Advisory report
RLG 08/7a: Home-grown energy
Advisory report on regional opportunities for biomass
Executive summary
The debate on energy and biomass is a lively and sometimes emotional one, both in scientific circles and in society at large. At the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Council for the Rural Area has issued this advisory report on the opportunities and threats to energy from biomass produced in the Dutch countryside. The central issue here is whether the government can promote the use of energy from biomass and, if so, how - given its commitment to sustainable development.
In addressing this question, a clear distinction must be drawn between imported biomass (from countries such as Brazil and Indonesia) and biomass from the rural areas of the Netherlands. This advisory report is not about the import of biomass, instead it focuses on biomass from rural areas of the Netherlands.
The Council supports the General Energy Council’s contention that biomass is, potentially, a major form of renewable energy which, together with a number of other options, is essential for the transition to sustainable energy management. While imports make up the dominant biomass flow for the Netherlands, the Council believes that biomass from the Dutch countryside has great potential. The Council takes the view that biomass from the Dutch countryside could make up approximately ten percent of the total by 2030*. It feels that this is an ambitious but achievable target, and one that would represent a substantial contribution.
With regard to rural areas, the Council is in favour of dynamism and the development of quality. The Council stresses that the sustainable management of natural resources is in the public interest, and that sustainability in the wider sense is a crucial factor for biomass energy applications. The Council endorses the sustainability principles defined by the Cramer Commission, which are tailored to the situation in countries outside the European Union. The public debate also focuses on the impact of imports. The principles of the Cramer Commission’s review framework are relevant to the Dutch countryside and are, for the most part, enshrined in legislation. Other factors of importance to the Dutch countryside are scenic quality, safety, logistics, and transportation (land-use planning with regard to energy supply and demand). The Council has a proposal which relates specifically to biomass from natural sources. It states that such biomass should be subject to the fundamental principle that it does not prejudice the ecological function of the natural environment.
Political and public support is also vital if small-scale projects are to be effectively implemented. This applies, for example, to the distributed generation of heat, electricity and gas using co-fermentation and gasification plants, to innovative biofuel projects, and to projects associated with multifunctional land use. The Council notes that criticism of large-scale energy crops in non-member countries affects the extent to which energy from biomass produced in the Dutch countryside is valued by those parties which make such developments possible. The Council also notes that there is a strong desire in the Netherlands to retain a classic image of the landscape. This influences decision-making processes relating to initiatives associated with energy production in the countryside. The question arises as to whether the sense of urgency is sufficient to enable the formulated energy and climate targets to be achieved.
To further explore and exploit the potential of energy from biomass from the countryside, the Council has made the following recommendations.
Focus on sustainable energy
The Council recommends that the government give priority to the socially preferred direction for sustainable energy management. Biomass has a part to play in the energy transition, which involves radical long-term change. The main thrust of the energy transition should be to obtain a sustainable energy supply, not to maximize the use of biomass. Biomass is certainly not the ultimate solution to the energy issue, but it can contribute to sustainable energy management. Such management is not just about the use of renewable and sustainable energy sources, it also covers numerous forms of energy conservation and energy efficiency. In the context of the energy transition, biomass should always be compared to the use of other sustainable energy sources, such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydrogen. That comparison always involves an assessment of the overall chain.
Impose preconditions but be flexible about the route
Details of the route to sustainable energy management and the possible contribution of biomass in this context are fraught with uncertainty. It is important that the parties involved take initiatives and unearth new opportunities. Flexibility and a favourable climate for innovation are of great importance in this regard. Flexibility concerning the route to be followed by the energy transition requires that ‘doors should not be slammed shut’ prematurely by discounting opportunities and avoiding all risks.
The Council advises central government and the provincial authorities to encourage initiatives in practice and to ensure that these are fully and properly implemented. They must actively engage in resolving bottlenecks such as the sale of electricity, green gas, heat, digestate and biofuels and in respect of existing definitions in legislation (associated with digestate, waste, transport, etc.). At the same time, this requires that consideration be given to the safeguarding of public interests, such as those relating to environmental, safety and spatial quality.
The Council advises the government (the ministries of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment; and Economic Affairs) and the provincial authorities to set up an active network for an integrated framework for environment, safety and spatial quality in new forms of energy in the countryside. This network should adopt a positive critical stance with regard to initiatives that contribute to a sustainable energy supply. This could, for example, take the form of a Sustainable Energy Network as a successor to the Bio-Energy Implementation Umbrella Group which operated from 2004 to 2005. A Sustainable Energy Network of this kind could play a useful part in preparing and monitoring the progress of the National Action Plan. As part of this plan, the Dutch government must indicate (in accordance with proposals by the European Commission) how it intends to implement European agreements concerning the share of sustainable energy sources in energy consumption in 2020.
Create a good learning environment
The Council recommends that the government push for those with experience in this area to share their knowledge. An effective learning environment requires the exchange of experience and expertise between the academic world and those engaged in everyday practice (bottom up). The emphasis should be on concrete results both in terms of energy efficiency and of CO2-reduction, as well as other sustainability themes such as economic and social performance.
The Council advises the government to set up a national practice platform for the exchange of experience and expertise. This should take the form of a learning environment for regional clusters. The Council advises provincial authorities to encourage cooperation between parties in regional clusters, with a view to mapping out joint opportunities, attuning the supply and demand of raw materials and energy, and sharing experience and expertise.
* Based on estimates such as those of the Green Raw Materials Platform.