161102: Expanding the use of bioenergy solutions to achieve economic, employment and environmental benefits

Posted by Anne Phiri on Thursday, 4 August 2016
Date: 
2 November 2016
Where: 
Amora Hotel, 170 Wakefield Street, Wellington, New Zealand

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The Bioenergy Association has developed a suite of strategies and action plans to assist industrial energy users transition from fossil fuels and achieve business benefits. This also applies to communities, to utilise municipal and trade waste and improve air quality; farmers to reduce discharge to waterways and gain additional revenue from their land as well as to help New Zealand to meet its climate change and economic growth targets.

Currently 2.3MWth of switching from coal to wood fuel is occurring annually, and this could increase to 25MWth pa by 2040, with a consequent 5.3Mt CO2-e emissions reduction annually.

The focus of this event was to:

  • Provide an overview of the bioenergy and biofuel market to assist you identify the opportunities that are relevant to your business, community or regulatory activities
  • Guide where the market is going and why it is growing
  • Indicate which niche markets are likely to provide a pathway forward for your business
  • Provide an update on the New Zealand Bioenergy Strategy.
  • Showcase the significant niche growth that is occurring


To make the most of our energy potential, as encouraged by the Government in its Energy Strategy, the Bioenergy Association has looked at what can be gained for business and communities by employing bioenergy solutions. The users can be grouped under direct heat, methane removal using waste to energy technologies, and transport.

With appropriate infrastructure changes, many business can transition from coal to using biomass as fuel for heating, thus reduce operating costs and meet discharge to air consent requirements.

Communities can use biomass from waste water treatment plants and landfills as a renewable source of energy, reduce the discharge of methane (a major greenhouse gas) to air and extend the life of their landfill.

Urban transport can significantly reduce polluting discharges to air through the use of liquid and gaseous biofuels.

This event would be of specific interest to bioenergy solution providers, energy users, regulators, policy developers and service providers. It provided an update on how to make successful use of the opportunities. The Conference also provided an opportunity to meet others in the sector who may be working on regulatory development.

Conference sponsors