Full Title: Recycle: Bioenergy
Author(s): International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Publisher(s): International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Publication Date: August 28, 2020
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Description (excerpt):
In an era of accelerating change, the need to create energy systems that guarantee a secure and affordable energy supply globally while protecting the environment is strengthening the momentum for a global energy transformation. That transformation involves moving away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of energy, supported by increased efficiency and the reduction of total overall energy consumption. Bioenergy will have essential roles in all sectors in this energy transformation and in building a climate-friendly circular carbon economy that delivers economic and social benefits.
Bioenergy is the largest source of renewable energy in use today, globally accounting for 70% of the renewable energy supply and for 10% of the total primary energy supply in 2017. Bioenergy has key roles as a source of energy and as a feedstock that can replace fossil fuels in end-use sectors (industry, transport and buildings), and it can contribute to balancing an electricity grid that has high shares of variable renewables, such as solar PV and wind. Bioenergy technologies are developing rapidly and have significant potential to scale up by 2050. The share of primary energy met with modern bioenergy could increase almost five times from 5% to 23% in 2050. Meanwhile, traditional uses of bioenergy, which account for a large share of bioenergy demand today, must be phased out.