Comparison of promotion policies for utilization of woody biomass between european countries and Japan

Abstract

In recent years, much attention has been focused on potential utilization of biomass for bioenergy generation as part of policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With particular focus on woody biomass utilization, this study is aimed at the possible adoption of effective policies in order to promote woody biomass utilization in Japan, by comparing and analyzing renewable energy policies in Germany, Sweden, Austria, and Italy, where continued increase of bioenergy generation has been reported. Our results suggest that the increase in bioenergy generation in these four European countries was achieved by the adoption of policies of a competitive electricity market, setting a fixed electrical price for renewable bioenergy, and favorable renewable energy taxes. Compared to policies in these European countries, Japan does not have sufficient policies to promote and expand the utilization of woody biomass across Japan. Therefore, we suggest that such promotion policies for woody biomass utilization should also be adopted in Japan.