Flexible Bioenergy – Enabler for Energy Transition for Zero Emission Energy Systems
This article is part of the IEA Bioenergy Annual Report 2024 and was developed by members of IEA Bioenergy Task 44, a group of international experts working to collect, analyse and share strategic, technical and non-technical information on Flexible Bioenergy and System Integration.
The article can be found on pages 17-30 of the Annual Report 2024
As we move toward a net-zero carbon future, flexible energy systems are becoming essential. Wind and solar are great, but they fluctuate. That is where flexible bioenergy is of increasing interest, providing dependable, adaptable power, heat, and fuels when and where they are needed most. Flexible bioenergy has the potential to serve multiple energy system needs, including electricity production when the sun is not shining or wind is not blowing, grid services for balancing supply and demand, seasonal heat supply (e.g. biomass boilers in winter), storable green molecules needed as transport fuels, chemicals and long-term storage (carbon dioxide removal).
A wide range of technical concepts
Bioenergy offers short-term flexibility (minute-to-minute balancing) and long-term flexibility (seasonal storage), and is especially valuable in sectors where electrification is challenging. Best practices include gasification approaches, the conversion of base-load bioenergy systems in flexible energy hubs, combination with hydrogen production and many more. While the production of power, heat and fuels in parallel is mature and market ready, integrated carbon capture or synthetic fuel production systems are still in research and demonstration phase. Integration with hydrogen production is expected to enhance fuel quality, reduce costs, and increase the efficiency of carbon use, making the energy system more robust and climate-friendly.
Policies and implementation to valorize flexible bioenergy
Policies are key to unlocking bioenergy’s potential. Task 44 surveyed 14 countries and found that most countries now recognize the value of flexible bioenergy, especially in balancing variable renewables. Some countries support flexible bioenergy directly, i.e. feed-in tariffs or CAPEX grants, others focus on indirect incentives like carbon pricing.
However, definition and reporting of flexibility is still inconsistent and not well considered in many countries, and national reporting is often missing. Task 44 has shown the underestimated economic value of flexible bioenergy in an explorative study for Austria, Finland and Germany. The assessment of how flexible power generation from biomass reduces electricity prices compared to inflexible operation showed remarkable savings, especially from intraday and seasonal flexibility.
The way forward to unlock the potentials
The full value of flexible bioenergy goes beyond electricity provision and includes contributions to heat supply, transport fuels, grid stability, and energy security. Especially the synergy potential with renewable power provision, hydrogen and carbon dioxide capture, use and storage is an often overseen driver for targeted and consistent policies to support faster implementation.
Figure 2. Expectations on the role of bioenergy in the renewable energy system and
resulting energy and climate system services from bioenergy. (Mäki et al. 2024)