Improving sustainable biomass utilisation in North West Europe

With increasing dependency on fossil fuels, biomass is key to meeting the European Union’s renewable targets for both heat and electricity in 2020. A significant majority of the biomass required can be produced within the EU. Based on the Renewable Energy Action Plans for NWE Member States in 2010, it is estimated that biomass production for energy in NWE could increase by 69% to 2020, but only if significant improvements to the supply chain are made, e.g. through the energetic use of currently disposed waste streams or the sustainable production of biomass on non-agricultural land.