Key Market Trends

Growing Demand for Thermal-Based Waste-to-Energy Conversion

• As of 2018, thermal technology accounted for the highest market share in the global waste-to-energy market. This trend of dominance by the thermal division is expected to continue in the coming years owing to the increasing developments in the technologies of incineration and gasification.
• It is estimated that plants, which utilize cogeneration of thermal power (heating and cooling), together with electricity generation can reach optimum efficiencies of 80%.
• At the present scenario, incineration is the most well-known WtE technology for Muncipal Solid Waste (MSW) processing. However, WtE technologies, particularly incineration, produce pollution and carry potential health safety risks. In order to reduce particulate and gas phase emissions, incineration plants owners have adopted a series of process units for cleaning the flue gas stream, and this has, in turn, led to a significant improvement in terms of environmental sustainability 
• The thermal-based waste-to-energy conversion is expected to lead the market, particularly in growing economies of Asia-Pacific, where rising urban population is forecasted to be the key contributing factor for increasing municipal solid waste (MSW). Other factors, such as industrialization, economic development would also contribute towards MSW generation, which is further expected to influence the growth of the thermal based waste-to-energy market.     

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Asia-Pacific to Dominate the Market

• Asia-Pacific has witnessed significant development in the WtE industry in the past few years and has dominated the market across the globe with increasing efforts taken by the government in adopting better MSW management practices, providing incentives for WtE projects in the form of capital subsidies and feed in tariffs, and providing financial support for R&D projects on cost sharing basis.
• Due to economic development and rapid urbanization in China, the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been increasing rapidly in the country. Therefore, the effective disposal of municipal solid waste has become a serious environmental challenge in China.
• In China, the number of incineration plants has increased from 74 in 2008 to 286 in 2017. Also, Beijing is planning to double its incineration capacity, and burn 54% of the MSW by 2020. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan to tackle pollution, the incineration industry is expected to continue its expansion, in order to replace stinky, polluting, land-intensive garbage dumps. Moreover, with its burgeoning economy producing vast quantities of garbage (increasing 8-10% annually), China is turning to new facilities that burn solid waste to produce electricity.
• Japan has been one of the leading markets for waste-to-energy in Asia-Pacific. The waste-to-energy market in the country is driven by efficient solid waste management and financial support for waste-to-energy projects from both national and local governments. Moreover, with the aim of preserving the environment, the country is expected to introduce waste management and recycling technologies, which effectively turns waste into resources or appropriately dispose it off.
• Therefore, factors such as increasing amount of waste generated along with the efforts taken by various governments to tackle this situation are expected to boost the demand for WtE plants in the coming years.

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