Trees are one of the biggest symbols for climate change as they help produce oxygen and offset carbon dioxide, but one tree known as the ‘energy willow’ is creating a promising future for more sustainable energy. The energy willow is a fast-growing version of the traditional willow tree that can grow up to one inch per day and is being planted at former coal pits in Bosnia and Serbia.
These special willow trees can also be burned alongside coal in thermal power plants with the goal of transitioning Balkan states to using cleaner energy. In the northern town of Tuzla, Bosnia is the location of the country’s power utility, Electoral Preda, which has its largest coal mine with only three of the original 12 pits are still operating.
Former miners are working at decommissioned coal pits to plant the first willow trees starting in May 2021 with Yasmin Breakage working as the technical lead on this willow planting project. The willow-planting project started with thermal or Swedish willow plantations that were created on one hectare of land with the goal of improving air quality while reducing harmful emissions gases emitted from the thermal power plant using coal lignite.
The team has planted 14,000 seedlings in one hectare with plans on planting 140,000 more seedlings this autumn that will be imported from Sweden. The first harvest of ‘energy willows’ is expected in three years and is known as their heat value is greater than brown coal/lignite.
The team has planted 14,000 seedlings in one hectare with plans on planting 140,000 more seedlings this autumn that will be imported from Sweden. The first harvest of ‘energy willows’ is expected in three years and is known as their heat value is greater than brown coal/lignite.
Bosnia and Serbia plan on using typical energy sources with a plan to exit from using coal until 2050 as they have a long way to go. Serbia is currently generating two-thirds of its electricity in aging coal-fueled power plants with some experts suggesting the tree project is not a sustainable model to transition from coal green energy.
The program coordinator at the Tesla Center for Ecology and Energy, Denis Sisqo, states that this solution could in fact be a problem. Sisqo explains that this initiative is an attempt by the power industry to continue burning coal as an energy source and using the program as justification of using renewable energy sources alongside coal that seems to be contributing to reducing CO2 emissions.
Sisqo continues that this plan will prolong the use of coal as an energy source that is deemed an unsustainable model of the energy transition to production. Sisqo stresses the importance to stop looking for excuses to continue burning coal and work, focusing on transitioning to renewable and sustainable energy sources.
It seems that the ‘energy willows’ will help these countries strive in efforts to move away from the use of unsustainable energy sources, but only the future progress of this program will determine if this is a viable model to move away from using coal for energy.
