Australia's under-utilised bioenergy resources

The potential for bioenergy in Australia is very large with up to 50 million tonnes a year of biomass residues and wastes being presently a greatly under-exploited resource. The renewable energy derived from these biomass forms to generate electricity and heat, and transport fuels would significantly improve Australia's energy security, boost its economy, and benefit the environment. This paper examines these presently neglected resources and discusses how they could be exploited with use of current mature technologies to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions and heavy reliance on fossil fuels.