Increasing the climate benefits of bioenergy by including the carbon opportunity cost of biomass in energy system models

What are cost-effective ways to use biomass from agriculture and forestry for energy purposes?
This project has broadened the perspective and analysed the implications for future energy systems by including changes in the carbon stock in soil, living biomass, and the atmosphere when calculating the climate impact of using raw materials from agriculture and forestry for energy purposes.

The project has used a detailed energy system model for Europe (PyPSA) and calculated the cost-effective use of biomass in a future with zero carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector. Unlike previous studies, this project has included the effects of land use to calculate carbon dioxide emissions from wind, solar, and various forms of biomass.

The analysis shows that such a perspective results in a halving of biomass use. It also means that certain types of biomass feedstock are not used, primarily feedstock from trunk wood.

However, taking the carbon opportunity cost into account does not change the sectors in which biomass is used: it is primarily used to produce heat in industry and to produce liquid fuel, regardless of the land-use perspective.