A Site-Related Suitability Analysis for the Production of Biomass as a Contribution to Sustainable Regional Land-Use |
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Authors: | Michael Förster Yvonne Helms Alfred Herberg Antje Köppen Kathrin Kunzmann Dörte Radtke Lutz Ross Sibylle Itzerott |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Berlin University of Technology, Strasse des 17. Juni 145 (EB 5), 10623 Berlin, Germany;(2) National Research Centre for Geosciences in Germany (GFZ), Section 1.4, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany |
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Abstract: | The use of renewable energy in Europe offers the possibility of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to energy
security and independence. With the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and a variety of recently introduced national
directives supporting renewable energy sources in the European Union, the economic attractiveness of bioenergy production
has distinctly increased. This article combines an economic evaluation of biomass production with site-related natural conditions
of the Havelland region, situated in the north-east area of Germany. Two methods for evaluating site-specific potential biomass
yields were compared. For three example biomass crops, evaluations of yield estimations at agricultural lots for site-optimized
suitability (SOS) and conventional suitability (CS) were carried out. Both modelling approaches were compared. The results
of the GIS modelling indicate that the financial support for increasing the use of renewable energy with the German feed-in
system, called Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG), will possibly lead to an increased cultivation of crops with high biomass
output. This monocultural orientation of farming practices and the negative effects on the ecosystem could act in opposition
to other environmental initiatives of the EU. The outputs of the SOS analysis show that high biomass production could be integrated
into environmental policy proposals. Therefore, new EU policy should take modified subsidies into consideration in order to
avoid developing conflicts between small-scale changes in landscape ecosystems caused by large-scale transformations in energy
policy. |
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Keywords: | Biomass GIS-modelling Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Erneuerbares-Energien-Gesetz (EEG) |
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