Author: John Phillip Todd
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biomass energy
Languages : en
Pages : 51
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Book Description
The factors that characterize social acceptance of biomass energy are critical to future development, but not well defined. Using content analysis, I examined 187 articles related to biomass energy from the five largest newspapers according to circulation in Montana. To identify concepts that influence social acceptance, themes were classified into three categories: corollary expectations of benefit, perceived risks and uncertainty, and social justice motives. Two themes were coded with a much higher frequency than others: expectations of biomass energy utilization to sustain livelihoods and uncertainty surrounding the economic feasibility of wood-energy (code 60 and 67 times, respectively). Results also indicate that, while some dimensions of biomass energy are technical, and require rational, scientific explanations of social and environmental effects, others transcend science and require value-based judgments, tradeoffs, and political choices. In addition, findings suggest that while questions of function (Can forests help fuel our future?) are imperative, normative questions of validity (Should forests help fuel our future?) are also critical to understanding what constitutes social acceptance of biomass energy.
Author: Eric M. White
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437938132
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 56
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Book Description
Woody biomass (WB) can be used for the generation of heat, electricity, and biofuels. Bioenergy production from WB has not been widely adopted because the price of WB energy has not been competitive with traditional fossil fuels. However, current projections of future energy use, renewable energy and climate change legislation suggest increased use of both WB and agr. biomass energy. This report provides a summary of the knowledge related to the production of WB from bioenergy with a focus on the econ. perspective. The most common WB feedstocks are described along with results of econ. modeling studies related to the provision of biomass from short-rotation woody crops, harvest residues, and haz.-fuel reduction efforts.
Author: Marissa "Jo" Daniel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 110
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Book Description
The importance of bioenergy, particularly woody biomass, continues to gain significance in Missouri. Although physical estimates of standing wood have been used to assess and project total above-ground woody biomass, these estimates fail to explore its social availability. Over 85% of Missouri's forests are privately owned, indicating that without the state's private landowners' acceptance utilizing woody biomass as bioenergy feedstock to the energy industry is impossible. Data was collected through focus groups and a mail survey, following the Tailored Design Method, to determine the states level of social acceptance towards woody biomass harvesting. Factor and cluster analysis were conducted to provide a current typology of Missouri's Non-industrial Private Forest Landowners (NIPFLs) as well as analyze the impacts of dominant timber prices and government incentive payments. Ordinal probability regression models and a marginal effects analysis determined the percentage of socially available woody biomass feedstock in Missouri as a function of timber and biomass prices, subsidy payments, and demographic profiles. Although results indicate many landowners are not knowledgeable about woody biomass for energy, they are interested in learning more about its potential uses. Results also suggest that landowners will sell their timber and woody biomass if the prices are sufficiently high enough in those markets. Today's market prices however are not deemed adequate to interest NIPFLs whose primary objectives include conservation/recreation rather than forest management.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Abstract : Forestlands have been identified as a valuable resource to mitigate climate change due to the biome's capacity to both sequester greenhouse gases and substitute for fossil fuels. Woody biomass has been proposed as a substitutable input for coalgenerated electricity as economies attempt to transition to renewable power while addressing economic development goals. However, increasing the intensity of forest management for energy production has the potential to result in significant ecological, economic and social consequences at local, regional and global scales. In this context, my dissertation explores the capacity of existing policy frameworks to stimulate and support sustainable power production from forest biomaterials. In Chapter Two, I explore the interactions between shifting goals, actors and institutions in influencing incentives that shape today's policy mix for woody biopower production in Wisconsin. The study's results reveal that the state's shifting focus away from using renewable energy as a means to pursue climate change mitigation and energy security goals combined with an absence of supportive coalitions has resulted in the dismantling of support for the woody biopower policy framework. In Chapter Three, I use data from a household survey of Tomahawk, Wisconsin residents to evaluate support for woody biomass production for power generation. Results show that respondents in biomass producing communities are more supportive of biomass sources such as forestry residues and forestry thinnings than dedicated harvesting operations. In addition, the results indicate that using an xiii ecosystem services approach can help explain differences in support between these respondents and provide insights into socially acceptable forms of biomass harvesting operations. Chapter Four evaluates the use of sustainable forest management certification programs as a policy instrument to source sustainable woody biomass. The study evaluated the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification programs using bioenergy sustainability criteria found in the academic literature. The analysis shows a deficiency in these programs to address key criteria pertaining to climate change mitigation and would be improved by coupling sustainable forest management programs with bioenergy sustainability schemes such as designed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials.
Author: Eric White
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781505914603
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 54
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Book Description
Woody biomass can be used for the generation of heat, electricity, and biofuels. In many cases, the technology for converting woody biomass into energy has been established for decades, but because the price of woody biomass energy has not been competitive with traditional fossil fuels, bioenergy production from woody biomass has not been widely adopted. However, current projections of future energy use and renewable energy and climate change legislation under consideration suggest increased use of both forest and agriculture biomass energy in the coming decades. This report provides a summary of some of the existing knowledge and literature related to the production of woody biomass from bioenergy with a particular focus on the economic perspective. The most commonly discussed woody biomass feedstocks are described along with results of existing economic modeling studies related to the provision of biomass from short-rotation woody crops, harvest residues, and hazardous-fuel reduction efforts. Additionally, the existing social science literature is used to highlight some challenges to widespread production of biomass energy.
Author: T. Satoo
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400976275
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 160
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Book Description
Lord Rutherford has said that all science is either physics or stamp collecting. On that basis the study of forest biomass must be classified with stamp collecting and other such pleasurable pursuits. Japanese scientists have led the world, not only in collecting basic data, but in their attempts to systematise our knowledge of forest biomass. They have studied factors affecting dry matter production of forest trees in an attempt to approach underlying phYf'ical principles. This edition of Professor Satoo's book has been made possible the help of Dr John F. Hosner and the Virginia Poly technical Institute and State University who invited Dr Satoo to Blacksburg for three months in 1973 at about the time when he was in the final stages of preparing the Japanese version. Since then the explosion of world literature on forest biomass has continued to be fired by increasing shortages of timber supplies in many parts of the world as well as by a need to explore renewable sources of energy. In revising the original text I have attempted to maintain the input of Japanese work - much of which is not widely available outside Japan - and to update both the basic information and, where necessary, the conclusions to keep them in tune with current thinking. Those familiar with the Japanese original will find Chapter 3 largely rewritten on the basis of new work - much of which was initiated while Dr Satoo was in Blacksburg.
Author: Sue Miller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biochar
Languages : en
Pages : 11
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Book Description
"Woody biomass could be used to generate renewable bioenergy and bioproducts in the western U.S. and has the potential to offer environmental and societal benefits. The purpose of the Rocky Mountain Research Station-led Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) project is to research and develop technologies, approaches, and new science that will help to make this possible. Part one of this series (September/October 2014) addressed the economic and environmental challenges of the biomass supply chain, from the site of harvest to the bioenergy facility - from "cradle to gate." This issue of the Bulletin is focused on the supply chain from the conversion facility to end use, covering material processing, conversion, end use, and disposal - from "gate to grave." It features important research on life cycle assessment of products from forest biomass, economic feasibility of conversion operations, and social acceptance of woody biomass energy. It provides details about the marketable uses for biomass co-products, like biochar and activated carbon. These contributions, combined with the material covered in part one, have the potential to facilitate biomass utilization as a feasible renewable energy option to offset fossil fuels, reduce our long-term carbon emissions, and address many significant forest management challenges."
Author: Cassia Sanzida Baten
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
To tackle climate change, reduce air pollution and promote development of renewable energy, the Ontario government is investing in the conversion of the coal-based Atikokan Power Generating Station (APGS) in Atikokan, Ontario, to woody biomass feedstock. This research offers one of the first looks at the perspectives of different individuals and groups on converting woody biomass to energy. Using a combination of study instruments which include literature review, surveys, interviews with key informants, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, this dissertation uses qualitative research to provide a picture of the public's opinions and attitudes towards the APGS biomass energy development. Given Ontario's huge and sustainably managed forest resource, woody biomass is expected to be a major component of renewable energy production in Ontario. The move towards renewable energy that replaces fossil fuels with woody biomass will have considerable socio-economic implications for local and First Nation communities living in and around the bioenergy power generating station. Findings indicate that there is wide support for biomass utilization at the APGS by local people, especially since the project would create sustainable employment. The connection of woody biomass-based energy generation and rural community development provides opportunities and challenges for Atikokan's economic development. Respondents identified economic, environmental and social barriers to biomass utilization, and emphasized trust and transparency as key elements in the successful implementation of the APGS project. As demand for woody biomass-based energy increases, special attention will be needed to ensure and maintain the social, economic and environmental sustainability of biomass use at the APGS. In this research, respondents' views about biomass utilization for energy mainly focused on forest-related issues rather than energy. In Atikokan much of the project's social acceptability is directly linked to woody biomass providing job creation and community stability. Given this, it will be important to design policies and projects from a community development perspective to ensure long term community support. Information provided by this research creates a base for discussions as forest biomass energy becomes a vital issue in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, and other regions of the world. This research provides a look at a community's views using a method that provides breadth of information but that is specific in scope. Further research will be required to determine the reach of these opinions within the stakeholder groups, the general public, and across different regions.
Author: Lana Landra Narine
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biomass energy
Languages : en
Pages : 13
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Book Description
Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners control 58% of all forests in the U.S. Great Lakes States consisting of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A regional assessment of the availability of woody biomass for bioenergy will therefore be incomprehensive without a consideration of supply from the most dominant ownership group. This study aimed to evaluate the social availability of woody biomass for renewable energy in the U.S. Great Lakes States by examining NIPF landowners' willingness-to-harvest (WTH) their woodlands. Following the Tailored Design Method, surveys were mailed to 4,190 NIPF landowners from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Results identified two latent factors summarizing landowners' bioenergy perceptions: (a) bioenergy support and (b) environmental degradation and four latent factors behind woodland ownership: (a) amenity, (b) personal use, (c) production and (d) legacy. A two-step cluster analysis approach was used to construct a landowner typology for the region based on landowners' bioenergy views and reasons for woodland ownership. Four types of landowners were consequently identified: recreationist, indifferent, preservationist and multiple-objective. Recreationists were found to own the majority or 51% of the total woodlands reported by sample respondents and were also most willing to harvest their woodlands with an estimated 38% potentially available for timber harvest and 46% for biomass harvest. A comparison of WTH by landowner type and state revealed that the greatest level of acceptance as indicated by potential acreage availability were from recreationists owning NIPFs in Michigan. Binary logit regression models were also used to determine significant factors influencing landowners' WTH timber and woody biomass. Findings indicated that non-timber objectives decreased the odds of harvesting and timber and biomass prices increased those odds. However, marginal probability effects of prices on WTH highlighted the substantial impact that timber price, rather than biomass price had on landowners' choice to harvest. These results suggested that the availability of woody biomass will be contingent upon timber prices.
Author: Eric M. White
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biomass energy
Languages : en
Pages : 45
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Book Description
Woody biomass can be used for the generation of heat, electricity, and biofuels. In many cases, the technology for converting woody biomass into energy has been established for decades, but because the price of woody biomass energy has not been competitive with traditional fossil fuels, bioenergy production from woody biomass has not been widely adopted. However, current projections of future energy use and renewable energy and climate change legislation under consideration suggest increased use of both forest and agriculture biomass energy in the coming decades. This report provides a summary of some of the existing knowledge and literature related to the production of woody biomass from bioenergy with a particular focus on the economic perspective. The most commonly discussed woody biomass feedstocks are described along with results of existing economic modeling studies related to the provision of biomass from short-rotation woody crops, harvest residues, and hazardous fuel-reduction efforts. Additionally, the existing social science literature is used to highlight some challenges to widespread production of biomass energy.
