How green is biomass co-firing as an emissions abatement strategy?

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February 21, 2024

Is biomass co-firing an effective mitigation strategy?

New research takes a critical look into the viability and emissions reduction potential of biomass waste co-firing at coal plants in Indonesia.

Meet the CGS experts!

Claire Squire, Post-Masters Research Associate

Jiehong Lou, Assistant Research Professor

Thomas Hilde, Senior Fellow

Press release: More from the experts!

Citation

Key findings

When accounting for current alternate utilizations, less than a third of all biomass residues generated remain available for use in co-firing.
Even at modest co-firing ratios, available biomass supply struggles to meet demand in eastern Indonesia, where captive coal capacity is projected to rise over the coming decade.
Across the country, waste supply cannot meet ambitious co-firing ratios. Limited biomass supply, technical constraints, and the possibility of increased land emissions from bioenergy production reduce the efficacy of co-firing as a mitigation strategy.

Despite Indonesia’s ambitious plans to increase biomass co-firing, uncertainties exist regarding whether this is a plausible and effective abatement strategy due to the limited availability of biomass waste and difficulty tracking land use change emissions. New research by the Center for Global Sustainability takes a critical look into the viability and emissions reduction potential of biomass waste co-firing at coal plants in Indonesia. The analysis provides key policy recommendations to maximize emission reductions through a robust national strategy, advancing sustainable energy initiatives.