Forest biomass from Sweden efficient fuel; long distance exports cost-effective
According to a PhD thesis to be defended at the Mid Sweden University, the utilization of biomass from managed forests as a source of green energy is efficient at reducing CO2 emissions and at replacing fossil fuels. Interestingly, the most energy efficient way to transport this 'forest fuel' is by relying on a lashed system instead of on pelletizing the biomass.
Researcher Lisa Eriksson found that large-scale, long-distance transports of biofuels from central Sweden to central Europe may be both a cost-effective and attractive way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She undertook comparative analyses of costs, primary energy use, and CO2 emissions performed for various forest fuel systems. The findings show that a system of lashed branches and tops from harvested forests evinces good cost-effectiveness. It also has a high potential to reduce the net emissions of CO2 per hectare of forest.
A large number of systems were compared in terms of terrain, concentration of forest fuel, and transport distance. If the preconditions are changed, then the potential for the various forest fuel systems changes as well. Eriksson compared these different systems on a local, national, and international scale.
A lashed system means that more biomass per hectare can be delivered to end users than with a pellet system. This is due to the consumption of biomass in the production of pellets. The amount of material gathered per hectare is a central factor. Extracting brush from thinning together with stubs, branches, and tops from harvesting yields a high potential to avoid fossil CO2 emissions per hectare of forest.
The total amount of available forest fuel in Sweden has been estimated at roughly 66 TWh per year (roughly equivalent to the total electricity consumption of a country like Austria).
Sweden itself is already Europe's greenest economy by far, with biomass providing the bulk (63%) of its renewable energy consumption, which now surpasses the 40 per cent mark (previous post). Eriksson's research now shows the country has the capacity to supply biomass to other countries:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: wood :: forestry :: efficiency :: Sweden ::
Lisa Eriksson will publicly defend her thesis at the Department of Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics at Mid Sweden University, Östersund Campus. The subject is Eco-technology and Environmental Science and the title of the dissertation is Forest Fuel Systems-Comparative Analyses in a Life Cycle Perspective.
Image: illustration of an intelligent unmanned forest vehicle that transports timber from the felling place to the transportation road on its own. Credit: Umea Universitet (Sweden).
References:
Mituniversitetet: Forest fuel reduces climate changes - June 3, 2008.
Biopact: A look at Sweden's bioenergy progress - towards a post-oil society - February 24, 2008
Researcher Lisa Eriksson found that large-scale, long-distance transports of biofuels from central Sweden to central Europe may be both a cost-effective and attractive way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She undertook comparative analyses of costs, primary energy use, and CO2 emissions performed for various forest fuel systems. The findings show that a system of lashed branches and tops from harvested forests evinces good cost-effectiveness. It also has a high potential to reduce the net emissions of CO2 per hectare of forest.
A large number of systems were compared in terms of terrain, concentration of forest fuel, and transport distance. If the preconditions are changed, then the potential for the various forest fuel systems changes as well. Eriksson compared these different systems on a local, national, and international scale.
A lashed system means that more biomass per hectare can be delivered to end users than with a pellet system. This is due to the consumption of biomass in the production of pellets. The amount of material gathered per hectare is a central factor. Extracting brush from thinning together with stubs, branches, and tops from harvesting yields a high potential to avoid fossil CO2 emissions per hectare of forest.
The total amount of available forest fuel in Sweden has been estimated at roughly 66 TWh per year (roughly equivalent to the total electricity consumption of a country like Austria).
Sweden itself is already Europe's greenest economy by far, with biomass providing the bulk (63%) of its renewable energy consumption, which now surpasses the 40 per cent mark (previous post). Eriksson's research now shows the country has the capacity to supply biomass to other countries:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: wood :: forestry :: efficiency :: Sweden ::
Lisa Eriksson will publicly defend her thesis at the Department of Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics at Mid Sweden University, Östersund Campus. The subject is Eco-technology and Environmental Science and the title of the dissertation is Forest Fuel Systems-Comparative Analyses in a Life Cycle Perspective.
Image: illustration of an intelligent unmanned forest vehicle that transports timber from the felling place to the transportation road on its own. Credit: Umea Universitet (Sweden).
References:
Mituniversitetet: Forest fuel reduces climate changes - June 3, 2008.
Biopact: A look at Sweden's bioenergy progress - towards a post-oil society - February 24, 2008
1 Comments:
This makes sense on the face of it (the loss of material due to pelletizing would definitely reduce the effectiveness of the process). I'd have to take a look at the original thesis to be sure and look at the lifecycle calculations.
Fair winds,
Sunny Lam
Ffenyx Rising
http://ffenyx.wordpress.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnylam
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