Declining reserves of fossil fuels plus recognition that growing carbon dioxide emissions are driving climate change have focused world attention on the need to reduce fossil fuel dependence. In turn, this has increased interest in promoting bioenergy, including biofuels, as a renewable energy source. Interest in Jatropha curcas as a source of oil for producing biodiesel has arisen as a consequence of its perceived ability to grow in semi-arid regions with low nutrient requirements and little care. The seed typically contains 35 percent oil which has properties highly suited to making biodiesel. Unlike other major biofuel crops, jatropha is not a food crop since the oil is non-edible and is, in fact, poisonous.

Algae have recently received a lot of attention as a new biomass source for the production of renewable energy. Some of the main characteristics which set algae apart from other biomass sources are that algae (can) have a high biomass yield per unit of light and area, can have a high oil or starch content, do not require agricultural land, fresh water is not essential and nutrients can be supplied by wastewater and CO2 by combustion gas.

A key benefit of bioenergy for transport and for stationary heat and electricity generation is its potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to replaced fossil fuels. This reduction can be difficult to calculate, given the diverse and complex production and use systems for bioenergy and for the fossil fuels they replace. In order to facilitate emissions comparisons between different bioenergy production systems relative to fossil fuels, the Task Force on GHG Methodologies of the Global Bioenergy Partnership has produced a draft methodological framework intended to be appropriate for use in the lifecycle analysis (LCA) of bioenergy production and use. The framework is intended to provide a template for LCA that is transparent and that can be applied to a wide range of bioenergy systems.