The JRC-EU-TIMES model. Bioenergy potentials for EU and neighbouring countries

The JRC-EU-TIMES is a partial equilibrium energy system model maintained by the Institute for Energy and Transport (IET) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to analyse the role of energy technologies development and their potential contribution to decarbonisation pathways of the energy system. The technical potentials for renewable energies are a key input in models of this kind. In this context, it is important to ensure transparency in the assumptions: making available the underlying data to the public is thus an important step that can also further contribute to a scientific and transparent debate. This report is the first in a series, and addresses the quantification of current and future biomass potentials for energy. As already identified in the 2011 European Commission’s Communication Energy roadmap 2050, biomass is expected to play a key role in strengthening the Energy Union pillars by diversifying the energy supply, increasing the energy internal market, decarbonising the economy and boosting competitiveness. Estimating the technical potentials available in EU countries using state of the art methodologies and updated data is important to fully understand the implications of an increased used of biomass for energy. Acknowledging this relevance, much work has been carried to characterise and quantify biomass resources. Building on the initial effort from the European Environment Agency, followed by key projects like BEE and Biomass Futures, this report presents the results of extending and improving current methodologies and estimation to respond to energy system modelling needs, while extending the projections to 2050.