Optimal use of forest residues in Europe under different policies—second generation biofuels versus combined heat and power (original) (raw)

Abstract

The European Union has set a 10 % target for the share of renewable energy in the transportation sector for 2020. To reach this target, second generation biofuels from, for example, forest residues are expected to replace around 3 % of the transport fossil fuel consumption. However, forest residues could also be utilised in the heat and electricity sectors where large amounts of fossil fuels can be replaced, thus reducing global fossil CO2 emissions. This study investigates the use of forest residues for second generation biofuel (ethanol or methanol) or combined heat and power (CHP) production at the European level, with focus on the influence of different economic policy instruments, such as carbon cost or biofuel policy support. A techno-economic, geographically explicit optimisation model is used. The model determines the optimal locations of bioenergy conversion plants by minimising the cost of the entire supply chain. The results show that in order to reach a 3 % second generation biofuel share, a biofuel support comparable to today’s tax exemptions would be needed. With a carbon cost applied, most available forest residues would be allocated to CHP production, with a substantial resulting CO2 emission reduction potential. The major potential for woody biomass and biofuel production is found in the region around the Baltic Sea, with Italy as one of the main biofuel importers.

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Notes

  1. In this paper, the term ‘biofuel’ is used to denote renewable transport fuels of biogenic origin.
  2. Beta stadium 2006 forest cover map.
  3. For example, in the form of a carbon tax or tradable emission permits.
  4. For example, in the form of a feed-in tariff or a reduction in or exemption from transport fuel taxes.
  5. It should be noted that there are large differences in the subsidy levels employed in the individual EU member states.

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Acknowledgments

The EC projects Pashmina (contract number 244766) and Energeo (contract number 226364), as well as the Swedish Research Council Formas, are gratefully acknowledged for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Energy Systems, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
    Elisabeth Wetterlund
  2. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), 2361, Laxenburg, Austria
    Elisabeth Wetterlund, Sylvain Leduc & Georg Kindermann
  3. School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, Mälardalen University, P.O. Box 883, 721 23, Västerås, Sweden
    Erik Dotzauer

Authors

  1. Elisabeth Wetterlund
  2. Sylvain Leduc
  3. Erik Dotzauer
  4. Georg Kindermann

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Correspondence toElisabeth Wetterlund.

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Wetterlund, E., Leduc, S., Dotzauer, E. et al. Optimal use of forest residues in Europe under different policies—second generation biofuels versus combined heat and power.Biomass Conv. Bioref. 3, 3–16 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-012-0054-2

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