Since 2008 the Vienna University of Technology/ Energy Economics Group (EEG) collaborates intensively with the IEA Bioenergy Task 40. As a result numerous subtasks and workshops could be conducted and published regarding dynamics of bioenergy markets as well as their chances but also problems related to international bioenergy trade. Through meetings on a regular basis task members are able to work flexible on current issues as well as in teams within the task framework.
The focus on international biomass trade remains a vital priority in the upcoming triennium, but all current task members agree that biomass will increasingly also be utilized in the biobased economy (BBE) for new material purposes, such as bio-plastics, biomaterials and other applications before/next to direct use for energy. It is likely that both with regard to feedstocks (use of high quality lignocellulose for chemical purposes, waste wood and residues for energy) and/or intermediates (use sugars / high quality polymers for material purposes, lignin for energy), use for materials will become an important secondary use next to bioenergy. The bioeconomy aspect will broaden the focus of the Implementing Agreement and the Task 40 in particular.
This objective, as well as bioenergy trade focused issues, will be tackled increasingly by applying so called inter-task studies. Examples from the triennium 2013-2015 are studies about the market development of biomethane as well as a first study about the bioeconomy and its implications for international bioenergy trade. These studies were published in close collaboration with Task 37 (Energy from biogas) as well as Task 34 (Biomass pyrolysis) and Task 42 (Biorefineries). Inter-task studies will enable the tasks in the future to discuss more holistically the biomass market and its production- and conversion systems. This will allow including a higher variety of biomass types and biomass-to-end-use chains, among these also value chains for material uses. Case studies to analyse success factors and replicability of biomass-to-end-use chains are planned in collaboration with the majority of the members of the IEA Bioenergy Implementing Agreements.
Moreover for the first time, periods of historical data will be sufficiently long to analyse time series meaningfully. The data availability over longer periods will increasingly enable to find correlations between bioenergy prices, regional price differences and how they can trigger trade impulses. Closer attention will be given to this highly innovative aspect by the Austrian task member in the upcoming triennium.
The entire project will be accompanied by national and international networking-, discussion-, and dissemination processes to integrate relevant stakeholders.