The future of bioenergy
Many countries are forging ahead with bioenergy fuels. Examples of various applications are: the co-firing of wood and straw with coal; blending bioethanol with petrol, and biodeisel with mineral diesel; anaerobic fermentation of organic residues to produce biogas. New Zealand can do the same and does so already in certain cases.
By identifying the appropriate opportunities, New Zealand can further develop bioenergy technologies to meet its energy requirements in a sustainable and environmentally sound way.
The total annual organic waste stream in New Zealand is estimated to be 13.7 million green tonnes. Forest residues left on cutovers and skidsites is estimated to be 2.3 million tonnes per year.
Wood waste produced at wood processing sites is estimated to be 4 million tonnes per year. The amount of wood waste from the processing sites which are not utilised is estimated to be 600,000 tonnes per year. These are figures as of 2005 and are changing constantly. It is also estimated that at present 400,000 tonnes of firewood is utilised per year (5 PJ with a calorific value of 12 GJ/tonne).
Small localised power stations (or distributed generation) are a promising future for the electricity supply industry. These will cut down on transmission losses and help to minimise the costs of reinforcing or upgrading electricity distribution systems. They may also increase reliability of supply and replace the need for future large centralised power stations.
Compared to centralised power plants consuming fossil fuels, bioenergy plants can provide energy for local customers, using local fuels, thus providing local employment and profits. For information about new Government initiatives to remove barriers to distributed generation see MED discusion paper: Facilitating distributed generation on this topic.
The development of a strong home market will be essential to the success of New Zealand businesses in the international bioenergy marketplace in the future.
Another important factor in favour of bioenergy is the Waste Minimisation Strategy. The New Zealand Government has implemented a waste minimisation strategy to reduce the negative impact of the organic waste streams on the environment. The strategy has many targets related to the organic part of the waste stream.