Wshop181025: Bioenergy and net-zero emissions - What next?

The Bioenergy Association Board held a 'Bioenergy and net zero emissions - What's next?' workshop on 25 October 2018 in the Crowe Horwath meeting room, Wellington

Objective of workshop

The invitation only workshop brought the senior bioenergy sector leaders together with relevant government officials to share under Chatham House rules critical thinking that will assist government officials developing policy to take to ministers, and assist the bioenergy and biofuels sector leaders to develop a sector plan aimed at achieving the identified 2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. 

The workshop was structured around the three primary areas identified by the Productivity Commission – low carbon heavy transport biofuels; process heat from woody biomass and reduction of methane emissions via utilisation of waste to energy.

Background

In 2016 Bioenergy Association set out to show that “Yes we can!” - achieve significant greenhouse gas emission reductions to meet the Paris targets.  Since then the association has quantified the level of emissions reduction achievable from implementation of bioenergy solutions, and identified what will be necessary to speed up those reductions.

The adoption of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (NZEECS); the review of the Waste Strategy; the implementation of a programme to plant 1 million trees; the possible inclusion of agriculture into the ETS; concern about discharges to air and waterways; the introduction of a zero net carbon Bill; the establishment of the Climate Commission; and the publication of the report by the Productivity Commission on the pathways to achievement of a low-emissions economy, each provide strong drivers for utilisation of bioenergy solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The workshop confirmed that to achieve the maximum level of greenhouse gas emissions will require business and Government, central and local, to work closely together on priority initiatives. The bioenergy value chain has a number of participants and coordination and collaboration will be essential in order to overcome market barriers.

Workshop documents and links to related resources

• Workshop agenda
• Attendee contact details

Information sheets

• GHG reducting using biogas technologies, Information Sheet 31
• GHG emissions using biomass energy for industrial and commercial heat, Information Sheet 32
• Emissions reduction the bioenergy and biofuels sector can achieve by 2050, Information Sheet 44

Presentations

• 'What Next?  The Opportunities from Bioenergy' plus wood energy, Grant Smith, BANZ Chair and John Gifford, Wood Energy interest Group
• 'Ability of bioenergy and biofuels to reduce GHG emissions in NZ', Brian Cox, BANZ EO
• 'The Waste-to-Energy opportunities and constraints', Alzbeta Bouskova,  Biogas Interest Group
• 'The low emission transport opportunities and constraints', Simon Arnold, Liquid Biofuels Interest Group

Webinar

Details of the GHG reduction opportunities were outlined in the webinar presented the previous evening.

• 'The ability of bioenergy and biofuels to reduce GHG emissions in New Zealand', webinar held 24 October 2018