General Chairman Message

Dear friends, colleagues and members of the global bioenergy community,

Bioenergy has established a firm position in the global strategies to combat climate change. This position is based on the relative advantages bioenergy has compared to other renewable sources of energy, which are determined by geographical, industrial and socio-economic criteria. To be successful in the energy market, renewable energy has to be competitive with other energy sources offered today. In the efforts to achieve competitiveness, renewable energy options are mainly faced with technological and economic challenges. In addition to these general challenges, bioenergy is confronted with questions related to its feedstock: The competition with other biomass uses (energy vs. food, feed and fibre), as well as the requirement of sustainable biomass production, have begun to dominate the discussions on future energy systems. The issue of sustainable production is – of course – not limited to biomass for energy production.

The debates during the 18th Biomass Conference in May 2010 will be strongly influenced by the outcome of COP15, taking place in Copenhagen in December 2009. Since the deadline for the submission of abstracts is in January 2010, we may expect a range of presentations referring to the consequences of the COP15 outcome for the development of bioenergy systems. Another event will influence the presentations and discussions during the Conference: In June 2010 the Member States of the European Union will deliver their national energy strategies, which will show the role bioenergy is expected to have in the future energy systems within the European Union.

Considering these boundary conditions we may expect another successful event in the series of European Biomass Conferences. The Conference subjects cover the entire range of bioenergy issues: Resource availability, conversion technologies, demonstration projects, integration in the energy system, environmental impact and market deployment as well as the need for policy actions. Presenters and participants will be able to learn about the latest developments in these subjects and to exchange personal views. Together with the opportunity to see practical applications of bioenergy systems in the Exhibition, which has developed into the major exhibition of its kind, this will make it worthwhile to come to Lyon, part of the UNESCO World Heritage and the second largest city of France, a country that has been a forerunner in promoting bioenergy.

Prof. Josef Spitzer
Joanneum Research Austria
Chairman of IEA Bioenergy Implementing Agreement