EVENTS OF INTEREST

Expert consultation on sustainable wood energy programmes in asia:
policy and institutional issues

29-31 July 1998

Hua Hin, Thailand

Several messages emerged from the meeting (organized by the Regional Wood Energy Development Programme), most of which have long been recognized by wood energy specialists, but not by officials in the related sectors:

• Woodfuels will continue to be extremely important in Asia and the Pacific.
• Lands outside natural forests have emerged as the major sources of woodfuels.
• Fuelwood use is not a significant cause of deforestation in Asia and the Pacific.
• Forest lands and communal lands will continue to be important for meeting the energy needs of the poorest people.
• Fuelwood production is a major income-generating sector in many locations.
• Women and children will continue to be the prime actors in the total fuelwood cycle.
• Community involvement in fuelwood development programmes is needed to help ensure long-term sustainability.
• Benefits to the environment (including carbon sequestration and emission avoidance) of wood energy use present new opportunities for promoting efficient application and use.
• Internalizing the environmental costs and benefits of wood energy use would serve to advance the use of woodfuels.
• Most countries have well-established legislative measures aimed at the growth and protection of natural forests, but many of these laws and regulations have a negative impact on the production and trade of fuelwood outside forests.
• Most countries lack effective policies for promoting clean and efficient biomass energy use.

Between cop3 and cop4: the role of bioenergy in achieving the targets stipulated in the kyoto protocol

8-11 September 1998

Nokia, Finland

Following an official invitation by the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 25, I represented FAO at the Workshop on Between COP3 and COP4: The Role of Bioenergy in Achieving the Targets Stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol, which was held in Nokia, Finland, from 8 to 11 September 1998 [Note: COP4 = 4th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, Buenos Aires, 3-12 November 1998]. The workshop was jointly organized by Finland's Technical Research Centre (VTT Energy) and Austria's Institute for Energy Research (Joanneum Research), both institutions being involved in bioenergy research activities.

The main aim of the workshop was to analyse the potential contribution of bioenergy to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and to discuss administrative matters regarding the implementation of specific task activities.

In conjunction with the Task 25 meeting, Bioenergy Task 18 also organized a Workshop on Conventional Forestry Systems for Bioenergy. This joint session included the participation of experts from both tasks with the aim of reviewing research findings on the effects of land-use change and conventional forestry on carbon sequestration and substitution balances.

The following are the salient points:

• The expert from Imatra Voima Oy (Finland) described the significant and progressive reduction of wood-based energy prices resulting from the use of increasingly skilled human resources, more efficient infrastructures for the collection, preparation and transportation of woodfuels and a more efficient conversion of woodfuels into energy.
• This was confirmed by the paper prepared by T. Thornquist of Sodra Skogsenergie (Sweden). From 1980 to 1997, the consumer price index doubled, whereas the bioenergy costs per MW remained at the same level and the price of energy-using fossil fuels more than doubled.
• The paper by Bo Hektor from Uppsala also confirmed this. The price of woodfuels has decreased considerably in Sweden in spite of the fact that demand has increased immensely as a result of research and development activities, the existence of a free fuel market and open competition [Note from the traveller: as well as the fact that taxes on fossil fuels are not applied to biofuels].
• Other main concerns among the experts involved in the meeting (which were widely discussed during the field visit) were the problems pertaining to: i) soil compaction, as a result of the extra work required to remove the branches, needles, tops, small trees, etc. for woodfuel; ii) plant nutrients; iii) humus balance; and iv) biodiversity. There are as many points of view as persons involved and interested in this subject, noted the representative of Sodra Skogsenergie, which has 31 000 members owning 1.7 million ha of forests from which woodfuels are extracted. However, following the recommendations of the National Board of Forestry, biodiversity and the long-term production ability of plantations are not affected.
• Since Swedish forestry is a mature industry it has already solved the main problems encountered in this new field (forest energy) using its skilled human resources and infrastructure and by the integration of woodfuel activities into their forestry activities and business, thus becoming much more efficient than if they had kept their woodfuel activities in a "stand-alone" situation [taken from the paper prepared by Bo Hektor]. (Source: Travel report of M.A. Trossero.)

Workshop on methodologies for gathering energy information by international organizations

23-24 September 1998

Quito, Ecuador

The objective of the meeting was to advance towards a normalization of approaches regarding energy data collection. Detailed information will be given in the next issue of Forest Energy Forum.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Gabriel Hernandez, Edificio OLADE,
Av. Occidental, Sector San Carlos, Casilla 17-11-6413,
Quito, Ecuador.
Fax: (+593 2) 539684;
e-mail: [email protected]

Bioenergy �98 - expanding bioenergy partnerships

4-8 October 1998

Madison, Wisconsin, USA

BioEnergy '98 was a premier conference on energy from biomass (plant-derived renewable energy resources). "Expanding Bioenergy Partnerships" was the theme of the eighth biennial event sponsored by the United States Department of Energy, the Energy Center of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Energy Bureau and many other supporters, and was hosted by the Great Lakes Regional Biomass Energy Program.

Participants from around the world learned and shared information on state-of-the-art bioenergy technologies, project case studies, biomass resource availability, research and development, economics and financing, and policy issues affecting the industry. In addition, BioEnergy '98 reviewed global bioenergy market opportunities from the Kyoto agreement on climate change and other important environmental drivers.

BioEnergy '98 logo

The goal of BioEnergy '98 was to create new and powerful partnerships to commercialize bioenergy technologies, promote sustainable and environmentally beneficial energy resources and establish long-term strategic alliances. The bioenergy industry is entering an integral period of growth as lower cost and more efficient bioenergy technologies are becoming increasingly competitive in the global energy market. BioEnergy '98 thus brought together private industry, leading developers and researchers, agricultural industry and others to define and develop these opportunities.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Fred Kuzel, Great Lakes Regional Biomass Energy Program,
35 E. Wacker Drive 1850, Chicago, IL 60601, USA.
Fax: (+1 312) 407 0038;
e-mail: [email protected];
http://www.cglg.org/bioenergy98

Crops for a green industry �98 - european conference

6-8 October 1998

Gmunden, Austria

For more information, please contact:
Ms Sonja Mayer, Manager, Crops for Industry '98, CFI, Wasagasse 6,
A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
Fax: (+43 1) 31 2009;
e-mail: [email protected];
http://cfi.austrian.org

Fourth european symposium on industrial crops and products and
Sixth symposium on renewable resources for the chemical industry

23-25 March 1999

Bonn, Germany

For more information, please contact:
Ms Sarah Wilkinson,
Fourth European Symposium on Industrial Crops and Products,
Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK.
Fax: (+44 1865) 843958;
e-mail: [email protected];
http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/icp99

International conference on wood stoves

January 2000

Pune, India

For more information, please contact:
Mrs Priyadarshini Karve,
Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI).
E-mail: [email protected]
(See also under India, p. 18.)