brandenburg. As regards content, the network concentrates on the topics biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, electromobility and regenerative hydrogen. (www.biokraftstoffe-brandenburg.de)
Industry Transfer Centre Oil Industry / Biofuels and Energy Industry / Energy Technology as well as University Transfer Centres Parallel to the competence networks, industry transfer centres were created. The aim of the biofuels industry's transfer centre is to accompany enterprises (in particular SMEs) along the entire value chain and to support them in implementing their research and development projects. (www.btenergie.de) The federal state's universities are home to technolo-gy transfer centres to promote the transfer of knowledge and technologies from science to the industry. They focus on subject matter or the respec-tive university profile.
The targets of the biomass strategy are to be sup-ported by relevant federal state funding directives. Information regarding federal government funding possibilities is to be widely disseminated. LTDS 5/625-B: The federal state government is to prepares a pro-posal as to how incentives for the employment of renewable energies can be introduced in the granting of funds in future, if the investment in-cludes building measures or technical facilities for the operation of buildings and facilities. In the context of the existing funding for energy efficiency and renewable energies, projects by very small and small enterprises are intensively funded and the support for regional cooperations or, respectively, company networks for the improve-ment of their energy efficiency is to be strength-ened.
31
For instance, the transfer centre at the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (FH - University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde) is responsible for the project for the future "Renewable energies from forestry and agricultural biomass" (Erneuerbare Ener-gien aus forst- und landwirtschaftlicher Biomasse). All transfer centres are members in the network "iq brandenburg - Wissenschaft für Unternehmen" (Science for Enterprises) and can cooperate on the basis of subject matter and across institutions. This results in coordinated and further improved marketing activities, industry strategies and technology transfer. Regional Initiatives and Networks Numerous regional initiatives and networks have been formed in the Land Brandenburg with the aim to further promote the propagation of renewable energies. Many of these initiatives occupy themselves not only with bioenergies, but also include other regenerative applications as well as topics related to energy efficiency. By way of example, some of the Brandenburg regional initiatives are presented in the following paragraphs.
Netzwerk Biofestbrennstoff MOL - Network Solid Biofuel MOL So far, some 45 interested parties have joined forces in the Netzwerk Biofestbrennstoff MOL, amongst them enterprises, private persons, associations, the administrative district Landkreis Märkisch-Oderland (MOL), the district savings bank Kreissparkasse MOL and scientific institutions from the region. Their aim is to exploit the potential for sustained, environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and employment-boosting energy supply through the utilisation of regionally produced solid biofuels. (www.biofestbrennstoff.de)
emma e.V. emma e.V. is the governing association for the energy management agency of the Elbtalaue, Prignitz und Wendland region. The energy management agency is co-funded by the EU through the programme Intelli-gent Energies Europe for three years. Association members are, among others, the administrative district Landkreis Lüchow-Dannenberg and the Prignitz municipalities. Main goals are the exploitation of regenerative energy sources and a more rational utilisation of energy. (www.emma-ev.de)
Energieautarke Gemeinde / Energie-Kompetenz-Zentrum Feldheim - Energy Independent Munici-pality / Energy Competence Centre Feldheim The energy self-sufficient commune of Feldheim in the Fläming already is well-known in expert circles throughout Germany. The close-by wind park constitutes the backbone of the local power supply, whereas heat is provided by a biogas facility and, in peak periods, by a wood chip heating plant. State-of-the-art battery storage is to allow for demand-based power supply in future and separate networks safeguard the distribution of energy. The building of an energy competence centre is the latest project of the commune and the company Energiequelle GmbH. (www.energiequelle-gmbh.de)
Energieregion Lausitz - Energy Region Lausitz In 2007, the "Energieregion Lausitz" was established with support from the "Regionale Planungsgemein- schaft" (Regional Planning Association) and the aim to develop the region to become an energy model region. Various projects are to contribute towards achieving this goal. In addition to local fossil energy sources, the production and utilisation of regenerative energies, including bioenergy, plays a major part. (www.region-lausitz-spreewald.de)
DIE ZUKUNFT IST ERNEUERBAR – THE FUTURE IS RENEWABLE - LANDKREIS BARNIM TO BECOME ZERO EMISSION DISTRICT I In April 2008, the district parliament of the Landkreis Barnim passed the implementation of the Zero Emis-sion Strategy. A regional office was established for coordination, implementation and controlling of the district-wide projects and measures. For this purpose, the administrative district works together with the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung (FH) Eberswalde and the University of Applied Sciences Trier. The protagonists intend to concentrate on four central fields of action: Energy Generation, Saving and Efficiency; Education and Research; Technological Development of Know How; and Inno-vation Support. One of the key topics will be the utili-sation of bioenergy. (www.erneuerbar.barnim.de)
30
5.2 Transfer of Technology and Networking
Technology transfer, information and networking between enterprises, science and administration support the further dissemination and improvement of innovative technologies. One instrument in this respect is the establishment of energy platforms and networks. In Land Brandenburg already there are some state-wide energy platforms and networks and, moreover, numerous regional networks. ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg (ZAB) [Branden-burg Economic Development Board] The ZAB is the seat of the federal state's energy saving agency. According to its statutory mandate to provide independent energy advisory services, it is placed at the disposal of energy producing and energy consuming institutions. The ZAB provides technical and economic counsel regarding questions of energy efficiency in buildings, heating and cogeneration. This also applies to the energy utilisation of biomass. (www.zab-brandenburg.de). Energie Technologie Initiative Brandenburg (ETI) [Brandenburg Energy Technology Initiative] Since the ETI's establishment, this state-wide energy platform funded by the Ministry of Economics and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce IHK Potsdam targets the further development of production and utilisation of bioenergy. Three bioenergy teams, responsible for the subjects biogas, biofuels and solid biofuels, regularly discuss innovative procedures and legal framework conditions.
The team meetings and ETI expert conferences pro-vide an option for the transfer of knowledge and tech-nology, for exchange of experiences and for intro-ducing cooperation. (www.eti-brandenburg.de) Competence Network Oil Industry / Biofuels Commensurate with the Land Brandenburg's business development strategy "Stärken stärken" (Strengthen-ing Strengths), the federal state government created 16 competence networks in the key industries with funds from the joint task "Verbesserung der regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur" (GRW - Improving the Regional Business Structure). One of these is the Network Oil Industry / Biofuels. The network’s main goal is to develop the Berlin-Brandenburg region to become a competence and production centre for modern fuels. This is to be achieved by three subordinate goals: Strengthening the innovation basis, optimising added value and honing the profile of the biofuel site Berlin-Brandenburg. As regards content, the network concentrates on the topics biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, electromobility and regenerative hydrogen. (www.biokraftstoffe-brandenburg.de)
Industry Transfer Centre Oil Industry / Biofuels and Energy Industry / Energy Technology as well as University Transfer Centres Parallel to the competence networks, industry transfer centres were created. The aim of the biofuels industry's transfer centre is to accompany enterprises (in particular SMEs) along the entire value chain and to support them in implementing their research and development projects. (www.btenergie.de) The federal state's universities are home to technolo-gy transfer centres to promote the transfer of knowledge and technologies from science to the industry. They focus on subject matter or the respec-tive university profile.
The targets of the biomass strategy are to be sup-ported by relevant federal state funding directives. Information regarding federal government funding possibilities is to be widely disseminated. LTDS 5/625-B: The federal state government is to prepares a pro-posal as to how incentives for the employment of renewable energies can be introduced in the granting of funds in future, if the investment in-cludes building measures or technical facilities for the operation of buildings and facilities. In the context of the existing funding for energy efficiency and renewable energies, projects by very small and small enterprises are intensively funded and the support for regional cooperations or, respectively, company networks for the improve-ment of their energy efficiency is to be strength-ened.
31
For instance, the transfer centre at the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (FH - University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde) is responsible for the project for the future "Renewable energies from forestry and agricultural biomass" (Erneuerbare Ener-gien aus forst- und landwirtschaftlicher Biomasse). All transfer centres are members in the network "iq brandenburg - Wissenschaft für Unternehmen" (Science for Enterprises) and can cooperate on the basis of subject matter and across institutions. This results in coordinated and further improved marketing activities, industry strategies and technology transfer. Regional Initiatives and Networks Numerous regional initiatives and networks have been formed in the Land Brandenburg with the aim to further promote the propagation of renewable energies. Many of these initiatives occupy themselves not only with bioenergies, but also include other regenerative applications as well as topics related to energy efficiency. By way of example, some of the Brandenburg regional initiatives are presented in the following paragraphs.
Netzwerk Biofestbrennstoff MOL - Network Solid Biofuel MOL So far, some 45 interested parties have joined forces in the Netzwerk Biofestbrennstoff MOL, amongst them enterprises, private persons, associations, the administrative district Landkreis Märkisch-Oderland (MOL), the district savings bank Kreissparkasse MOL and scientific institutions from the region. Their aim is to exploit the potential for sustained, environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and employment-boosting energy supply through the utilisation of regionally produced solid biofuels. (www.biofestbrennstoff.de)
emma e.V. emma e.V. is the governing association for the energy management agency of the Elbtalaue, Prignitz und Wendland region. The energy management agency is co-funded by the EU through the programme Intelli-gent Energies Europe for three years. Association members are, among others, the administrative district Landkreis Lüchow-Dannenberg and the Prignitz municipalities. Main goals are the exploitation of regenerative energy sources and a more rational utilisation of energy. (www.emma-ev.de)
Energieautarke Gemeinde / Energie-Kompetenz-Zentrum Feldheim - Energy Independent Munici-pality / Energy Competence Centre Feldheim The energy self-sufficient commune of Feldheim in the Fläming already is well-known in expert circles throughout Germany. The close-by wind park constitutes the backbone of the local power supply, whereas heat is provided by a biogas facility and, in peak periods, by a wood chip heating plant. State-of-the-art battery storage is to allow for demand-based power supply in future and separate networks safeguard the distribution of energy. The building of an energy competence centre is the latest project of the commune and the company Energiequelle GmbH. (www.energiequelle-gmbh.de)
Energieregion Lausitz - Energy Region Lausitz In 2007, the "Energieregion Lausitz" was established with support from the "Regionale Planungsgemein- schaft" (Regional Planning Association) and the aim to develop the region to become an energy model region. Various projects are to contribute towards achieving this goal. In addition to local fossil energy sources, the production and utilisation of regenerative energies, including bioenergy, plays a major part. (www.region-lausitz-spreewald.de)
DIE ZUKUNFT IST ERNEUERBAR – THE FUTURE IS RENEWABLE - LANDKREIS BARNIM TO BECOME ZERO EMISSION DISTRICT I In April 2008, the district parliament of the Landkreis Barnim passed the implementation of the Zero Emis-sion Strategy. A regional office was established for coordination, implementation and controlling of the district-wide projects and measures. For this purpose, the administrative district works together with the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung (FH) Eberswalde and the University of Applied Sciences Trier. The protagonists intend to concentrate on four central fields of action: Energy Generation, Saving and Efficiency; Education and Research; Technological Development of Know How; and Inno-vation Support. One of the key topics will be the utili-sation of bioenergy. (www.erneuerbar.barnim.de)
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5.3 Research and Development
In addition to two universities and five universities of applied sciences, the Land Brandenburg features a large number of extramural research institutions and closely cooperates with the Land Berlin. At many of these research institutions, the sustained, efficient production of biomass, the development and optimisa-tion of processes for the material and energy utilisation of biomass as well as biomass logistics are a matter of intensive research. Moreover, enterprises are active in particular as regards research on material biomass applications. Research on the Production, Availability and Logistics of Biomass Amongst others, the university of applied sciences Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (HNEE), the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB) e.V., the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V. Müncheberg, the Forschungsinstitut für Bergbaufolgelandschaften (FIB - Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes) e.V. and the Institut für Getreideverarbeitung Potsdam-Rehbrücke (IGV - Institute for Corn Processing) work on the production and availability of biomass including agrarian wood. The university of applied sciences Technische Hochschule Wildau (FH) researches biomass logis-tics. At the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), research is conducted as regards organic mix pellets made from various vegetable raw materials such as hollyhock, willow, sunflower seed shells and straw.
By way of example, the cooperation of Brandenburg research institutions, public authorities and non-profit associations in Germany-wide collaborative projects on site-adapted cultivation systems of energy plants (EVA), on the establishment of extensive strategies for land use (ELKE) or on the cultivation of fast- growing trees (FastWOOD) may be mentioned in this context. In various research projects, the ZALF develops methods for the ex ante estimation of consequences in the cultivation of biomass for energy and further material utilisation. By now, these approaches to evaluation are under trial in several national and international studies. In 2004, research institutions in Berlin and Branden-burg joined forces in the research platform "Ländliche Räume Berlin-Brandenburg" (Rural Regions Berlin-Brandenburg). Their aim is to investigate resources as well as the development potential and development strategies for the rural regions. Utilisation of Biomass for Material Applications With hydrothermal carbonisation, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam developed a process for the transformation of "wet" biomass to biocoal. Organic waste such as cuttings, leaves, residual matter from harvests or dung can be used for this purpose. At temperatures around 200°C and a pressure of about 20 bar, the biomass is dehydrated. The resulting products can be used in material applications (e.g. as a basis for the chemical industry or for improving soil fertility as a valuable carbon fertiliser) or in energy applications.
The federal state government is aware of the significance of knowledge and technology transfer for the propa-gation and the further development of innovative technologies and procedures. Networking between relevant protagonists participants on the respective regional level is necessary to enable the transfer of knowledge and technology, yet also to enable first contact and the introduction of cooperation between different protagonists. Therefore, the federal state government will continue to support state-wide networks and energy platforms and render its activities more effective. Regional initiatives, first and foremost those with the aim to develop and expand regional value chains in the cultivation and utilisation of biomass, are given expert support from the state administration and state-financed institutions. The principles and goals of the biomass strategy are to play a greater part, in particular in the work of state-financed networks and in the transfer of technology. LTDS 5/625-B: The federal state government supports regional energy concepts on the level of regional planning depart-ments, administrative districts and in cities and municipalities. The aim is to create a system of local and regional initiatives promoting the goals of the federal state's climate and energy policy.
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At present, work is conducted in two sites to render the process suitable for implementation on an industrial scale. The enterprise SunCoal Industries is located in Königs Wusterhausen and the enterprise CS Carbon Solutions Deutschland GmbH has its seat in Kleinmachnow.
A young scientists group at the ATB works on the efficient and sustained supply of biomethane as a high-quality energy source and of biocoal as a soil enhancer and carbon sink in the APECS project. In the BIOBRA project, the HNEE researches the use of biocoal for establishing fast-growing trees. In 2006, a pilot plant for the biotechnological produc-tion of lactic acid on the basis of renewable raw materials was put into operation at the ATB. As a basic chemical ingredient, lactic acid is used for further processing in the non-food sector (e.g. synthetics, solvents) and in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile and leather industries. In addition to rye, so typical for Brandenburg, other raw and residual materials are recycled by now and processed within a closed process chain from raw material to finished product in partly continuous process steps. Moreover, at the end of March 2007, the ATB put into operation a pilot plant for the production of products made of conserved natural fibres. This is the first realised processing of vegetable fibre raw materials such as hemp on a nearly industrial scale under competitive conditions.
The product scope of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research Potsdam-Golm comprises cellulose derivatives for medical applications, regenerated fibres, foils and comestible goods packaging as well as applications for starch in the non-food sector. The focus is on new starch derivatives and biocomposites enforced with natural fibres. The Institut für Getreideverarbeitung Bergholz-Rehbrücke (Institute for Corn Processing) produces a broad range of biogenic materials. In parallel, the department for biotechnology develops closed photo-bio reactors for the cultivation of micro algae as well as cosmetic products. At present, a laboratory trial for algae cultivation using carbon dioxide from flue gas is being conducted at the Senftenberger heating plant in cooperation with the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences. The pilot project "Grüne Bioraffinerie" (Green Biorefinery) currently is underway at the Forschungs-institut Bioaktive Polymersysteme BIOPOS Teltow-Seehof (FI Biopos e.V. - Research Institute Bioactive Polymer Systems BIOPOS). The primary fractionation of green biomass and the production of proteins, fermentation agents, animal feed and biogas are demonstrated in the Havelland by connection to a greenstuffs drying plant with an annual throughput of 20,000 tonnes of biomass. The FI Biopos e.V. and 14 other partners developed a biorefinery process converting hardwood raw material (beech, poplar) into monomer sugars and lignin, which currently is imple-mented in a pilot application at the chemical industry site Leuna. At the Institute for Agricultural and Urban Ecology Projects at the Berlin Humboldt University (IASP), the collaboration project "FABES-Modul: Biokatalytischer Aufschluss von Biomasse für eine kombinierte energetische und stoffliche Verwertung" (FABES Module: Biocatalytic Pulping of Biomass for Combined Energy and Material Applications) is pursued. In addition to science partners such as the ATB, also small and medium-sized enterprises both from the Land Brandenburg and the Land Berlin are involved in the research and development collaboration. The project goal is to increase the net energy yield per area unit in connection with an efficient conversion of biomass. In doing so, the coupled utilisation of special energy plants as well as of organic residual matter and waste is a central point.
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5.3 Research and Development
In addition to two universities and five universities of applied sciences, the Land Brandenburg features a large number of extramural research institutions and closely cooperates with the Land Berlin. At many of these research institutions, the sustained, efficient production of biomass, the development and optimisa-tion of processes for the material and energy utilisation of biomass as well as biomass logistics are a matter of intensive research. Moreover, enterprises are active in particular as regards research on material biomass applications. Research on the Production, Availability and Logistics of Biomass Amongst others, the university of applied sciences Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (HNEE), the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB) e.V., the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V. Müncheberg, the Forschungsinstitut für Bergbaufolgelandschaften (FIB - Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes) e.V. and the Institut für Getreideverarbeitung Potsdam-Rehbrücke (IGV - Institute for Corn Processing) work on the production and availability of biomass including agrarian wood. The university of applied sciences Technische Hochschule Wildau (FH) researches biomass logis-tics. At the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), research is conducted as regards organic mix pellets made from various vegetable raw materials such as hollyhock, willow, sunflower seed shells and straw.
By way of example, the cooperation of Brandenburg research institutions, public authorities and non-profit associations in Germany-wide collaborative projects on site-adapted cultivation systems of energy plants (EVA), on the establishment of extensive strategies for land use (ELKE) or on the cultivation of fast- growing trees (FastWOOD) may be mentioned in this context. In various research projects, the ZALF develops methods for the ex ante estimation of consequences in the cultivation of biomass for energy and further material utilisation. By now, these approaches to evaluation are under trial in several national and international studies. In 2004, research institutions in Berlin and Branden-burg joined forces in the research platform "Ländliche Räume Berlin-Brandenburg" (Rural Regions Berlin-Brandenburg). Their aim is to investigate resources as well as the development potential and development strategies for the rural regions. Utilisation of Biomass for Material Applications With hydrothermal carbonisation, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam developed a process for the transformation of "wet" biomass to biocoal. Organic waste such as cuttings, leaves, residual matter from harvests or dung can be used for this purpose. At temperatures around 200°C and a pressure of about 20 bar, the biomass is dehydrated. The resulting products can be used in material applications (e.g. as a basis for the chemical industry or for improving soil fertility as a valuable carbon fertiliser) or in energy applications.
The federal state government is aware of the significance of knowledge and technology transfer for the propa-gation and the further development of innovative technologies and procedures. Networking between relevant protagonists participants on the respective regional level is necessary to enable the transfer of knowledge and technology, yet also to enable first contact and the introduction of cooperation between different protagonists. Therefore, the federal state government will continue to support state-wide networks and energy platforms and render its activities more effective. Regional initiatives, first and foremost those with the aim to develop and expand regional value chains in the cultivation and utilisation of biomass, are given expert support from the state administration and state-financed institutions. The principles and goals of the biomass strategy are to play a greater part, in particular in the work of state-financed networks and in the transfer of technology. LTDS 5/625-B: The federal state government supports regional energy concepts on the level of regional planning depart-ments, administrative districts and in cities and municipalities. The aim is to create a system of local and regional initiatives promoting the goals of the federal state's climate and energy policy.
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At present, work is conducted in two sites to render the process suitable for implementation on an industrial scale. The enterprise SunCoal Industries is located in Königs Wusterhausen and the enterprise CS Carbon Solutions Deutschland GmbH has its seat in Kleinmachnow.
A young scientists group at the ATB works on the efficient and sustained supply of biomethane as a high-quality energy source and of biocoal as a soil enhancer and carbon sink in the APECS project. In the BIOBRA project, the HNEE researches the use of biocoal for establishing fast-growing trees. In 2006, a pilot plant for the biotechnological produc-tion of lactic acid on the basis of renewable raw materials was put into operation at the ATB. As a basic chemical ingredient, lactic acid is used for further processing in the non-food sector (e.g. synthetics, solvents) and in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile and leather industries. In addition to rye, so typical for Brandenburg, other raw and residual materials are recycled by now and processed within a closed process chain from raw material to finished product in partly continuous process steps. Moreover, at the end of March 2007, the ATB put into operation a pilot plant for the production of products made of conserved natural fibres. This is the first realised processing of vegetable fibre raw materials such as hemp on a nearly industrial scale under competitive conditions.
The product scope of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research Potsdam-Golm comprises cellulose derivatives for medical applications, regenerated fibres, foils and comestible goods packaging as well as applications for starch in the non-food sector. The focus is on new starch derivatives and biocomposites enforced with natural fibres. The Institut für Getreideverarbeitung Bergholz-Rehbrücke (Institute for Corn Processing) produces a broad range of biogenic materials. In parallel, the department for biotechnology develops closed photo-bio reactors for the cultivation of micro algae as well as cosmetic products. At present, a laboratory trial for algae cultivation using carbon dioxide from flue gas is being conducted at the Senftenberger heating plant in cooperation with the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences. The pilot project "Grüne Bioraffinerie" (Green Biorefinery) currently is underway at the Forschungs-institut Bioaktive Polymersysteme BIOPOS Teltow-Seehof (FI Biopos e.V. - Research Institute Bioactive Polymer Systems BIOPOS). The primary fractionation of green biomass and the production of proteins, fermentation agents, animal feed and biogas are demonstrated in the Havelland by connection to a greenstuffs drying plant with an annual throughput of 20,000 tonnes of biomass. The FI Biopos e.V. and 14 other partners developed a biorefinery process converting hardwood raw material (beech, poplar) into monomer sugars and lignin, which currently is imple-mented in a pilot application at the chemical industry site Leuna. At the Institute for Agricultural and Urban Ecology Projects at the Berlin Humboldt University (IASP), the collaboration project "FABES-Modul: Biokatalytischer Aufschluss von Biomasse für eine kombinierte energetische und stoffliche Verwertung" (FABES Module: Biocatalytic Pulping of Biomass for Combined Energy and Material Applications) is pursued. In addition to science partners such as the ATB, also small and medium-sized enterprises both from the Land Brandenburg and the Land Berlin are involved in the research and development collaboration. The project goal is to increase the net energy yield per area unit in connection with an efficient conversion of biomass. In doing so, the coupled utilisation of special energy plants as well as of organic residual matter and waste is a central point.
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In April 2009, the "Technologieplattform Branden burger Bioraffinerien" (Technology Platform Branden-burg Biorefineries) was established. It unites research institutions, universities and enterprises working on practical projects and developments in the field of biorefineries and who want to become active within a network. The aim is to develop a strategy for research, development and demonstration of bio-refineries including the connection of Brandenburg regions with the East German chemical industry triangle. Production and Utilisation of Bioenergy Technologies for the production of bioenergy, in particular the production of biogas, are being (further) developed at the BTU, the ATB and at the University of Applied Sciences Brandenburg. Main focus is on the development and optimisation of processes for the production of biogas.
At the ATB, for instance, new approaches to a contin-uous production of biogas from organic solid matter were developed and successfully tested on a small technical scale. Work at the BTU Cottbus focuses on the optimisation of biogas production from solid and liquid waste in a two-stage process.
The federal state government will continue to support research and development work in the field of biomass production, bioenergy production and utilisation and on processes for material biomass application and initiate such projects in a targeted manner. This includes scientific research on the sustainability of biomass produc-tion as well as development to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of existing facilities. Innovative proce-dures for the energetic and material application of biomass has highest priority, alongside research on the establishment of biorefineries. In addition to publicly funded research institutions, support is provided also to enterprises active in the development of technologies for the aforementioned focal points. The federal state government will continue to force the development of a biorefinery concept as a cooperation project of agriculture, science and chemical industry in a targeted manner and realise cooperation options with the new chemical-biotechnological process centre in Leuna. LTDS 5/625-B: Innovative environmental and energy technologies are an important major focus in research and energy policy. Here, particular support and further development is required as regards the combination of efficiency and renewable energies and, in detail, photovoltaics, biomass utilisation and geothermal energy as well as the further development of energy storage technologies. The federal state government submits a concept regarding research, technology development and implemen-tation of biomass refinery demonstration plants embedded into the state's regional structures and structural development.
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5.4 Public Relations
Informing experts, communal decision makers and the public is indispensable in achieving the biomass strategy goals. A basis for accepting biomass production and utilisation has to be created in particu-lar amongst the population. In the context of public relations, the federal state government's sector-related administration organises conferences on topical issues on the production of biomass and its utilisation. Worthy of note are in particular the events hosted by the Landesamt für Ländliche Entwicklung, Landwirtschaft und Flurneu-ordnung (LELF - State Office for Rural Development, Agriculture and Land Reassignment), the Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz (LUGV - State Office for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection), the Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz (MUGV - State Ministry for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) and by the state- financed energy platforms. Furthermore, members of the state's sector-related administrations represent the federal state government on numerous regional and supraregional events and conferences.
www.mugv.brandenburg.de and www.eti-brandenburg.de, the websites of the MUGV and of the Energie Technologie Initiative Brandenburg (ETI - Energy Technology Initiative Brandenburg) provide encompassing information as regards the cultivation and energy utilisation of biomass in Bran-denburg. Moreover, the ETI prepares and provides a wide range of information material and specialist bro-chures free of charge.
Brochure Biogas in Agriculture A Guideline for Farmers and Investors in the Land Brandenburg
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In April 2009, the "Technologieplattform Branden burger Bioraffinerien" (Technology Platform Branden-burg Biorefineries) was established. It unites research institutions, universities and enterprises working on practical projects and developments in the field of biorefineries and who want to become active within a network. The aim is to develop a strategy for research, development and demonstration of bio-refineries including the connection of Brandenburg regions with the East German chemical industry triangle. Production and Utilisation of Bioenergy Technologies for the production of bioenergy, in particular the production of biogas, are being (further) developed at the BTU, the ATB and at the University of Applied Sciences Brandenburg. Main focus is on the development and optimisation of processes for the production of biogas.
At the ATB, for instance, new approaches to a contin-uous production of biogas from organic solid matter were developed and successfully tested on a small technical scale. Work at the BTU Cottbus focuses on the optimisation of biogas production from solid and liquid waste in a two-stage process.
The federal state government will continue to support research and development work in the field of biomass production, bioenergy production and utilisation and on processes for material biomass application and initiate such projects in a targeted manner. This includes scientific research on the sustainability of biomass produc-tion as well as development to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of existing facilities. Innovative proce-dures for the energetic and material application of biomass has highest priority, alongside research on the establishment of biorefineries. In addition to publicly funded research institutions, support is provided also to enterprises active in the development of technologies for the aforementioned focal points. The federal state government will continue to force the development of a biorefinery concept as a cooperation project of agriculture, science and chemical industry in a targeted manner and realise cooperation options with the new chemical-biotechnological process centre in Leuna. LTDS 5/625-B: Innovative environmental and energy technologies are an important major focus in research and energy policy. Here, particular support and further development is required as regards the combination of efficiency and renewable energies and, in detail, photovoltaics, biomass utilisation and geothermal energy as well as the further development of energy storage technologies. The federal state government submits a concept regarding research, technology development and implemen-tation of biomass refinery demonstration plants embedded into the state's regional structures and structural development.
35
5.4 Public Relations
Informing experts, communal decision makers and the public is indispensable in achieving the biomass strategy goals. A basis for accepting biomass production and utilisation has to be created in particu-lar amongst the population. In the context of public relations, the federal state government's sector-related administration organises conferences on topical issues on the production of biomass and its utilisation. Worthy of note are in particular the events hosted by the Landesamt für Ländliche Entwicklung, Landwirtschaft und Flurneu-ordnung (LELF - State Office for Rural Development, Agriculture and Land Reassignment), the Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz (LUGV - State Office for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection), the Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz (MUGV - State Ministry for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) and by the state- financed energy platforms. Furthermore, members of the state's sector-related administrations represent the federal state government on numerous regional and supraregional events and conferences.
www.mugv.brandenburg.de and www.eti-brandenburg.de, the websites of the MUGV and of the Energie Technologie Initiative Brandenburg (ETI - Energy Technology Initiative Brandenburg) provide encompassing information as regards the cultivation and energy utilisation of biomass in Bran-denburg. Moreover, the ETI prepares and provides a wide range of information material and specialist bro-chures free of charge.
Brochure Biogas in Agriculture A Guideline for Farmers and Investors in the Land Brandenburg
36
5.5 Federal Government Initiatives and EU Projects
Competition Bioenergy Regions Two Brandenburg regions met with success in the bioenergy regions competition organised by the Federal Ministry for Agriculture: Märkisch-Oderland geht den Holzweg (Märkisch-Oderland on the right track with wood) and the Bioenergy Region Ludwigs-felde. The aim of the bioenergy region Märkisch-Oderland is the creation of regional value chains for the sustain-able use of wood as a local energy source. This is to substitute fossil energy sources, reduce CO2 emis-sions and create jobs. Furthermore, Märkisch-Oderland is to be developed into a knowledge centre for the efficient and sustainable use of wood as an energy source and serve the Federal Republic of
Germany as a model region with its technological achievements and networking structures. The main goal for the bioenergy region Ludwigsfelde is the medium-term displacement of fossil energy sources to the greatest possible extent by regionally available biogenic raw materials and other forms of renewable energy. As regards the raw materials for energy generation, the focus is on residual matter, that accrues anyway and currently is not used for energy (e.g. sewage sludge, straw, liquid manure, dung, organic waste) and on the cultivation of energy plants on former sewage farm soils. With innovative methods, new paths in the utilisation of bioenergy are also to be explored in the region. To this end, the inclusion of research potential, for example, in hydro-thermal carbonisation or in the cultivation of energy plants on former sewage farms is planned.
The federal state government recognises the urgency of informing experts and the wider public on issues regarding the production and utilisation of biomass. Providing information to the professional public is on-going and further expanded by way of sector-specific events. In a targeted manner, municipalities in rural areas are encouraged and supported to supply their ener-gy demand from regional resources. Instruments for increasing the acceptance of biomass production and utilisation amongst the population need improving. Here, the federal state government will take appropriate measures in the context of the implemen-tation strategy for the Energy Strategy 2020. To this end, the department "Strategic Communication" was newly established within the Ministry for Economics and European Affairs. Moreover, the regional planning departments are to be supported to enable intensive work on the topic of renewable energies. The federal state government will furthermore commission supporting expert reports on the following issues: Expert report on the energy potential of livestock manure including an initiative towards mobilisation of this
potential Mobilisation strategy for private forest wood Potential and strategies for the exploitation of unused residual matter potential from forestry (residual wood)
and the food industry - Feasibility study on the utilisation of biofuels in public vehicle fleets Coalition agreement SPD and DIE LINKE: The federal state government will accompany the increased utilisation of renewable energies with encompass-ing, people-oriented comprehensible communication and expert support of regional and local initiatives. For the targeted promotion of this concern, a state competition for "Bioenergy Villages" will be called. LTDS 5/625-B: Together with the regional protagonists and under inclusion of scientific expertise, the federal state govern-ment is preparing a publicly accessible "Energy and Climate Protection Atlas" for Brandenburg, to illustrate the existing realistic potential ... and realistic storage options for renewable energies, which region uses how much energy from the various sources, to what extent CO2 is emitted and how energy consumption and CO2 emis-sions are distributed by area.
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Regional Bioenergy Consultancy Since 2005, the BioenergieBeratungBornim GmbH (B3), funded by the Agency for Renewable Resources, offers independent advisory services in the field of production and utilisation of biofuels in agriculture. On 01 September 2009, the funding for the consultancy was extended for two more years. Under the slogan "Energie für morgen – Chancen für den ländlichen Raum" (Energy for tomorrow – Chances for the rural regions), farmers and foresters, who want to produce and utilise bioenergy them-selves, can obtain individual free information directly on site. In addition to a basic consultancy, B3 offers an operational analysis and the preparation of a basic concept. Moreover, farmers are supported in their public relations in order to create more understanding for renewable raw materials in Brandenburg. Examples for this are the development of bioenergy bicycle paths and the erection of information boards on energy plants and bioenergy facilities alongside existing bicycle paths and trails. (www.bioenergie-portal.info) EU Projects The access to EU project funds (e.g. from the programmes INTERREG or Intelligent Energies Europe IEE) constitutes one possibility of raising additional funds for measures towards the realisation of the state energy strategy goals. Current examples from the bioenergy field are the Bioenergy Promotion projects at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce IHK Potsdam (INTERREG, www.bioenergypromotion.net) with the aim to optimise national and regional political framework conditions, to develop regional model concepts and to form cooperation and enterprise networks for the promotion of bioenergy generation. The project NEBra (Nachhaltige Energiegewinnung durch Biomasse aus regionalem Anbau – Sustainable Energy Generation through Biomass from Regional Cultivation) at the BTU Cottbus intends to demon-strate prospects deriving from the energy utilisation of biomass from regional production in the Euro-region Spree-Neiße-Bober through a closed value chain. (INTERREG, www.projekt-nebra.de) One main focus is the production and trial of mix pellets.
In the context of the IEE project 5 EURES, the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (FH) looked at the development of exemplary solutions for the production and marketing of heat energy from biomass. The Ministerium für Ländliche Entwicklung, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (Ministry for Rural Develop-ment, Environment and Consumer Protection) itself was the responsible body in the INTERREG project RW for the exploitation of new energy wood potential. (www.waldwirtschaft-aber-natuerlich.de)
The federal state government welcomes the federal government's initiatives for supporting the realisa-tion of political goals as regards the production and utilisation of biomass. It will support protagonists and institutions in the Land Brandenburg in apply-ing for the corresponding federal funds. After termination of the regional bioenergy consul-tancy funded by the federal government, the federal state government aims for a continuation of this independent consultancy and strives for its expan-sion within the federal state government's means. The federal state government continues to support those protagonists endeavouring to participate or implement EU projects relating to the realisation of the biomass strategy goals.
36
5.5 Federal Government Initiatives and EU Projects
Competition Bioenergy Regions Two Brandenburg regions met with success in the bioenergy regions competition organised by the Federal Ministry for Agriculture: Märkisch-Oderland geht den Holzweg (Märkisch-Oderland on the right track with wood) and the Bioenergy Region Ludwigs-felde. The aim of the bioenergy region Märkisch-Oderland is the creation of regional value chains for the sustain-able use of wood as a local energy source. This is to substitute fossil energy sources, reduce CO2 emis-sions and create jobs. Furthermore, Märkisch-Oderland is to be developed into a knowledge centre for the efficient and sustainable use of wood as an energy source and serve the Federal Republic of
Germany as a model region with its technological achievements and networking structures. The main goal for the bioenergy region Ludwigsfelde is the medium-term displacement of fossil energy sources to the greatest possible extent by regionally available biogenic raw materials and other forms of renewable energy. As regards the raw materials for energy generation, the focus is on residual matter, that accrues anyway and currently is not used for energy (e.g. sewage sludge, straw, liquid manure, dung, organic waste) and on the cultivation of energy plants on former sewage farm soils. With innovative methods, new paths in the utilisation of bioenergy are also to be explored in the region. To this end, the inclusion of research potential, for example, in hydro-thermal carbonisation or in the cultivation of energy plants on former sewage farms is planned.
The federal state government recognises the urgency of informing experts and the wider public on issues regarding the production and utilisation of biomass. Providing information to the professional public is on-going and further expanded by way of sector-specific events. In a targeted manner, municipalities in rural areas are encouraged and supported to supply their ener-gy demand from regional resources. Instruments for increasing the acceptance of biomass production and utilisation amongst the population need improving. Here, the federal state government will take appropriate measures in the context of the implemen-tation strategy for the Energy Strategy 2020. To this end, the department "Strategic Communication" was newly established within the Ministry for Economics and European Affairs. Moreover, the regional planning departments are to be supported to enable intensive work on the topic of renewable energies. The federal state government will furthermore commission supporting expert reports on the following issues: Expert report on the energy potential of livestock manure including an initiative towards mobilisation of this
potential Mobilisation strategy for private forest wood Potential and strategies for the exploitation of unused residual matter potential from forestry (residual wood)
and the food industry - Feasibility study on the utilisation of biofuels in public vehicle fleets Coalition agreement SPD and DIE LINKE: The federal state government will accompany the increased utilisation of renewable energies with encompass-ing, people-oriented comprehensible communication and expert support of regional and local initiatives. For the targeted promotion of this concern, a state competition for "Bioenergy Villages" will be called. LTDS 5/625-B: Together with the regional protagonists and under inclusion of scientific expertise, the federal state govern-ment is preparing a publicly accessible "Energy and Climate Protection Atlas" for Brandenburg, to illustrate the existing realistic potential ... and realistic storage options for renewable energies, which region uses how much energy from the various sources, to what extent CO2 is emitted and how energy consumption and CO2 emis-sions are distributed by area.
37
Regional Bioenergy Consultancy Since 2005, the BioenergieBeratungBornim GmbH (B3), funded by the Agency for Renewable Resources, offers independent advisory services in the field of production and utilisation of biofuels in agriculture. On 01 September 2009, the funding for the consultancy was extended for two more years. Under the slogan "Energie für morgen – Chancen für den ländlichen Raum" (Energy for tomorrow – Chances for the rural regions), farmers and foresters, who want to produce and utilise bioenergy them-selves, can obtain individual free information directly on site. In addition to a basic consultancy, B3 offers an operational analysis and the preparation of a basic concept. Moreover, farmers are supported in their public relations in order to create more understanding for renewable raw materials in Brandenburg. Examples for this are the development of bioenergy bicycle paths and the erection of information boards on energy plants and bioenergy facilities alongside existing bicycle paths and trails. (www.bioenergie-portal.info) EU Projects The access to EU project funds (e.g. from the programmes INTERREG or Intelligent Energies Europe IEE) constitutes one possibility of raising additional funds for measures towards the realisation of the state energy strategy goals. Current examples from the bioenergy field are the Bioenergy Promotion projects at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce IHK Potsdam (INTERREG, www.bioenergypromotion.net) with the aim to optimise national and regional political framework conditions, to develop regional model concepts and to form cooperation and enterprise networks for the promotion of bioenergy generation. The project NEBra (Nachhaltige Energiegewinnung durch Biomasse aus regionalem Anbau – Sustainable Energy Generation through Biomass from Regional Cultivation) at the BTU Cottbus intends to demon-strate prospects deriving from the energy utilisation of biomass from regional production in the Euro-region Spree-Neiße-Bober through a closed value chain. (INTERREG, www.projekt-nebra.de) One main focus is the production and trial of mix pellets.
In the context of the IEE project 5 EURES, the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (FH) looked at the development of exemplary solutions for the production and marketing of heat energy from biomass. The Ministerium für Ländliche Entwicklung, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (Ministry for Rural Develop-ment, Environment and Consumer Protection) itself was the responsible body in the INTERREG project RW for the exploitation of new energy wood potential. (www.waldwirtschaft-aber-natuerlich.de)
The federal state government welcomes the federal government's initiatives for supporting the realisa-tion of political goals as regards the production and utilisation of biomass. It will support protagonists and institutions in the Land Brandenburg in apply-ing for the corresponding federal funds. After termination of the regional bioenergy consul-tancy funded by the federal government, the federal state government aims for a continuation of this independent consultancy and strives for its expan-sion within the federal state government's means. The federal state government continues to support those protagonists endeavouring to participate or implement EU projects relating to the realisation of the biomass strategy goals.
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References Literary sources: Agentur für Erneuerbare Energien e.V., 2009: Der volle Durchblick in Sachen Bioenergie Amt für Statistik Berlin Brandenburg, 2006: Statis-tischer Bericht E IV 4 – j/06 Energie- und CO2-Bilanz im Land Brandenburg 2006 Bilke, G. et al., 2006: Analyse der naturalen Basis der weiteren Entwicklung der energetischen Nutzung in Brandenburg. Study commissioned by the Energy Technology Initiative 2006 Bilke, G.; Muchin, A., 2007a: Kiefernholz als Ener-gielieferant in Brandenburg, In: Die Kiefer im nor-dostdeutschen Tiefland – Ökologie und Bewirtschaf-tung, Eberswalder Forstliche Schriftenreihe, Volume 17 Bilke, G.; Muchin, A., 2007b: Angebot und Bedarf an Energieholz in Brandenburg, Bornimer Agrartech-nische Berichte, Issue 61 Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (BMU), 2009: Ökologisch sinnvolle Verwertung von Bioabfällen Fachagentur für Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR), 2006: Studie Einspeisung von Biogas in das Erdgasnetz Fischer, 2006: Feuerstättenerhebung im Auftrag des MLUV 2006 Hagemann, H., 2008: Holznachfrage zur energe-tischen Verwertung in Brandenburg, In: Murach et al. (Ed.): DENDROM - Zukunftsrohstoff Dendromasse, Projekt-Endbericht, www.dendrom.de Kamm, B.; Kamm, M., 2007: Das Konzept der Bioraf-finerie - Produktion von Plattformchemikalien und Finalprodukten, In: Otto Machhammer (Ed.), Rohstoffwandel, Themenheft der Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 5 (2007) Kamm, B. et al, 2010: Green Biorefinery Demonstra-tion in Havelland/ Germany, Biofuels Bioprod. Bioref., Special Issue Biorefinery 4 Landesumweltamt Brandenburg, 2001: Erneuerbare Energien: Potenziale des Landes Brandenburg, In: Berichte aus der Arbeit, 2000 Muchin, A., et al, 2006: Energiepotenzial der Wälder in Brandenburg - Das naturale Potenzial, Dendrom – Zwischenbericht
Muchin, A., et al., 2007: Energiepotenzial der Wälder in Brandenburg – Das theoretisch nutzbare Potenzial, Publication by the Ministerium für Ländliche Entwick-lung, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz Brandenburg, compiled in the context of the final report for the pro-ject DENDROM, www.dendrom.de MUGV, 2009: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg: Agrarbericht 2008 MUGV, 2009: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg: Agrarbericht 2009 MUGV, 2009: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg: Abfallbilanz 2008 der öffentlich-rechtlichen En-tsorgungsträger des Landes Brandenburg, Status September 2009 Murach, D. et al., 2008, Ertragsermittlung und Poten-ziale von Agrarholz. In: Forst und Holz 63, Issue 6 / 2008 Murach, D., et al. (Ed.), 2009: DENDROM - Zukun-ftsrohstoff Dendromasse. Verlag Dr. Norbert Kessel. Remagen-Oberwinter Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) e.V. (Ed.), 2008: Energieholzproduktion in der Landwirtschaft, Chancen und Risiken aus der Sicht des Natur- und Umweltschutzes Piorr et al., 2010: Bioenergie-Potenziale in Branden-burg Biogas und Biokraftstoffe aus der konventionel-len landwirtschaftlichen Produktion (Ackerbau) unter Berücksichtigung des Bedarfs an Nahrungs- und Fut-termitteln und Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten, Study com-missioned by the MUGV, unpublished Schulze, M. et al., 2008, Bereitstellungsketten für Dendromasse aus Agrarholz – Produktion und Logis-tik. In: Forst und Holz 63, Issue 6 / 2008 SRU, 2007: Sachverständigenrat für Umweltfragen: Klimaschutz durch Biomasse, Sondergutachten Zimmer, J.; Schade, R.: Biomassenutzung und Bo-denfruchtbarkeit – ein Widerspruch? In: VDLUFA-Schriftenreihe 65/2009
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References Literary sources: Agentur für Erneuerbare Energien e.V., 2009: Der volle Durchblick in Sachen Bioenergie Amt für Statistik Berlin Brandenburg, 2006: Statis-tischer Bericht E IV 4 – j/06 Energie- und CO2-Bilanz im Land Brandenburg 2006 Bilke, G. et al., 2006: Analyse der naturalen Basis der weiteren Entwicklung der energetischen Nutzung in Brandenburg. Study commissioned by the Energy Technology Initiative 2006 Bilke, G.; Muchin, A., 2007a: Kiefernholz als Ener-gielieferant in Brandenburg, In: Die Kiefer im nor-dostdeutschen Tiefland – Ökologie und Bewirtschaf-tung, Eberswalder Forstliche Schriftenreihe, Volume 17 Bilke, G.; Muchin, A., 2007b: Angebot und Bedarf an Energieholz in Brandenburg, Bornimer Agrartech-nische Berichte, Issue 61 Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (BMU), 2009: Ökologisch sinnvolle Verwertung von Bioabfällen Fachagentur für Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR), 2006: Studie Einspeisung von Biogas in das Erdgasnetz Fischer, 2006: Feuerstättenerhebung im Auftrag des MLUV 2006 Hagemann, H., 2008: Holznachfrage zur energe-tischen Verwertung in Brandenburg, In: Murach et al. (Ed.): DENDROM - Zukunftsrohstoff Dendromasse, Projekt-Endbericht, www.dendrom.de Kamm, B.; Kamm, M., 2007: Das Konzept der Bioraf-finerie - Produktion von Plattformchemikalien und Finalprodukten, In: Otto Machhammer (Ed.), Rohstoffwandel, Themenheft der Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 5 (2007) Kamm, B. et al, 2010: Green Biorefinery Demonstra-tion in Havelland/ Germany, Biofuels Bioprod. Bioref., Special Issue Biorefinery 4 Landesumweltamt Brandenburg, 2001: Erneuerbare Energien: Potenziale des Landes Brandenburg, In: Berichte aus der Arbeit, 2000 Muchin, A., et al, 2006: Energiepotenzial der Wälder in Brandenburg - Das naturale Potenzial, Dendrom – Zwischenbericht
Muchin, A., et al., 2007: Energiepotenzial der Wälder in Brandenburg – Das theoretisch nutzbare Potenzial, Publication by the Ministerium für Ländliche Entwick-lung, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz Brandenburg, compiled in the context of the final report for the pro-ject DENDROM, www.dendrom.de MUGV, 2009: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg: Agrarbericht 2008 MUGV, 2009: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg: Agrarbericht 2009 MUGV, 2009: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg: Abfallbilanz 2008 der öffentlich-rechtlichen En-tsorgungsträger des Landes Brandenburg, Status September 2009 Murach, D. et al., 2008, Ertragsermittlung und Poten-ziale von Agrarholz. In: Forst und Holz 63, Issue 6 / 2008 Murach, D., et al. (Ed.), 2009: DENDROM - Zukun-ftsrohstoff Dendromasse. Verlag Dr. Norbert Kessel. Remagen-Oberwinter Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) e.V. (Ed.), 2008: Energieholzproduktion in der Landwirtschaft, Chancen und Risiken aus der Sicht des Natur- und Umweltschutzes Piorr et al., 2010: Bioenergie-Potenziale in Branden-burg Biogas und Biokraftstoffe aus der konventionel-len landwirtschaftlichen Produktion (Ackerbau) unter Berücksichtigung des Bedarfs an Nahrungs- und Fut-termitteln und Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten, Study com-missioned by the MUGV, unpublished Schulze, M. et al., 2008, Bereitstellungsketten für Dendromasse aus Agrarholz – Produktion und Logis-tik. In: Forst und Holz 63, Issue 6 / 2008 SRU, 2007: Sachverständigenrat für Umweltfragen: Klimaschutz durch Biomasse, Sondergutachten Zimmer, J.; Schade, R.: Biomassenutzung und Bo-denfruchtbarkeit – ein Widerspruch? In: VDLUFA-Schriftenreihe 65/2009
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Internet sources: Deutsches Pelletinstitut, 2010: www.DEPi.de, Mark-treport Heizen mit Pelllets, accessed 27.03.2010 BMU, 2009: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Na-turschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, http://www.erneuerbare-energien.de/files/pdfs/ allge-mein/application/pdf/ee_in_deutschland_ graf_tab_2008.pdf, accessed 13.11.2009
Other sources Carus, Michael, 2010, nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH, Lecture on 09.03.2010 in Luckenwalde
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Imprint Biomass Strategy of the Land Brandenburg Published by: Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Ver-braucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg (Land Brandenburg State Ministry for the Environment, Pub-lic Health and Consumer Protection) Heinrich-Mann-Allee 103 14473 Potsdam Author: Dipl. Geogr. Tanja Kenkmann [email protected] In cooperation with: Prof. Dr Hans-Peter Piorr, Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung (FH) Eberswalde (University of Applied Sciences for Sustained Development Eberswalde) Dr Georg Wagener-Lohse, Kompetenznetzwerk Mine-ralölwirtschaft / Biokraftstoffe Brandenburg-Berlin (Competence Network Oil Industry / Biofuels Bran-denburg-Berlin) Helmut Bronk, Landschaftspflegeverband Spree-Neiße e.V. (Landscape Management Association Spree-Neiße) as well as: Sabine Blossey, Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Brandenburg (Land Branden-burg State Ministry for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) Dr Gernod Bilke, Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg (State Company Brandenburg Forest) Christian Hohm, Ministerium für Infrastruktur und Landwirtschaft Brandenburg (Land Brandenburg State Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture) Carsten Linke, Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Brandenburg (Land Branden-burg State Office for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) Reinhard Priebe and Jörg Zimmer, Landesamt für Ländliche Entwicklung, Landwirtschaft und Flurneu-ordnung (State Office for Rural Development, Agricul-ture and Land Reassignment) The Land Brandenburg State Ministry for the Envi-ronment, Public Health and Consumer Protection sincerely thanks all participants for their contributions! August 2010
Picture credits: © ATB, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim: Page 27: Lactic acid pilot plant, Page 34: Batch experiments biogas laboratory, Page 33: Lactic acid bottles © Fotolia.com: Title below: Jim Adams, Page 14: Tim-ber lorry: Sebastian Freund, Page 25: Corn: tomas, Page 10: Bales of straw: Bernd Kröger, Page 25: Cow: Andi Taranczuk, Page 16: Bioethanol plant: AZPworldwide, Page 18: Residual forest wood: Ger-hard Seybert, Page 15: Pieces of beech wood: JYF, Page 22: Linseed field: Joss © ETI: Title: Above and centre, Page 7: Harvesting short rotational crop plantations, Page 11: Biogas plant Senftenberg, Page 29: Biogas plant Sauen, Page 32: ETI information event, Page 35: Title Biogas Guidelines Brandenburg Translation from the German: Aksana L. Coxhead for Alpha Translation Service®, Cottbus
This brochure is part of the public relations activities of the Land Brandenburg State Ministry for the Environ-ment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and of the Land Brandenburg State Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture. It is distributed free of charge and not intended for sale. The utilisation for electoral adver-tisement purposes is not permitted.
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Internet sources: Deutsches Pelletinstitut, 2010: www.DEPi.de, Mark-treport Heizen mit Pelllets, accessed 27.03.2010 BMU, 2009: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Na-turschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, http://www.erneuerbare-energien.de/files/pdfs/ allge-mein/application/pdf/ee_in_deutschland_ graf_tab_2008.pdf, accessed 13.11.2009
Other sources Carus, Michael, 2010, nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH, Lecture on 09.03.2010 in Luckenwalde
Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheitund Verbraucherschutzdes Landes Brandenburg
Referat Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Heinrich-Mann-Allee 10314473 PotsdamTel: (0331) 8 66-72 37Fax: (0331) 8 66-70 18E-Mail: [email protected]
Ministry of the Environment, Health and Consumer Protection State of Brandenburg
Ministerium für Umwelt, Gesundheitund Verbraucherschutzdes Landes Brandenburg
Referat Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Heinrich-Mann-Allee 10314473 PotsdamTel: (0331) 8 66-72 37Fax: (0331) 8 66-70 18E-Mail: [email protected]