Monique Hoogwijk

The contribution of biomass in the future global energy supply: A review of 17 studies

This paper discusses the contribution of biomass in the future global energy supply. The discussion is based on a review of 17 earlier studies on the subject. These studies have arrived at widely different conclusions about the possible contribution of biomass in the future global energy supply (e.g., from below 100 EJ yr-1 to above 400 EJ yr-1 in 2050). The major reason for the differences is that the two most crucial parameters - land availability and yield levels in energy crop production - are very uncertain, and subject to widely different opinions (e.g., the assessed 2050 plantation supply ranges from below 50 EJ yr-1 to almost 240 EJ yr-1). However, also the expectations about future availability of forest wood and of residues from agriculture and forestry vary substantially among the studies. The question how an expanding bioenergy sector would interact with other land uses, such as food production, biodiversity, soil and nature conservation, and carbon sequestration has been insufficiently analyzed in the studies. It is therefore difficult to establish to what extent bioenergy is an attractive option for climate change mitigation in the energy sector. A refined modeling of interactions between different uses and bioenergy, food and materials production - i.e., of competition for resources, and of synergies between different uses - would facilitate an improved understanding of the prospects for large-scale bioenergy and of future land-use and biomass management in general.

Exploration of the ranges of the global potential of biomass for energy

Abstract This study explores the range of future world potential of biomass for energy. The focus has been put on the factors that influence the potential biomass availability for energy purposes rather than give exact numbers. Six biomass resource categories for energy are identified: energy crops on surplus cropland, energy crops on degraded land, agricultural residues, forest residues, animal manure and organic wastes. Furthermore, specific attention is paid to the competing biomass use for material. The analysis makes use of a wide variety of existing studies on all separate categories. The main conclusion of the study is that the range of the global potential of primary biomass (in about 50 years) is very broad quantified at 33−1135 EJy −1 . Energy crops from surplus agricultural land have the largest potential contribution (0– 988 EJy −1 ) . Crucial factors determining biomass availability for energy are: (1) The future demand for food, determined by the population growth and the future diet; (2) The type of food production systems that can be adopted world-wide over the next 50 years; (3) Productivity of forest and energy crops; (4) The (increased) use of bio-materials; (5) Availability of degraded land; (6) Competing land use types, e.g. surplus agricultural land used for reforestation. It is therefore not “a given” that biomass for energy can become available at a large-scale. Furthermore, it is shown that policies aiming for the energy supply from biomass should take the factors like food production system developments into account in comprehensive development schemes.

Using a participatory approach to develop a sustainability framework for carbon capture and storage systems in The Netherlands

Sustainability considerations guide political decisions concerning energy supply options. In this article a start has been made for the development of a sustainability framework for carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems in the Netherlands. Using a participatory approach (which includes an exploratory workshop, two interactive meetings, an international survey and in-depth interviews), nine sustainability criteria for CCS based energy systems were defined and 36 main concerns about the sustainability of carbon, capture and storage systems (by criterion) were identified. Analysis shows that concerns related to the following criteria are most relevant: clean, flexible, just, competitive and publicly acceptable. Furthermore, via stakeholder consultations and through interviews, a list of actions to tackle the concerns was developed. These actions can be clustered into three groups: (i) increasing research and development, (ii) including CCS in a policy portfolio, and (iii) raising public awareness. Finally, actions that should take place in the next 2 years were identified.

The energy crop growth model SILVA: Description and application to Eucalyptus plantations in Nicaragua.

Abstract Energy crop yield is an important parameter for the performance of a biomass energy system, both from a financial and an environmental point of view. A crop growth model is a tool that can be used to estimate yields of energy crops in regions without present experience with these types of crops. This study describes the crop growth model SILVicultural Actual yield model (SILVA), which estimates potential and water-limited yield for a certain region on the basis of solar radiation and daily data for precipitation and pan-evaporation. With the help of already available commercial yields of the same energy crop at a reference location, it makes an estimate for the actual yield that can be expected. The model was applied on plantations of Eucalyptus camaldulensis established for electricity generation at the San Antonio sugar mill in Nicaragua. On the basis of the harvest results of about 10tonne dm ha −1 yr−1 at the reference location, the Nicaraguan sugar mill Victoria de Julio, it was estimated that the E. camaldulensis plantation at San Antonio could produce about 13tonne dm ha −1 yr−1, mainly because precipitation was higher. The data requirement of the model matched well with data availability in Nicaragua.