Photo: BMLFUW/Kern
Renewable raw materials from agriculture
Renewable raw materials from agricultural and forestry production constitute a potential for industrial production and energetic use that is to be exploited even more intensively.
The energy supply sector in Austria is therefore experiencing a re-orientation and conversion to renewable sources of energy from domestic agricultural and forestry production.The most important advantages involved in the use of renewable raw materials are:
· Lower dependence on fossil energy sources
· The careful management of non-renewable resources
· Biological degradability
· Maintaining the cleanliness of the natural bases of life – soil, water and air
· CO2 neutrality
· Reduction of environmental stress and waste mountains
· Contribution to job security in rural areas
· Contribution to the maintenance of a sustainable, well-groomed cultivated landscape
Areas of cultivation for renewable raw materials
How have the areas on which renewable raw materials (RRMs) are cultivated developed? From 2002 to 2006 the RRM-cultivate areas have almost doubled and amount to approximately 26,000 hectares in 2006. About 5,000 hectares thereof have been available for the production of cereals (common wheat, grain maize,...), 10.500 hectares for oil crops (rape, sunflower,...), 10,000 hectares for field fodder growing (silage maize, milk thistle, elephant grass,...) about 400 hectares for energy wood, and smaller areas for other RRMs.
Use of the renewable raw materials
Priority fields of utilisation of the renewable raw materials are the use of timber as a construction material, the use of biomass for heating as well as the production of packaging material, new composite materials, textile fibres or of raw materials for paint and detergents. Major impulses are required in research and development.
The term biomass means all organic materials of biogenic, non-fossil character and comprises also matter living and growing in nature and waste materials resulting therefrom, both from the living matter and from organic matter that is already dead.
Biomass Action Plan
With its Biomass Action Plan the European Commission presents a coordinated concept within the policy of renewable energies. The Action Plan is about measures to reduce Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The Biomass Action Plan outlines how the use of biomass energy from wood, waste and agricultural crops can be promoted by creating economic incentives and removing obstacles to the development of the market. By implementing these steps, Europe can reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, cut its greenhouse gas emissions and stimulate economic activity in rural areas.
The Biomass Action Plan is a strong first coordinating step along this path. It describes measures for encouraging the use of biomass for heat and electricity generation and in transport, comprehensive measures relating to biomass supply and research, and also financial issues.
The Austrian Biomass Strategy
In the framework of the European Union Austria committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 13% by the year 2010. As emissions increased in the nineties, the fossil energy consumption has to decrease by more than 3 million tonnes of oil units, that is, to 18.5 million tonnes.
This is to be achieved by raising the share of the renewable energy sources in the total energy consumption starting from 25% in 2002 to 33% in 2010. The portion of the bioenergy of relevance to agriculture should by that time be raised from 11.4% (2000) to 18%.
To make these quotas reality, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management provides considerable funds to promote investments in agricultural bioenergy plants, extension services and relevant research projects.
Based on the Austrian Eco-Electricity Act (“Ökostromgesetz”, Federal Law Gazette 1 No 149/2002) the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs adopted an ordinance on the prices for the purchasing of electrical energy from eco-electricity plants (Federal Law Gazette II No 508/2002) which creates favourable framework conditions for the further promotion of renewable sources of energy. In this way Austria implemented Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal market.
Biomass for electricity generation
With the Eco-Electricity Act of 2002 an Austria-wide uniform obligation for the purchasing and reimbursement of electrical energy from “eco-electricity plants” (plants on the basis of solar energy, wind, biomass, biogas, landfill gas and sewage treatment plant gas, geothermal power and certain types of waste) was introduced. Until the year a rate of 4 percent, calculated from the total quantity of electrical energy provided to the final consumers from these energy sources has to be achieved step by step.
The implementation of the Eco-Electricity Act has entailed a significant growth in the number of the installations for electricity from renewable sources of energy.
· Electricity from solid biomass: At the beginning of 2006, there were 164 approved facilities, most
of them in Lower Austria and in Styria.
· Electricity from liquid biomass: In 2006, there were 80 recognised installations, most of them in
Lower Austria.
· Electricity from gaseous biomass (biogas): In early 2006, 323 recognised installations were
registered.
Biomass heating facilities
Since the beginning of the 1990ies the number of the biomass heating facilities installed has shown a dynamic development in all fields of service. Due to the important role wood is playing as a domestic fuel, Austria is holding a top position within the European Union also with respect to its biomass share. Austria is also leading in the production of modern wood and pellets furnaces as well as in the installation of modern biomass district heating systems.
From 1980 to 2006 totally 98,109 automatic wood combustion systems with a capacity of 6,860 MW were installed. 91,365 are small-scale systems (up to 100 kW), of which 47,377 are pellets central heating systems. In addition, 5,963 medium-scale systems with a capacity between 100 kW and 1 MW and 781 large-scale systems with capacities of more than 1MW were installed. (1 MW (megawatt) corresponds to 1,000 kW (kilowatt).)
Biomass in district-heating systems
The district heat from biomass thermal power stations has significantly increased in recent years. Between 1987 and 2004 the share of district heat from biomass thermal heating stations eightified; at the same time the share of renewable sources of energy in the total district heat rose from 15 to 67 percent.
In late June 2006 due to the promotion of green electricity biomass (thermal) power stations with a total capacity of 235 MW and biogas plants with a total capacity of 57 MW started operation.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a liquid fuel which can be produced from oil crops (rape, sunflower), but also from waste cooking oil and from waste animal fat. From one hectare of rape about one tonne of biodiesel can be produced. The potential of waste fat amounts to approx. 60,000 t/year in Austria; about 30,000 tonnes thereof are generated in industry, by large-scale consumers and in the restaurant and catering industry and can thus easily be collected.
In 2006, 10 biodiesel plants with a production capacity of approximately 187,000 tonnes are operating in Austria. The production capacity has more than doubled compared to last year.
22.02.2008, Lebensministerium Öffentlichkeitsarbeit