Bioenergy

The use of agricultural commodities for producing biofuels, bioheat and biopower creates an increasing and potentially huge additional outlet for farmers and can have substantial impacts on markets. As it is largely policy driven, understanding these policies and assessing their impacts are the main issues of the OECD work on bioenergy. Read more ...  Are biofuels as green as they seem?

Also Available: OECD Berlin Centre - Bioenergy

• Developments in Bioenergy Production Across the World - Electricity, Heat and Second Generation Biofuels. This report summarises the technological parameters and costs for bioheat, biopower, biofuels from palm oil and Jatropha as well as for second generation biofuels. It differentiates between the biomass production, the necessary transport logistics between the biomass producer and the conversion plants, and the conversion to the final product. (31 October 2008)

• A Review of Policy Measures Supporting Bioenergy. This study provides a review of policy measures in OECD and major non OECD countries for supporting bioenergy. After presenting the objectives underlying this support and the targets that have been settled in many countries, the report presents the different types of measures currently implemented. (21 July 2008)

• Biofuel Support Policies: An Economic Assessment. Government support of  biofuel production in OECD countries is costly, has a limited impact on reducing greenhouse gases and improving energy security, and has a significant impact on world crop prices, according to a new study of policies to promote greater production and use of biofuel in OECD countries. (16 Jul 2008)

• Biofuels for Transport: Policies and Possibilities (Policy Brief)
  Bioenergy and biofuels are of growing public and private interest at a time of rapidly rising world energy demand and high oil prices. Amid concerns over climate change, they are also increasingly under the spotlight as a “cleaner” alternative to fossil fuels. But are biofuels for transport a viable alternative to power our cars, trucks and buses? Do they deliver the expected environmental benefits? And what role should public policy play in their development?

• Growing biofuel demand underpinning higher agriculture prices, says joint OECD-FAO report. Increased demand for biofuels is causing fundamental changes to agricultural markets that could drive up world prices for many farm products, according to a new report published by the OECD and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation. (04 Jul 2007)

• Agricultural market impacts of future growth in the production of biofuels (with Corringendum on Figure 4 and Table 2.1). The principal objective of the present study is to look at the economics of biofuel production and the likely impacts of an expected growth in biofuel-related demand for agricultural products on commodity markets. It describes the economics and policies in biofuel markets by bringing together available information on production technologies, costs and policy measures in major biofuel producing countries. (10 Feb 2006)