According to the requirements of RED II, the GHG reduction for the production of heat and electricity from biomass fuels in plants commissioned from 2021 onwards must be 70%. This means that, in contrast to fossil fuels such as diesel, the use of biomass fuels must result in a reduction of at least 70% in electricity and heat generation. For plants that come into operation after January 1, 2026, this minimum value will be raised to 80%. The GHG emissions resulting from the production of biomass fuels and the generation of electricity and/or heat must be calculated according to a specific formula in the SURE-EU GHG balance.
Figure 1: Formula for calculating total emissions
The amount of greenhouse gases is measured in a unit called grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule (gCO2eq/MJ). This unit is used for both the biomass fuels and the electricity or heat generated from them.
If a biomass fuel produces both heat and electricity, users divide the amount of greenhouse gases between the two. It is irrelevant whether the heat is used for heating or cooling.
To calculate how much greenhouse gases are saved by biomass fuels or the electricity or heat generated from them, various methods can be used according to SURE-EU:
If default values are used for SURE-EU, these are obtained from a specific point in the production chain. Then the supplier only has to tell the next in the chain that he is using the default value and perhaps also how far the transportation is.
These default values only apply to certain parts of the production chain. If they are used right to the end, this must be stated on the delivery documents.
The cultivation and harvesting of raw materials and the production of chemicals generate greenhouse gases (GHG). To calculatethese emissions (eec) for SURE-EU, data on fertilizers, chemicals, fuel consumption, electricity consumption, raw materials and crop yield must be collected.
For land use changes (convertedland) that tookplaceafter January 1 , 2008 and on which the production of biomass is permitted under RED II, the accumulated GHG emissions resulting from the land use change must be calculated and added to the other emission values. Land use change refersto the change in land cover. These land covers include forested areas, wetlands, settlements and other areas. Cultivated areas and permanent crops are considered a land use. There are certain areas that were considered grassland in 2008 or later became grassland. You have to find out whether they would remain grassland by themselves or not if no one intervened. This can be grassland that has many different plants and animals. No material for biofuels may be grown on such grassland. This means that the conversion of , for example, wooded land or grassland into cultivated land is a land use change, whereas the conversion of one crop (e.g. maize) to another (e.g. rapeseed) would not be a land use change. If it is proven that the agricultural landwas designated as agricultural land on 01.01.2008and no changes in land use have taken place after the reference date, el is equal to "0".
Improved agricultural management practices cancontribute to emission savings through the accumulation of carbon in the soilThese management practices include, but are not limited to, switching to reduced tillage or zero tillage, improved crop rotation, improved fertilizer management and the use of natural soil improvers such as compost. The use of slurry/manure as a substrate for the production of biogas and biomethane is also considered improved agricultural management, as diffuse field emissions are avoided. Emissions savings from esca are only applicable if the agricultural management improvement measures were implemented after January 2008.
The emissions generated during the transportation and storage of biomass must also be calculated. If there are several transportation steps, each must be considered individually. Actual transportation emissions can only be determined if all the information relating to the interface is recordedfor the transportation steps and is passed on consistently along the production chain.Emissions already taken into account during the production and cultivation of the raw material do not need to be considered again here. The last interfacein the chain is responsible for calculating the emissions. The "last interface" refers to certified operations that convert solid or gaseous biomass fuels into electricity or heat and fall within the scope of RED II Article 29.
Each processing site must guarantee that all GHG emissions from processing (ep) are taken into account in the GHG emissions calculation. This includes emissions from the processing itself, waste, leakages and the production of chemicals or products used during the process. CO2 emissions corresponding to the carbon content of fossil feedstocks are also included, regardless of whether or not they are combusted during the process.
When calculating GHG emissions according to SURE-EU from processing (ep), the following data is obtained on site from operational documents:
According to SURE-EU, the data for calculating emissions must be measured or based on the plant specifications. The highest value is used for known emission ranges for similar installations. True emission values are only determined if all emission information is recorded and passed on consistently. Additional emissions must be added to theep.
The emission saving from CO2 capture and replacement (eccr) under Directive (EU) 2018/2001 relates directly to biomass fuel production. It is limited to emissions that are avoided through the capture of CO2 from biomass and are used in the production of products and services instead of CO2 of fossil origin. According to SURE-EU, if the use of fossil carbon in products or services is common, the replacement by biogenic carbon is considered to be fulfilled and proof is not required. Nevertheless, evidence must be provided of the quantities of biogenic CO2 produced that are actually used commercially. Evidence for the first quantity of fossil CO2 by biogenes could look like this:
The calculation of emissions (eccr) must be observed:
must also be determined for CO2 treatment:
The following plants couldbenefitfrom the capture ofCO2:
For all plants, it would be important to have the appropriate infrastructure and technology to efficiently capture, store or utilizeCO2.
Emissions savings from capture and geological storage (eccs) that are not included inep relate only to emissions prevented by capturing and sequestering the released CO2. These are directly linked to the extraction, transportation, processing and distribution of the biomass fuel.
For the calculation of these emission savings (eccs) should be taken into account:
The following points must also be taken into accountwhenprocessing CO2(compression and conversion into liquid carbon dioxide):
The consideration of emission savings through the capture and geological storage ofCO2 (eccs) requires valid proof of actual capture and safe storage. In the case of direct storage, it must be verified that the storage facility is leak-proof and compliant with Directive 2009/31/EC.
Savings fromeccs that are not included inep are limited to the emissions prevented by capture and storage. These are directly linked to the production, transportation, processing and distribution of biofuels, provided that the storage complies with Directive 2009/31/EC.
The assessment period foreccs must coincide with the greenhouse gas assessment period of the main production pathway (biomass fuel) according to SURE-EU.
Carbon capture and geological storage (eccs-"emission savings through capture and geological storage") andcarboncapture and replacement (eccr - "emission savings through capture and replacement") have different technological, economic and regulatory challenges and benefits. Some reasons whyeccs may not be as widely practiced aseccr are:
It is important to emphasize that botheccs andeccr have their own merits and challenges and both technologies can be valuable in the context of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The actual deployment of these technologies may vary depending on regional, economic and technological circumstances.
Currenteccs projects are mainly found in Scandinavian countries such as Norway, for example, as they have the necessary technology.
Tocalculate the total emissions from the production of the biomass fuel before energy conversion , the values previously determinedare used .
Eec=0 gCO2eq/MJ
El= 0 gCO2eq/MJ
Ep= 5.9 gCO2eq/MJ
Etd= 0.8 gCO2eq/MJ
Esca= -97.6 gCO2eq/MJ
E= 0 gCO2eq/MJ + 0 gCO2eq/MJ + 5.8 gCO2eq/MJ + 0.8 gCO2eq/MJ - 97.6 gCO2eq/MJ
Result = -91gCO2eq/MJ
The values can now be entered using the formula above. The values are standard values from RED II. With the standard values, a saving of -91gCO2eq/MJ is achieved.
The last interface determines the GHG emissions "E" caused by the biomass fuels in gCO2eq/MJ biomass fuel and calculates the GHG emissions caused by the biomass fuels for heat and/or electricity generation in gCO2eq/MJ final energy product (electricity, heat).
The greenhouse gas emissions of biomass plants that only generate heat are calculated as follows:
ECh= E /ƞh
Greenhouse gas emissions from biomass installations that only generate electricity are calculated as follows
ECel= E /ƞel
ECh,el = total greenhouse gas emissions from the final energy product
E = total greenhouse gas emissions of the biomass fuel before its final conversion
ηel = electrical efficiency, defined as the annual electrical power produced divided by the annual fuel input based on the energy content
ηh= thermal efficiency, defined as the annual useful heat produced divided by the annual fuel input based on energy content
Example: If you wanted to calculate the emissions after the conversion, you would now have to calculate -91gCO2eq/MJ (calculated above) divided by the electrical efficiency. An efficiency of 0.8 was assumed here for illustrative purposes. Dividing these values, we arrive at a total greenhouse gas emission by the final energy product of -113.75gCO2eq/MJ.
Economic operators that receive, trade or process biomass fuels or use them to generate electricity or heat (cooling) are obliged in the SURE-EU system to provide specific information on the greenhouse gas emissions generated in the respective operation and to pass the data on to the downstream interface, provided that the conversion plant that uses the biomass is obliged to carry out a greenhouse gas balance in accordance with the requirements of EU Directive 2018/2001. Such plants are those that produce biofuels or combustibles. However, GHG accounting can be carried out on a voluntary basis. This means that GHG accounting is not mandatory in the SURE sector. However, this in no way implies that such a regulation could not come into force at a later date. Of course, having a GHG balance prepared in accordance with SURE can be useful for the future. Some reasons for this would be,for example
Sources
System principles for the use, processing and trading of biomass fuels and their conversion to electricity and heat - https://sure-system.org/images/Systemdokumente_DE/Systemgrundsaetze/SSP-USE-de-1.3_NutzungBiomasse_final.pdf
Technical guidance for greenhouse gas calculation - https://sure-system.org/images/Systemdokumente_DE/TechnischeAnleitungen/TG-GHG-de-1.2_THG-Berechnung_final.pdf
Definitions in the SURE system:
https://sure-system.org/images/Systemdokumente_DE/TechnischeAnleitungen/TG-DEF-de-1.3_Definitionen_final.pdf
DIRECTIVE (EU) 2018/2001 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (recast)
EUR-Lex - 32018L2001 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)