Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

20
Daan Peters - Biofuels International Conference 11/09/2013 Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

description

This presentation addresses the sustainability challenge of indirect land use change (ILUC). Ecofys together with WWF and EPFL have developed a certification module to demonstrate and claim biofuels with a low risk of indirect land use change. Daan Peters, Senior Consultant Bioenergy at Ecofys, presented the methodology and possible policy implications at the Biofuels International Conference 2013 in Antwerp.

Transcript of Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

Page 1: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

Daan Peters - Biofuels International Conference 11/09/2013

Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in

EU biofuel policy

Page 2: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

Ecofys

• Founded in 1984 as spin-off from University Utrecht

• Consulting in renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate

change

• 200 employees, offices in Utrecht, Brussels,

Berlin, Cologne, London, Beijing and Portland

Worked on ILUC since 2008:

Mitigation: Low Indirect Impact Biofuels

Quantification: 2013-2015 ILUC quantification

project for the EC

Policy: advising wide range of clients

2013 Daan Peters

Page 3: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

Presentation content

# What are ILUC-free biofuels

# Policy support for ILUC-free biofuels

# Proving that biofuels are ILUC-free

# How certification works in practice

2013 Daan Peters 3

Page 4: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 4

• Biofuels depend on public endorsement

• Sustainability must be guaranteed including ILUC

• ILUC-free biofuels are:

Produced additionally without displacing current

agricultural production

or

produced from wastes or residues without displacing

current non-bioenergy uses of these materials

We need ILUC-free biofuels

Page 5: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 5

Now (short term solution) Future (long term solution)

2

Expand the use of ILUC-free biofuels

Only solution which individual farmers

can influence

1

Prevent direct LUC

Worldwide and for all land using sectors

ILUC mitigation strategies

3

Limit the use of high ILUC risk biofuels

‘waterbed effect’ if not combined with 2

Page 6: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 6

1. Unused or abandoned lands

2. Yield increasing above Business As Usual yield

development

3. Wastes/residues with limited existing non-bioenergy uses

4. Sustainable intensification: integrating biofuel crops with

existing production (sugarcane and cattle)

5. Intensification: biofuel crops on fallow land as part of

crop rotation

6. Aquatic biomass

Options to produce ILUC-free biofuels

Page 7: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

How to stimulate ILUC-free biofuels

• Cap on conventional biofuels is one size fits all

• Can be made smarter by enabling certified

ILUC-free conventional biofuels to be supplied

beyond the cap

• ILUC-factors: certified ILUC-free conventional

biofuels should get a factor of zero

• Subtarget for certified low ILUC conventional

biofuels

2013 Daan Peters 7

Page 8: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 8

Proving that biofuels are ILUC free

• Low Indirect Impact Biofuels (LIIB) certification module

• Developed by WWF, Ecofys and EPFL

• Enables farmers to get certified for ILUC-free biomass

production

• Add-on to existing certification schemes (e.g. ‘RSB LIIB’,

‘ISCC EU LIIB’)

LIIB is the only available module to certify low ILUC

biofuels, first voluntary schemes interested in using it.

Page 9: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

Farmer level vs. regional level

• LIIB certifies ILUC free biofuels at farm level

• Regional level approach (e.g. land zoning) would

prevent direct land use change but not indirect land

use change

• Stringent environmental rules prevent direct LUC but not

indirect LUC

LIIB enables individual farmers to say ‘my biofuel

crop production does not cause ILUC’

2013 Daan Peters 9

Page 10: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

LIIB is reaching maturity

• Version 0 is published and tested by independent auditors

• Tests in the EU ongoing, commissioned by German

government

• Version 1 expected in 2014

• LIIB is credible and ready, can be used

• Current version enables certification of low ILUC biomass

(1) on unused land, (2) through yield increase, (3) from

sugarcane-cattle integration, and (4) waste and residues

2013 Daan Peters 10

Page 11: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 11

I. Cultivation on unused land

• ILUC free because no existing agricultural production is displaced

• LIIB methodology can be used for any crop

How it works:

1. Farmer submits project application and must demonstrate that

land is unused during 3 previous years;

2. Can use Responsible Cultivation Area (RCA) methodology for this

Page 12: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 12

RCA methodology to identify unused land

1. Site Pre-Selection

Identify promising areas

2. Desk-Based Site Assessment

Evaluate suitability based on existing data

Define information needs field work

3. On-Site Assessment

Ground Truth Earlier Findings

Fill in Knowledge Gaps

HCV Carbon stocks Land rights

Agricultural Suitability Sustainability Availability/Displacement

Agricultural Suitability Sustainability Availability/Displacement

4. Evaluation

Evaluate whether site qualifies as RCA

Agricultural Suitability Sustainability Availability/Displacement

Displacement effects Suitability

HCV Carbon stocks Land rights Displacement effects Suitability

HCV Carbon stocks Land rights Displacement effects Suitability

HCV Carbon stocks Land rights Displacement effects Suitability

Pilots in

Romania,

Brazil,

Indonesia and

Mozambique

Page 13: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 13

II. Yield increase

• Additional yield increase above Business as Usual yield

development is ILUC-free

• LIIB methodology can be applied to any crop

• EU rapeseed yields have increased but still have further

growth potential

How it works:

1. Farmer submits project application to scheme owner

2. Farmer demonstrates measures likely to achieve yield

increase at least >20% than baseline

Page 14: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

Measuring quantity of LIIB biofuels from yield

increase (1/2)

Baseline:

1. Determine baseline yield for the current year

a) Average of last 5 yields on site or:

b) Expected current year yield of similar producers

2. Determine average annual yield growth for last 10

years for similar producers nearby

3. Set baseline

Measuring LIIB quantity vs. baseline:

measuring actual yields of the project. All biomass

above the baseline is eligible for LIIB certification.

2013 14 Daan Peters

Page 15: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

Measuring quantity of LIIB biofuels from yield

increase (2/2)

2013 15 Daan Peters

1a is the current year yield of the LIIB applicant farmer based on the average yield during the last 5 years

1b is the expected current year yield of farmers of the same crop in the same region

Red dotted line is yield trend line of the same crop in the same region in previous 10 years

Page 16: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 16

III. Sugar cane-cattle integration

• ILUC free because no existing agricultural production is

displaced

• Integration can be used for any crop but currently

developed for sugarcane-cattle

How it works:

1. Two cows per hectare instead of one, freeing up land

for sugarcane while feeding second cow with bagasse;

2. Quantity of ethanol that can be LIIB certified to be

calculated with calculation sheet developed by the

University of Sao Paulo;

Tested in Brazil with Conservation International

Page 17: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 17

IV. Wastes & residues

Low ILUC if sufficient quantity is not yet used

for non-bioenergy purposes

How it works:

• Feedstock must be listed on a positive list;

• Feedstock can be placed on the positive list

if a surplus quantity exist in excess of its

current uses

Page 18: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 2013 Daan Peters 18

Low ILUC residue study for DE, NL and DK

• Cereal straw, woody residues, corn cob,

UCO: 60Mtoe EU biofuel production

potential

• Maximum harvest rate to protect soil

quality

Page 19: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | |

LIBB certification is cost effective

• Investment costs should be paid back by

additional production, barriers non-economic

• Small additional certification cost because part of

a more general sustainability certification

2013 19 Daan Peters

Page 20: Achieving credible ILUC mitigation in EU biofuel policy

© ECOFYS | | 18/09/2013 Name 20

Contact details

Daan Peters

Senior Consultant Bioenergy

+31 (0)30 662 37 10

[email protected]