Bioenergy is definitely on the upswing. Every year biofuels in Sweden produce 3-4 TWh more energy than the previous year. The share of biofuels supplied to the Swedish energy system is now larger than the share supplied of electricity from hydropower or nuclear power, or the share of oil for heating. Heating is the main market, but there are also good conditions for producing electricity. Large-scale use of liquid biofuels for transports can also become a reality.

Long experience – lots of know-how

The bioenergy sector in Sweden is highly rated in the world. Most Swedish companies within this sector are active in producing and supplying from solid biofuels on a larger scale. There are many manufacturers and providers of machinery for collection and processing of solid biofuels, consultants ans scientists.

Biofules are widely used in Sweden

In 2001, 60 percent of all district heating in Sweden was produced using biofuels, of which most commonly used are wood fuels (56%), refuse (20%), peat (10%), black liquor and crude tall oil (6%). The use of wood fuels in district heating has increased fivefold since 1990 and most Swedish municipalities get a significant degree of their heating from biofuels.

Wood pellets profitable

More than half of Swedish multi-family houses and other buildings are heated with district heating. Remaining buildings are heated locally or privately. In the field of local heating there is great scope for converting some 10 TWh from oil and electricity to biofuels. Biofuels contribute about 10 TWh of energy to private heating in homes and premises, of which wood log fuelling stands for the largest part.

However, converting from oil and electricity to wood pellets is profitable for owners of one-family homes. Today some 37,000 houses in Sweden are heated with wood pellets, an increase from 8,000 in just five years. The cost of heating is lowered significantly and the investment is repaid in a handful of years. Market actors expect a continued rapid increase in the use of biofuels in private homes of up to a use of 20-25 TWh per year, including wood log heating.

Swedish Bioenergy Group

The Swedish Trade Council, together with member companies of the Swedish Bioenergy Association, SVEBIO, have founded the business sector cooperation group Swedish Bioenergy Group, with the aim to actively market the well established Swedish technology group around the word.