Sustainable biofuels have an important role to play in Africa’s development. Sugarcane bioethanol is currently the most cost-effective commercial biofuel and has the highest energy balance.

Biomass has an auspicious future in the world’s supply of renewable energy. REmap 2030, the global roadmap developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), foresees a major role for modern, sustainable biomass technologies in efforts to double the share of renewables in the energy mix.

Substantial potential exists to expand both food and fuel supply in a sustainable fashion. This report examines sustainable paths for biofuel development.

Sustainable bioenergy could even out solar and wind variability and replace fossil fuels for industry, transport and buildings.

This working paper is part of a set of five reports on hydropower, wind, biomass, concentrating solar power and solar pholtovoltaics that address the current costs of these key renewable power technology options. 

This collection aims to provide a reference for policy makers and practitioners working to scale up bioenergy in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Energy, agriculture, forestry, environment, finance and business experts all seek for solutions to provide energy and also enhance food security, social welfare and environmental sustainability.

This report summarises progress, explores the potential to scale up biojet production in the near and longer term, and explain the actions needed to realise the aviation sector’s decarbonisation goals.

This report explores the options and actions needed to progress towards a decarbonised maritime shipping sector by 2050 identifying a realistic pathway to reach the 1.5°C climate goal.

Methanol is essential for the chemical industry. Largely produced from fossil fuels, it can be made from sustainable, renewable-based energy sources.

This report outlines a pathway for the world to achieve the Paris Agreement goals and halt the pace of climate change by transforming the global energy landscape.

This report focuses on the potential for bioenergy in Southeast Asia through studying five countries in the region: Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Providing and overview of the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Southeast Asia, this report emphasises the urgency of accelerating the sustainable scale-up of biofuel supply chains in the region.

Biomass Potential in Africa, a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ), compiles recent studies assessing bioenergy potential for the continent, compares their methodologies, benchmarks the results, and identifies the key parameters for those assessments.

This brief focuses on biomass co-firing as a transition option towards a completely carbon-free power sector.

This brief focuses on technologies for the sustainable production of liquid biofuels.

This brief focuses on technologies for the sustainable production of bio-methanol.

This technology brief examines the potential of bioethylene for the production of clean bio-ethanol and reduced impact of the chemical industry on the environment.

A working paper from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Statistical Issues: Bioenergy and Distributed Renewable Energy, explains methodological issues related to energy accounting for bioenergy and distributed renewable energy sources.