The potential of animal manure, straw and grass for European biogas production in 2030

Biogas is a diverse energy source, suitable as a flexible and storable energy form. In the European Union (EU), biogas is expected to play an important role in reaching the energy policy targets. The sustainability of substrates used for biogas production has however been under a critical discussion. The aim of this study was to project and map the potentials of sustainable biomasses in 2030 in the EU. The investigated types of residual biomass were animal manure, straw from cereal production, and excess grass from both rotational and permanent grasslands and meadows. In total the energy potential from the investigated resources was projected to range from 39.3-66.9 Mtoe, depending on the availability of the residues. In the perspectives of the energy political targets, the projected energy potential could cover 2.3-3.9% of the total EU energy consumption in 2030 or 8.4-14.3% of the total supply of renewables in 2030.