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2012, representing an 18 percent share of the total 11.8 million hectares used for
agriculture. Many studies see a growth potential for the coming decades that will
not interfere with the supply of food. The majority of these studies expect 2.5 to 4
million hectares to become available, allowing 23 percent of the German primary
energy consumption in 2050 to be met with domestic biomass, assuming a strong
reduction of energy consumption.
Despite these potentials expanding bioenergy production from energy crops is
limited in terms of land capacity, environmental aspects and other uses of biomass.
No competing for land due to bio-methane production
In Germany there is ongoing debate about competition between food and fodder
production on the one hand and bioenergy generation on the other, in Germany
and especially world-wide. The sources of famine, though, are poverty, civil wars
and the effects of climate change, above all. In addition, agriculture in industrial
countries produces a surplus of food being exported to developing countries where
it interferes with local agriculture and increases famine.
In Europe, already today big amounts of foodstuffs that are thrown away are being
used for bioenergy production instead of going into a waste treatment path. Thus a
lot of biomass is available in a non-competitive manner. Still, changes in
agricultural policy and consumer behaviour can help to seize untapped potential.
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