Ökonomische Aspekte zur Energetischen Nutzung von Biomasse

The production of renewable energies is generating new markets for the agricultural sector. However, the potential of biomass for the energy supply in Germany is limited. The size of the contribution which biomass can make to total energy consumption differs according to the type of energy recovery. The competitive strength of biomass on the energy market varies. Electricity and liquid biofuels are only able to survive on the market on account of governmental regulations. Using solid biomass for heat production is already competitive today without significant state intervention. It is necessary to distinguish the pure production of raw materials from the direct provision of energy, e.g. of electricity from biogas. The latter usually requires a great amount of outside capital to be invested in the agricultural enterprise and also makes necessary the learning of a new production method which is not without risk. Overall, the current state regulations to support the market launch of these new energies lead to considerable social costs.