05:13
AM October 15, 2018
Renewable energy is
expected to continue expansion in the next five years to account for two-fifths
of global energy consumption growth, with the modern bioenergy segment showing
the biggest improvement.
The International
Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Renewables 2018 report that half of all
renewable energy consumption in 2017 came from modern bioenergy.
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Modern bioenergy—as opposed to traditional bioenergy which refers to the
burning of biomass like wood, animal waste and charcoal—refers to the use of
technologies such as liquid biofuels produced from plant-based waste and biogas
produced from the oxygen-free digestion of residues.
According to IEA,
bioenergy was still the largest source of renewable energy because of its
widespread use in heat and transport sectors, in which other renewables like
solar photovoltaic and wind play a much smaller role.
“Modern bioenergy is
the overlooked giant of the renewable energy field,” IEA executive director
Fatih Birol said in a statement.
“Its share in the
world’s total renewables consumption is about 50 percent today, in other words
as much as hydro, wind, solar and all other renewables combined,” Birol said.
He said modern
bioenergy was expected to continue to lead the field, and has huge prospects
for further growth.
“But the right policies
and rigorous sustainability regulations will be essential to meet its full
potential,” he added.
Also, IEA said the
untapped potential of bioenergy in cement, sugar and ethanol industries was
also significant.
In the Philippines
where ethanol is added to gasoline to produce cleaner fuel, ethanol producers
are pushing the creation of an energy research institute to help enable the
bioethanol industry to cope with advancements in technology.
The Center for Alcohol
Research and Development Foundation (CARD) earlier this month expressed strong
support for Senate Bill No. 1574 which proposes to create the Philippine Energy
Research and Policy Institute (PERPI) sponsored by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.
CARD counts among its
members major industry players including Absolut Distillers Inc. (Lucio Tan
group), Roxas Holdings Inc., Universal Robina Corp., Balayan Distillery,
Ginebra San Miguel and VMCI Distillery.
“The more data we get
from the situation that abounds right now in the Philippines, the more we will
be able to prosper as an industry,” CARD chair Gerardo Tee said. “I hope that
the effect of bioethanol on the environment is also taken into consideration
because we don’t have good data on that.” —RONNEL W. DOMINGO
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