Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Without any doubt, the energy production from biomass represents an important part
within an energy plan based on renewable resources (Basosi et al. (1999), Pari (2001), Hall
and Scarse (1998), Varala et al. (1999)). Indeed, the White Book of the European Union
Energy for the future: renewable resources -White Book for a strategy and an action plan of
the Community” (Com (97)599 def. del 26/11/97 ), that represents the proposal of an action
plan for the development of renewable resources, states that the main contribution to energy
production should be furnished by biomasses, and, in second instance, by the other renewable
sources.
According to the guidelines in the White Book of the European Union, it has been
presented in Italy at the National Conference “Energy and Environment” (Rome, 25-28
November 1998), the “White Book for Renewable resources (Rome, 1999) where specific
issues like social impact, technical, juridical and legislative frameworks, incentives connected
to biomass exploitation have been investigated with the aim of doubling the energy
production from renewable sources within year 2010.
An extensive literature reports biomass utilization experience in different territorial
realities (among others, Ediger and Kentel, 1999; Martinot, 1998; Ushiyma, 1999; Basosi et
al., 1999). Quantitative analysis about strategies for renewable energy sources from biomass
has been performed either evaluating the potential resources of bio-energy in different kind of
countries (Hall and Scrase, 1998) or matching the woody biomass demand and supply by the
forest industries in Europe (Kuiper et al., 1998).
Decision support systems (DSS's) have been proposed to help biomass management for
energy supply at a regional level. Nagel J. has proposed a methodology (Nagel. J., 2000a),
tested in the state of Brandenburg, Germany (Nagel. J., 2000b), to determine an economic
energy supply structure based on biomass. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer
linear optimization using the dynamical evaluation of economic efficiency, and with 1-0
conditions to solve the question whether to build or not a heating system, a heating plant or a
co-generation plant. Nagel's works focus on many aspects such as the user typology that can
benefit from biomass use for energy supply, on the dimension and typology of heating plants,
and on the sensibility of the decision with respect to fuel costs. Among the conclusions of
these two works, it was assessed that using biomass in individual plants is already economic
for some consumers, although an attempt should be made to reduce the biogenic fuel prices.
In addition, since biomass can help CO 2 emissions, an economy effort should be dedicated to
establish CO 2 taxes or state subsidies for biomass-fired energy conversion plants or by
changing the payment for electricity produced by biomass.
Another decision support system called AUHDSS for bio-energy application, with
special reference to harvesting wood for energy from conventional forestry and short rotation
forestry has been recently described. Such a system concerns the calculation of delivery cost
of wood fuel from conventional forest in the UK (Mitchell C.P., 2000). In this work, an
exhaustive review of topics related to the problem is given as well as an exhaustive list of
computer models of bioenergy systems. Always from the same research group, other DSS's
have been proposed for biomass management: CDSS (Coppice Decision Support System), a
spreadsheet model that can be used to model the costs of growing short rotation coppice
under UK conditions (Mitchell, 1995); CHDSS (Coppice Decision Support System),
modeling the supply chain from the standing coppice crop through harvesting, storage and
transport (Mitchell, 2000). The previous DSS's, as well as other models, were linked together
Search WWH ::




Custom Search