What this family covers
- Dedicated perennial crops: miscanthus, willow or poplar short rotation coppice, cup plant, switchgrass.
- Crop residues: straw, chaff, maize stalks.
- Livestock manure: solid and liquid manure.
- Intermediate crops: cover crops sown between two main crops and harvested for anaerobic digestion.
Uses
Boiler combustion, anaerobic digestion, bedding and mulch, bio-based materials (insulation, panels, plant-based concrete) and advanced biofuels. Part of the residues must stay in the field to maintain soil organic matter: the mobilisable resource is always smaller than the resource produced.
Reference bodies
France
- ADEME — Agence de la transition écologiquePublic agencyFrench public agency for the ecological transition: studies, funding and data on renewable heat and waste.
- FranceAgriMerPublic agencyFrench public body for agricultural and sea products; publishes work on biomass resources.
- Agreste — statistique agricoleOfficial statisticsStatistics service of the French Ministry of Agriculture: areas, production and surveys.
- SDES — statistique publique de l'énergieOfficial statisticsStatistics service of the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition: energy balances, including renewables.
- INRAEResearch and expertiseFrench national research institute for agriculture, food and the environment.
- France MiscanthusTrade organisationAssociation for the development and promotion of the miscanthus sector.
- GIS Biomasse (ADEME, FranceAgriMer, IGN, INRAE)ObservatoryScientific interest group set up in 2024 by ADEME, FranceAgriMer, IGN and INRAE to support the French State on biomass resources and uses.
- ONRB — Observatoire national des ressources en biomasse (FranceAgriMer)ObservatoryObservatory run by FranceAgriMer since 2009 on agricultural, forest and waste biomass resources and their uses, at national and regional level; data available on the Visionet platform.
- ORBE — Observatoire régional de la biomasse (Hauts-de-France, Agro-Transfert)ObservatoryRegional mapping tool on agricultural biomass resources and their use in bioeconomy projects, developed by Agro-Transfert with support from the Region and ADEME.
- OREGES — Observatoire régional de l'énergie, de la biomasse et des gaz à effet de serre (AREC Nouvelle-Aquitaine)ObservatoryRegional observatory run by AREC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which notably tracks biomass energy production facilities.
- The Shift ProjectThink tankThink tank on decarbonising the economy; biomass is covered in its work on energy and agriculture.
Belgium
- ValbiomResearch and expertiseWalloon association supporting biomass valorisation projects.
- SPW ÉnergieGovernmentWalloon energy administration: policy, support schemes and regional statistics.
- VEKA — Vlaams Energie- en KlimaatagentschapGovernmentFlemish Energy and Climate Agency.
- ODE VlaanderenTrade organisationFlemish organisation of renewable energy stakeholders.
- StatbelOfficial statisticsStatistics Belgium.
Germany
- FNR — Fachagentur Nachwachsende RohstoffePublic agencyGerman agency for renewable resources: research programmes, data and publications.
- DBFZ — Deutsches BiomasseforschungszentrumResearch and expertiseGerman Biomass Research Centre: bioenergy and bioeconomy.
- Thünen-InstitutResearch and expertiseGerman federal research institute for rural areas, forestry and fisheries.
- UmweltbundesamtPublic agencyGerman Environment Agency: data on renewables and waste.
- BMLEH — ministère fédéral de l'AgricultureGovernmentGerman Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity.
- DestatisOfficial statisticsFederal Statistical Office of Germany.
- C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V.Research and expertiseBavarian competence centre for renewable resources; publishes price indices.
- Fachverband BiogasTrade organisationGerman Biogas Association.
- DBFZ — RessourcendatenbankObservatoryOpen DBFZ database on biomass potentials in Germany and the European Union, with time series and a programming interface.
Spain
- IDAEPublic agencySpanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving.
- MITECOGovernmentSpanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
- AVEBIOMTrade organisationSpanish Biomass Energy Association.
- CIEMATResearch and expertiseSpanish public research centre for energy, environment and technology.
- APPA RenovablesTrade organisationSpanish association of renewable energy companies.
Italy
- GSE — Gestore dei Servizi EnergeticiPublic agencyItalian public operator of renewable energy support schemes; publishes statistics.
- ENEAResearch and expertiseItalian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development.
- CREAResearch and expertiseItalian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics.
- MASE — ministère de l'Environnement et de la Sécurité énergétiqueGovernmentItalian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
- MASAF — ministère de l'AgricultureGovernmentItalian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests.
United Kingdom
- DESNZ — Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGovernmentUK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
- DefraGovernmentUK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Biomass ConnectResearch and expertiseUK demonstration and information platform for biomass crops.
- UKCEH — UK Centre for Ecology & HydrologyResearch and expertiseUK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
- REA — Association for Renewable Energy and Clean TechnologyTrade organisationUK renewable energy and clean technology trade association.
- OfgemGovernmentUK energy regulator; administers several support schemes.
Europe
- EurostatOfficial statisticsStatistical office of the European Union: energy balances, agriculture and forestry data.
- JRC — Centre commun de rechercheResearch and expertiseScience service of the European Commission, including biomass work.
- Commission européenne — ÉnergieGovernmentEuropean Commission Directorate-General for Energy.
- Directive (UE) 2023/2413 — énergies renouvelablesOfficial textOfficial text of the revised Renewable Energy Directive, including biomass sustainability criteria.
- Agence européenne pour l'environnementPublic agencyEuropean Union agency for environmental information.
- Bioenergy EuropeTrade organisationEuropean bioenergy association; publishes annual statistical reports.
- EBA — European Biogas AssociationTrade organisationEuropean association for biogas and biomethane.
- IEA BioenergyResearch and expertiseTechnology collaboration programme of the International Energy Agency on bioenergy.
- Centre de connaissances sur la bioéconomie (Commission européenne)ObservatoryEuropean Commission knowledge centre: bioeconomy monitoring system and EU biomass flows tool.
Latest news
Flanders: number of biomethane sites doubles to 12, says Biogas-E
According to the annual report of the Flemish platform Biogas-E, 133 biogas plants produced 691 GWh of electricity and 811 GWh of heat in 2025, and biomethane output reached 186 GWh.
UK: REA calls for more biomass, both home-grown and imported
The renewable energy trade association expects bioenergy demand of 190-216 TWh by 2050 and urges the government to take quick decisions on support and sustainability.
Bioeconomy: 272 projects compete for €170.7m in the 2026 CBE JU call
The 2026 call of the Circular Bio-based Europe partnership received 272 proposals requesting €1.65bn against €170.7m available; results are expected in January 2027.