The Federal Ministry of Economics recently announced a biomass energy development plan to accelerate the pace of energy transformation and promote a greater role for renewable energy, including biomass energy. According to the latest data released by the German Federal Network Administration, Germany's renewable energy generation will reach 254.9 terawatt-hours in 2024, accounting for about 59% of the total power generation, of which biomass energy generation will reach 36 terawatt-hours. According to data from the Baden-Württemberg Solar and Hydrogen Research Center and the German Federal Energy and Water Industry Association, about 9% of Germany's total electricity consumption currently comes from biomass energy, and renewable energy as a whole contributes 55% of the total electricity consumption.
Biomass energy is generally derived from agricultural and forestry waste, domestic garbage, etc., and can be converted into solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. It is a renewable energy source with great potential. Biomass energy is mainly used in electricity, transportation and heating in Germany. According to reports, the biomass energy development plan announced by the German Federal Ministry of Economics this time will focus on the development of biogas and other biomass energy generation, and plans to provide preferential funds to biogas manufacturers to encourage the construction of more biogas heating facilities. Simona, president of the German Federal Association of Renewable Energy, said that biomass energy is an important flexibility option to compensate for the fluctuations of wind and solar energy. The German government's development of biomass energy will make the renewable energy system more stable and more economical, while helping to achieve climate protection goals.
The German government has set a goal of at least 80% of electricity consumption from renewable energy by 2030. The latest data shows that the expansion scale of German biomass power plants in 2024 is 110 megawatts, and the current operating biomass power generation capacity has reached 9,000 megawatts. Biogas is one of the main forms of biomass energy in Germany. According to data from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, there are currently about 9,600 biogas plants in Germany, which can provide electricity for more than 9 million German households and meet the heating needs of more than 2.5 million households. According to data from the International Energy Agency's Biomass Executive Committee, Germany's per capita supply of biogas ranks high among all member countries of the International Energy Agency.
In Thuringia, Germany, about 70% of biomass energy comes from biological waste and livestock manure, and the development of biomass energy is also part of the agricultural circular economy. Many companies turn agricultural waste into treasure and use it to produce biomass energy such as biogas. In 2023, the Geisa district of Thuringia will transform its natural gas pipeline network, and residents in the district will switch to bio-liquefied natural gas with higher density and more efficient storage, which will accelerate the further popularization and use of renewable energy. Bio-liquefied natural gas, also known as liquefied biogas, is a renewable energy formed by processing and liquefying biogas.
In 2022, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection jointly proposed the common points of the "National Biomass Energy Strategy" and plan to formulate and implement specific strategies as soon as possible to guide the development of biomass energy in areas such as power applications in a more targeted manner.
