Workshop

1. Creating a roadmap for sustainable biofuel production: Accounting for different values and capabilities

Organizers:
Susan van der Veen (TU Delft, the Netherlands)
Sivaramakrishnan Chandrasekaran (TU Delft, the Netherlands)
Participants: You can register to participate by sending an email to ICNP2023 rug.nl

Purpose of the workshop (session of 90 minutes):

• Brainstorm together with a panel of experts from different backgrounds on the creation of inclusive and sustainable value chains for shipping biofuel production.
• Discuss bottlenecks and possible solutions based on 1 concrete case study on biofuel production based on waste biomass
• Focus on decision-making and trade-offs while designing new value chains
• Create a roadmap together, with some concrete actions and solutions

Introduction and background:

There is an urgent need to replace fossil-based energy with more sustainable alternatives. One of the sectors that are heavily relying on fossil fuels is the shipping sector. The shipping sector aims to reduce their emissions and to reach those targets, biofuels are among the most viable alternatives in the short to medium term. At the same time, a lot of biomass is available worldwide that is currently being underutilized, mismanaged, or causing environmental issues. This underutilized biomass could be used as the basis for new value chains to produce biofuels. Creating new bio-based value chains not only holds the potential to contribute to energy transition but also to local socio-economic and environmental development in the regions where biomass is sourced. Setting up new value chains means linking actors in different contexts, with different perspectives, capabilities, and needs with each other. This offers new opportunities, but also uncertainties and risks.

In order to create bio-based value chains that are inclusive and sustainable, all stakeholders need to be involved in the decision-making from the early stages on. The design of bio-based value chains should be sensitive to the realities of biomass producers, who in many cases are smallholders, and to the end-user point of view, who needs to respond to market demands. This can give rise to conflicts related to questions of responsibilities, choice of technology, efficiency, and the distribution of risk and benefit. Collaborations between industry, civil society, and academia in different geographical locations are needed to overcome these challenges.

Set-up of the session:

In this session, we will work on one concrete case study on the design of a new value chain for the production of marine biofuels, based on encroacher bush in Namibia. In Namibia, about 45 million hectares are bush encroached, which has a negative impact on the environment and threatens livelihoods due to reduced grazing capacity. A field study is carried out by a multi-disciplinary team, to understand the context and the possibilities and challenges of creating a new value chain based on the bush. The field study consisted of interviews with relevant stakeholders and a multi-stakeholder workshop. As a result, design requirements have been formulated and a roadmap is created. The purpose of this workshop is to complement the roadmap that is created in the field, with input from experts at the conference. Concrete bottlenecks will be presented and discussed with the panel. Questions that will be addressed are: What is needed to realize this roadmap? What type of support is needed from the European side?

Profile of experts:

• Multi-disciplinary panel of 4-5 members
• Preferably with a background in:
  o   Energy transition/transition management
  o   Energy policy/governance
  o   Sustainability science
  o   Social inclusion/participatory processes
  o   Business/economics

Targeted audience:

• Researchers and practitioners working on energy transition, multi-disciplinary work, sustainability sciences, public participation/participatory processes, international development, energy policy