Sustainable Bioenergy Systems: Experiences from Sweden

Författare

Kes McCormick

Summary, in English

Many aspects of present energy systems and the direction towards future energy systems are incompatible with sustainable development. Sustainable bioenergy systems contribute to combating climate change and improving energy security. Expanding bioenergy decreases carbon dioxide emissions if replacing fossil fuels, establishing energy crops, or integrating with carbon capture and storage, and increases the resilience of energy systems because of the range of viable biomass inputs (agriculture residues, forest residues, energy crops, and organic waste), the different conversion technologies, and the options for energy outputs (heat, electricity, and fuels for transport). What is overlooked in many studies and assessments of bioenergy is that establishing sustainable bioenergy systems promotes regional development and results in multiple benefits across environmental, social, and economic spheres. Both industrialised countries and developing countries can exploit the potential of bioenergy. However, stimulating the development and diffusion of sustainable bioenergy systems requires supportive policies and measures to overcome constraints. This paper investigates the experiences of bioenergy in Sweden. Both the national perspective and local examples of bioenergy systems are presented in this paper.

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