Bioenergy
In 2023, bioenergy accounted for 2.4% of global electricity production. Bioenergy is widely assumed to be carbon neutral, but recent scientific evidence shows that many forms of bioenergy are a major risk of significant carbon emissions.
Share of bioenergy in global electricity (%)
Overview
Small player in global electricity - but emissions risks remain
Ember’s Global Electricity Review revealed that global electricity generation from bioenergy increased 4.5 times from 2000 to 2023, from 154 TWh to 697 TWh. In 2023, China produced the most electricity from bioenergy, representing more than a quarter of global bioenergy generation, followed by Brazil and Japan. European countries – where the primary form of bioenergy for power is wood derived from forests – are also major consumers, accounting for a combined 28% of global bioenergy consumption.
The IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario sees an almost five-fold increase in electricity generation from solid bioenergy by 2050. However, IPCC models aligned with 1.5C show just 2% of bioenergy by 2040. Scientific evidence is mounting that in some cases using bioenergy for power contributes to climate change, which renders bioenergy a questionable approach for power sector decarbonisation. Other clean power generation will likely be a more viable option.
Last updated: May 2024
The world's biggest bioenergy generators
Ember position
Bioenergy in the power sector risks jeopardising net zero
Burning bioenergy is a very risky method of generating power and so its large-scale inclusion in the power sector jeopardises our ability to reach net zero emissions. Given the availability of risk-free alternatives to generating electricity such as wind and solar, countries should aim to minimise or eliminate the inclusion of large-scale bioenergy in the power sector.
Bioenergy, particularly solid biomass in the form of wood, is often seen as a carbon neutral alternative to solid fossil fuels, for example in the EU Emissions Trading System. However, a growing majority of scientific evidence shows that burning biomass, in particular wood, for power is often not carbon neutral – and in some circumstances can be a worse polluter than coal.
Beyond the high-carbon risk, the IPCC outlines how large-scale bioenergy is associated with a number of other consequential risks, including in food production, biodiversity, social cohesion and human rights, by driving up demand for land, and leading to the over-use of water and nutrient resources.
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is now being piloted at small scale as a way to create negative emissions. Ensuring true negative emissions in the long-term is dependent on replanting and commitment to manage energy crops and forests over many decades after the point of generation. BECCS carries with it the same risks and uncertainties as unabated bioenergy burning, and so must be approached carefully and with caution by decision-makers. Other routes to negative emissions may be lower risk, including land-use restoration and afforestation.
