Currently one of the main goals of the European Union is to increase the use of renewable energy sources. Lithuania is committed to increase the part of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption to 23% as well as the part of centralized heat produced from renewable energy sources to 60% and electricity production to 21% till 2020. The main part of the energy balance is consisted by biomass therefore in this master work attention will be pointed to biomass resources.

It has been calculated the current and predicted potential of biomass energy. Currently, the potential of biomass energy which can be used for energy purposes is 1470 ktoe, and it is predicted that it will increase by 16% till 2020 and will reach 1718 ktoe. In 2010, there was used 55% of the biomass energy potential. The biggest amount of the consumption of energy potential was consisted of firewood and industrial wood waste and all the available potential energy was used. Cutting waste consumption is only 8% of the available potential energy use and consumption of straw for energy purposes currently is only 1%.

To increase the amount of heat produced centrally from renewable energy sources to 60% till 2020 we should produce about 540 ktoe of heat, and use the 633 ktoe of biomass. It is necessary to get 421 ktoe of biomass additionally. Thus, in 2020 we should use all the potential energy derived from specific and producing plantations. Also the cutting waste we should consume about 50% of the available potential energy, it is about 105 ktoe. And all the rest amount about 471 ktoe we should get from the straw, because until now for energy it is used the least, and their potential in 2020 will remain the highest. If the consumption of sources to generate energy would be distributed this way, in 2020 it would be used 75% of energy potential which is possible to use.

Total consumption of biomass for energy purposes (heat and electricity) will increase 43%. 2010 heat and electricity were used in 56% of the biomass energy potential and in 2020 projects that will be already used 99% of the biomass energy potential.

Raktažodžiai: bio - fluel, biomass, energy potential, prospects