The impact of phasing out woody biomass for heat generation in the ADAPT and TRANSFORM scenarios

Various environmental organisations, political parties and academia have strongly criticized the use of woody biomass for energy applications due to its environmental impact. In 2020, in response to a request of the Dutch Parliament, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change (EZK) intends to implement a phasing out strategy for the generation of heat with solid woody biomass following the advice of the Socio Economic Council (SER). According to the SER, biobased raw materials should preferably be used for high value applications such as feedstock in industrial production processes and as fibre and building materials. TNO has analysed the consequences of phasing out various heat applications within the context of the energy transition, with the precondition that the transition towards a sustainable energy system in 2050 is not endangered. For this analysis, two existing scenarios were used that describe possible developments for the transition to a sustainable energy system for the Netherlands up to 2050. The scenarios – ADAPT and TRANSFORM – achieve the objective to reduce 49% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and a 95% GHG emission reduction by 2050. ADAPT and TRANSFORM differ in the way the goals are achieved. Where in the ADAPT scenario, the Dutch economy builds on existing infrastructure and current strengths, choosing for security and preserving current lifestyle, the TRANSFORM scenario envisions a society with radical behaviour and infrastructural changes towards a sustainable economy. In both scenarios, the use of biomass makes an important contribution towards lowering GHG emissions and achieving climate goals. In the ADAPT scenario, in particular, the use of bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (or BECCS) plays an important role up to 2050.