The French government recently selected 22 projects from a 2006 call for tenders for combined heat and power generation (“cogeneration”) using biomass; the feedstock included straw, corn stover and energy crops (for nine of the projects).
AGPB, AGPM and COOP de FRANCE - Métiers du Grain have expressed satisfaction at the recognition given to crop biomass as a means of reaching the target for renewable energy, i.e. 20% of power in France by 2020.
These same organisations also noted that six of the nine projects had been designed to provide power for bioethanol production plants. The use of renewable energy feedstock to replace fossil fuel will mean an even greater improvement in the bioethanol/gasoline comparison for both the energy balance and environmental balance.
AGPB, AGPM and COOP de FRANCE - Métiers du Grain have noted that prices were specified by the Government in the tender so as to provide a guarantee to new industrial plants that the electricity generated would be purchased. At an average price of 128 euros per MWh, this is much higher than the standard 2002 feed-in tariff for biomass-generated electricity (between 49 and 61 euros); an upward adjustment must be made of this tariff, as has already been done for solar and biogas-generated power. In addition to facilities of the type recently selected (i.e. >5MW), small and medium-sized projects also need to be developed to help reach the target of 20% renewable energy by 2020.
Crop Biomass: a Breakthrough in Power & Heating