Policy plan for the use of biomass and biofuels in Greece Part I: Available biomass and methodology

Greece is a country in which biomass can play an important role in achieving the 2010 national target of 20% electricity production from Renewable Energy Sources (RES) Residues from traditional agricultural activities, but also the cultivation of new energy crops, can lead to a high level of availability and utilization of biomass energy products in Greece. In order for biomass to make a substantial contribution to the 2010 national target, set by the EU RES Directive 2001/77, as well as the corresponding 2020 target, to be set by the upcoming RES Framework Directive, a national policy plan for biomass and biofuels has to be formulated. This plan will assess the available biomass quantities and the potential and routes, by which this biomass can be converted to final energy products. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the current situation and prospects of biomass availability and exploitation in Greece and to develop a coherent and reliable methodology, in order to assess the conversion of the country' s biomass potential into useful energy products.