In Europe and France, bioenergies are the most widely used renewable energies. They make a significant contribution to defossilising the energy mix. Although biomass is currently mainly used to produce heat and electricity, it has great potential for other applications such as biofuels, biogas, biomolecules and bioproducts. European policies and those of several countries, including France, show that this resource will play a strategic role, both for its uses (food, materials, molecules, energy) and for the services it provides (carbon storage, preservation of biodiversity, etc.). It is also an ambitious part of the national low-carbon strategy and the subject of several national programmes and public-private partnerships for energy transition.
The 2024 conference programme, coordinated by the European Commission Joint Research Center, with nearly 800 presentations, will provide an insight into the latest scientific, technological and commercial advances, as well as an overview of the latest research and developments by institutes, universities and companies worldwide, and energy policies. It will be an opportunity to answer the questions that arise now that a number of technologies have reached a certain technological maturity and the feasibility of industrial processes has been demonstrated: How can we develop the best use of biomass in sectors that need to be defossilised but are still difficult to decarbonise? How can we harmonise the approaches and interests of the different research, industrial and economic communities at European and national level? What legislation or measures should be put in place to ensure that increased use respects ecosystems and biodiversity and addresses LULUCF (Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry) issues?
The opening morning of the conference will take place on Monday 24 June 2024, from 9:00 to 12:30, and will be attended by scientific, industrial and institutional leaders. High-level representatives from the International Energy Agency, ADEME, the General Secretariat for Ecological Planning, the General Directorate for Energy and Climate, and the Ministries in charge of Research, Agriculture, Environment and Economy will be present. Representatives of the European Commission Joint Research Center, the European Parliament and the Sud Provence-Alpes-Cȏte d'Azur (PACA) region will also be present.
The welcome ceremony and speeches by the PACA Region, the City of Marseille and the University of Aix-Marseille will take place late on Monday 24 June 2024 in Parc Chanot.
"It's time to make it clear that biomass has a key role to play in Europe's energy future, while preserving its role as a carbon store and sink.
It's time to show that biomass can be advantageously combined with other decarbonised energy sources and vectors (electricity, heat, hydrogen).
It's time to show that the circular carbon economy is a concept for the future, applicable to both biomass and CO2."
Guillaume Boissonnet, General Chairman of the Conference, Research Director at CEA.