The use of more biomass energy poses several challenges and faces quite a number of important obstacles:
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socio-economic:
- energy from biomass is still, in general, more expensive than the current price of fossil fuels; more technology research and development will be needed to maximise the energy output and efficiency of biomass technologies;
- as biocrops production will need more agricultural land, this might compete with the need for land used for food production and could according to some critics even lead to more hunger in the world;
- environmental:
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- what will be the impact of large-scale bio-energy production on biodiversity, soil, water use and supply?
- what if the drive for biofuels in the developed world would lead to further destruction of tropical rainforest in countries like Brasil?
- although scientific studies indicate that the use of biomass is "carbon neutral", not all scientists agree. Some studies even show that conversion of natural ecosystems to energy plantations might result in more carbon emissions from the soil because of the accelerated decay of organic matter.
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public acceptance:
- as the report itself indicates there is reluctance among major energy and fuel suppliers and car and boiler manufacturers;
- there is a lack of awareness among consumers.
