Greentech Lead Asia: The market for thermal and
biological waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies will reach $6.2 billion in 2012
and grow to $29.2 billion by 2022 and the market value could reach $80.6
billion by 2022.
According to Pike Research, waste-to-energy systems will
treat at least 261 million tons of waste annually by 2022, with a total
estimated output of 283 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity and heat
generation, up from 221 TWh in 2010.
More than 800 thermal WTE plants currently operate in
nearly 40 countries around the globe. These facilities treated 11 percent of
MSW generated worldwide in 2011 compared to the 70 percent that went to
landfills.
WTE encompasses thermal and biological conversion
technologies that unlock the usable energy stored in solid waste. High upfront
capital costs and attractive economics for landfilling, however, represent
persistent barriers to widespread adoption.
“With many countries facing dramatic population growth,
rapid urbanization, rising levels of affluence, and resource scarcity,
waste-to-energy is reestablishing itself as an attractive technology option to
promote low carbon growth in the crowded renewable energy landscape,” said
senior analyst Mackinnon Lawrence.
China is already in the midst of scaling up capacity, and
growth there is expected to shift the center of the WTE universe away from
Europe to Asia Pacific.
WTE facilities are integrated into broader waste
management regimes aimed at preventing the use of landfills. Though combustion
technologies continue to lead the market, advanced thermal treatment technology
deployments such as pyrolysis are expected to pick up as diminishing landfill
capacity improves WTE economics.