WBA is pleased to announce the publication of the 6th edition of the Global Bioenergy Statistics report. The GBS is the annual flagship publication of WBA and offers a comprehensive overview of the bioenergy sector around the world.
Christian Rakos, President of the World Bioenergy Association comments the results of the report: “Our report shows, that the efforts to replace fossil energy must definitely be increased. Bioenergy is currently making the largest contribution to renewable energy use. Substantial improvements in technology will allow to extend this role in the future and to secure a sustainable energy supply that respects nature and prevents a climate disaster.”
The report can be downloaded for free here: Link
Key Findings
Energy
- Fossil fuels still dominate the global energy mix
- During 2017 – 2018, the share of renewables remained stagnant at 17.5% globally
- Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source with a share of 12%
Electricity
- Renewables have shown remarkable growth in the electricity sector, but even with such a rapid growth, renewables share in electricity is still at 26%
- Bioenergy is the 3rd largest renewable electricity source with generation of 637 TWh
Heat
- More than half of all energy use globally is in the form of heat either via production in power plants and distributed to end users (derived) or via direct use in various sectors
- Share of renewables in derived heat is only 8.1% while the share is 26% for direct heat
- Bioenergy is the largest renewable heat source accounting for more than 95% share
Transport
- The share of renewables in transport is the lowest among all end use sectors
- In 2018, 160 billion litres of liquid biofuels were produced with a contribution of 3% to the total transport energy demand
- In the same year, 59.3 billion m3 of biogas was produced globally – 52% of it in Europe
Fuels
- Wood pellets are one of the fastest growing bioenergy sectors. In 2019, an estimated 39 million tonnes of wood pellets were produced globally.
- In the same year, 53 million tonnes of wood charcoal was produced – 65% in African continent for use as fuel for heating and cooking
Jobs
- Bioenergy sector employed an estimated 3.58 million people globally
- The sector is the 2nd largest employer among renewable energy sources
Download the press release here (Pdf)