• H2020
• Societal Challenges
• Bioeconomy

In an interview with Portal, the Biofuels ETP secretariat detailed the action being taken to realise a green European energy society that harnesses its power from the natural environment.

In April, the European Parliament voted in favour of new legislation regarding indirect land use change impacts of biofuels (iLUC), bringing forward new rules governing how EU member states can meet the target of 10% for renewables in transport fuels by 2020. MEPs voted in favour of a 7% cap on the contribution of biofuels produced from ‘food’ crops, in addition to a greater emphasis on the production of advanced biofuels from waste feedstocks.

With this backdrop, Portal spoke to Birger Kerckow and Britta Müller, of the European Biofuels Technology Platform (EBTP) secretariat, to learn more about the platform’s work, its contribution to Horizon 2020 and the barriers to biofuel breakthroughs.

Balancing land use between growing food and the production of renewable energy should be possible, says the EBTP © Pezibear

What are the main aims of the EBTP?

Established in 2006, the EBTP brings together the knowledge and expertise of stakeholders from industry, biomass production, research and technology development, engine and vehicle manufacturing, fuel distribution, government and NGOs in a public private partnership.

The EBTP aims to contribute to the development of cost-competitive, world class biofuel value chains and the creation of a healthy biofuels industry.

The platform also aims to accelerate the sustainable deployment of biofuels in the EU through a process of guidance, prioritisation and the promotion of research, technology development and demonstration.

What are the core components of the Strategic Research Agenda?

By producing the SRA, we draw European policy makers’ attention to the most important fields of research and innovation to enable the production of world class, competitive biofuels. In addition, a strategic deployment document will be published which contributes to meeting the needs and challenges of the practical implementation and deployment of the activities. The latest SRA dates back to 2010 and is currently being updated, with the final version expected to be launched by the end of 2015.

How does the ETP contribute to the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative (EIBI)?

Biofuels and bioenergy play a prominent

role in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). Ensuring that advanced biofuel technologies provide competitive alternatives to fossil fuels, while respecting the sustainability of their production, was identified as one of the key EU technology challenges for the next decade in order to meet the EU’s 2020 energy targets.

The EIBI is one of the industrial initiatives under the SET-Plan that aim to prioritise and facilitate ‘first-of-a-kind’ demonstration of innovative ‘clean energy’ technologies in Europe. The aim of the EIBI is to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of all steps of a value chain, from feedstock through conversion to end product, on a single site based on technologies that are not yet commercially available and which could be deployed on a large scale, thus excluding existing biofuels and heat and power technologies.

Since 2009, the EBTP has helped to shape the EIBI in close collaboration with the European Commission and EU member states. The EBTP provides the core industrial inputs to EIBI. EIBI industrial representatives have also compiled the priorities of Theme 13 of the SET-Plan Integrated Roadmap, namely ‘Developing sustainable biofuels, fuel cells and hydrogen and alternative fuels for the European transport fuel mix’. Liaison between the EBTP EIBI team representatives and the steering committee and working groups of EBTP is ensured.

How is the EBTP influencing the direction of Horizon 2020?

The ongoing structured dialogue between the EBTP and the Commission, in particular DG Research and Innovation and DG Energy, allows a unique exchange of information on biofuels policy and technological development. Recommendations by EBTP, direct or via discussions in the EIBI, have been incorporated in the Horizon 2020 work programme priorities on a reasonable scale.

What are the EBTP’s thoughts on the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU)?

The BBI JU is a key group for the EU’s bioeconomy, biorefineries and the promotion of research, development and demonstration in the forthcoming years; it contributes to a good interaction between the Commission and the EU member states. Partnerships within the bioeconomy sector are essential for EU leadership in globally competitive technology sectors.

The EBTP welcomes the initiative, which includes industry and their technology development; other European Technology Platforms are involved as associate members within the BBI. As some members of the EBTP Steering Committee are also involved in the BBI JU consortium, an associated membership on behalf of the EBTP wasn’t deemed necessary.

So far, the Horizon 2020 budget for the BBI JU stems from the bioeconomy proportion, rather than energy, and the results of the first call for proposals have only been partly published. Announced so far is UPM’s ‘Value added chemical building blocks and lignin from wood’, or ValChem, project, which combines the competences of the forest, chemical and biotechnology industries to realise a sustainable and innovative integrated process from wood to end products; this venture has received €13.1m in funding. EBTP sees a number of significant synergies of advanced biofuels and the scope of the BBI JU.

What are the challenges in increasing the uptake of these biofuel breakthroughs?

EU policy has a significant influence on national policies, and consequently on the funding and development of advanced biofuels; any uncertainty is seen as an obstacle. The discussion about iLUC has finally been settled, but the 2030 Climate and Energy Framework proposal from the European Commission does not include any specific target for the transport sector, and thus no incentives for biofuels. The transport sector, as a whole, is one of the areas that will be tackled within the European Energy Union framework. It shall ensure secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy in the future.

It will take time for the different EU member states to react and develop national strategies for the deployment of advanced biofuels. Investment in biofuel projects, including serving debt over 10-12 years and equity over 20 years, is not possible without guarantees of regulatory stability of similar tenor. To achieve an investor-friendly environment, a long term stable policy at EU and national level is needed which will lead to a situation where renewables will eventually compete with fossil fuels. The ongoing debate on sustainability needs to be settled by finding a recognised standard which applies to all biomass sectors (biofuels, other bioenergy, bioproducts, food and feed).

The main challenges to advancing biofuels today are a positive and reliable policy and market framework until 2020 and beyond, the access to finances for the commercialisation of new conversion technologies that have successfully passed earlier development stages, and the provision of secure, sustainable and long term biomass feedstock supply. Regarding finances, the InnovFin Energy Demo Projects facility could be a major step forward to bring innovative technologies to the market and make them bankable.

Regarding the development of biomass, advanced biofuels based on cellulosic feedstocks, various waste streams and algae have a large potential in the future. The biomass feedstock situation across the EU is very diverse, and different policies exist on promotion of biofuels. This creates differentiated economic values for the same products across EU member states and because of this, and the fact that corresponding regulations are not yet stable, it is not possible to point directly at priority technologies whose development would ensure that the 10% target can be met.

Energy crops produced under sustainable practices can provide an important contribution. More specifically, perennial lignocellulosic species can be grown on average on lower quality land and could actually help to ‘remove’ the seasonality burden of residual feedstocks in a region. Additionally, energy crops can add value to local economies by diversifying opportunities for the farming communities and create/maintain green jobs in rural areas.

The main challenges facing the biomass supply generally and the provision of energy crops are: supplying diverse markets and consumer needs (bio-cascading solutions); expanding feedstock supplies including sustainable trade; meeting the quality requirements of the processes through improved certification; and maximising yield per unit area by minimising negative environmental impacts.

EBTP considers energy crops as part of the mix for the security of biomass supply to the sector, and as such supports actions that maximise synergies in the forest and agricultural industries, as well as developing optimal patterns for the use of raw material accounting for all markets and end products. A positive and reliable policy and market framework would be desirable, as the technologies and the feedstock are already available.

How can the development of biofuels be appropriately balanced with growing food in Europe?

In order to prevent too much farmland/crops from being devoted to biofuel production instead of food, the EU opted to promote the use of wastes, residues and lignocellulosic material by making biofuels derived from these feedstocks count for double their real energy value.

In theory, there is enough land available to feed a growing population and allow the production of renewable energies without any conflicts. Many losses occur during food production, processing or handling and cause food shortage in some regions of the world. A set of measures, such as supply with modern inputs, improved facilities for the storage of the harvests to avoid losses, improved access to markets, better extension services, more research to increase the production per hectare as well as education and training, need to be implemented in such regions. In Europe, biofuels for transport are part of an important strategy to improve fuel security and independency, mitigate climate change and support rural development.

How important a role will biofuels play in future sustainable transport?

The EBTP supports the European alternative fuels strategy that was launched in 2013 by the European Commission. The EU institution’s communication sets out a comprehensive alternative fuels strategy and the road to its implementation, covering all modes of transport. It aims at establishing a long term policy framework to guide technological development and investments in the deployment of these fuels and give confidence to consumers.

The strategy states: ‘For certain modes of transport, in particular long distance road freight and aviation, limited alternatives are available. There is no single fuel solution for the future of mobility and all main alternative fuel options must be pursued, with a focus on the needs of each transport mode.

‘A strategic approach for the Union to meet the long term needs of all transport modes must therefore build on a comprehensive mix of alternative fuels. All options need to be included in the strategy without giving preference to any particular fuel, thereby keeping technology neutrality.’

Among alternative fuels, advanced biofuels are the best to fulfil the criteria of renewability and low fossil carbon content. Market introduction will be easiest for biofuels that are fully fungible, i.e. can be easily blended with fuels currently on the market. However, there are also opportunities for niche value chains that can be successfully exploited in a more distributed manner, where there is a favourable combination of feedstock, for example forestry/paper mill residues and end use, e.g. freight fleets.

The winning options will be the pathways that best address combined strategic and sustainability targets: environmental performances, security and diversification of energy supply, economic competitiveness and public acceptance.

Birger Kerckow

Britta Müller

European Biofuels Technology Platform secretariat

This article first appeared in the seventh edition of Horizon 2020 Projects: Portal, which is now available here.