Bioenergy priority development areas identified through ......Bioenergy 2020+ GmbH (BE2020) Stefano Oliveri Environmental Research Centre of Catholic University “Sacro Cuore” (CRASL)

“Intelligent Energy – Europe” Programme Project BIOENERGIS – IEE/07/638/SI2.499702

GIS-based decision support system aimed at a sustainable energetic exploitation of biomass at regional level

Bioenergy priority development areas

identified through BIOPOLE

June 2011

BIOENERGY PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH BIOPOLE 2

Anna Boccardi, Giuseppe Maffeis

Centre for Technological Development, Energy and Competitiveness of Lombard SMEs

(CESTEC):

in collaboration with:

Alice Bernardoni, Andrea Cherubini, Alessandro Chiesa, Daniele Roncolato

Centre for Technological Development, Energy and Competitiveness of Lombard SMEs

(CESTEC)

Christian Pointner

Bioenergy 2020+ GmbH (BE2020)

Stefano Oliveri

Environmental Research Centre of Catholic University “Sacro Cuore” (CRASL)

Mark McGuigan, David Millar

South West College (SWC)

The sole responsibility for the content of this report lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect

the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use

that may be made of the information contained therein.


Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 8

2 SUSTAINABILITY CRITERIA ............................................................................................................ 10

2.1 Ratio between supply and demand index .................................................................................. 10

2.2 Mean distance of the biomass index .......................................................................................... 11

2.3 Involved population index ......................................................................................................... 11

2.4 Global sustainability index ........................................................................................................ 11

3 MAPS ............................................................................................................................................. 13

3.1 Lombardy .................................................................................................................................. 14

3.1.1 Regional suitability map: Herbaceous combustion plants .................................................... 14

3.1.2 Example of priority areas: Herbaceous combustion plants .................................................. 15

3.1.3 Regional suitability map: Wood combustion plants ............................................................. 16

3.1.4 Example of priority areas: Wood combustion plants ........................................................... 17

3.1.5 Regional suitability map: Crop anaerobic digestion plants .................................................. 18

3.1.6 Example of priority areas: Crop anaerobic digestion plants ................................................ 19

3.1.7 Regional suitability map: Waste anaerobic digestion plants ................................................ 20

3.1.8 Example of priority areas: Waste anaerobic digestion plants............................................... 21

3.1.9 Summary table ...................................................................................................................... 21

3.2 Slovenia ..................................................................................................................................... 23









3.2.9 Summary table ...................................................................................................................... 30

3.3 Northern Ireland ........................................................................................................................ 32










3.3.9 Summary tables .................................................................................................................... 39

3.4 Wallonia .................................................................................................................................... 41









3.4.9 Summary table ...................................................................................................................... 48

4 SUMMARY TABLES ......................................................................................................................... 50

4.1 Crop anaerobic digestion plants ................................................................................................ 50

4.2 Wood combustion plants ........................................................................................................... 50

4.3 Waste combustion plants ........................................................................................................... 50

4.4 Herbaceous combustion plants .................................................................................................. 51

4.5 Waste anaerobic digestion plants .............................................................................................. 51


List of Figures

Figure 2.1: BIOPOLE sustainability indexes. ....................................................................................... 12

Figure 3.1: Map of herbaceous combustion plants - Lombardy. ........................................................... 14

Figure 3.2: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Lombardy, Po Valley between Cremona,

Bergamo and Brescia. .............................................................................................................. 15

Figure 3.3: Map of wood combustion plants – Lombardy. ................................................................... 16

Figure 3.4: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Lombardy, Alpine foothills north of Brescia. . 17

Figure 3.5: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy. ........................................................ 18

Figure 3.6: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy, Po Valley between Cremona,

Bergamo, Brescia and Mantova. .............................................................................................. 19

Figure 3.7: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy. ...................................................... 20

Figure 3.8: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy, Po Valley between

Cremona, Milan and Bergamo. ................................................................................................ 21

Figure 3.9: Map of herbaceous combustion plants - Slovenia. ............................................................. 23

Figure 3.10: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Slovenia, east of Maribor. .................... 24

Figure 3.11: Map of wood combustion plants – Slovenia. .................................................................... 25

Figure 3.12: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Slovenia, surroundings of Postojna. ............. 26

Figure 3.13: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia. ......................................................... 27

Figure 3.14: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia, east of Maribor ................... 28

Figure 3.15: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia. ....................................................... 29

Figure 3.16: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia, north of Ljubljana. ............ 30

Figure 3.17: Map of herbaceous combustion plants – Northern Ireland. .............................................. 32

Figure 3.18: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Northern Ireland, south-west of Belfast.

.................................................................................................................................................. 33

Figure 3.19: Map of wood combustion plants – Northern Ireland. ....................................................... 34

Figure 3.20: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Northern Ireland, Mid-Ulster. ....................... 35

Figure 3.21: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland. ............................................ 36

Figure 3.22: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland, north of Cookstown.

.................................................................................................................................................. 37

Figure 3.23: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland. .......................................... 38

Figure 3.24: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland, surroundings of

Belfast. ..................................................................................................................................... 39


Figure 3.25: Map of herbaceous combustion plants – Wallonia. .......................................................... 41

Figure 3.26: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Wallonia, Province of Liege. ............... 42

Figure 3.27: Map of wood combustion plants – Wallonia. ................................................................... 43

Figure 3.28: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Wallonia, Province of Luxembourg. ............. 44

Figure 3.29: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia. ........................................................ 45

Figure 3.30: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia, Province of Luxembourg. .. 46

Figure 3.31: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia. ...................................................... 47

Figure 3.32: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia, surroundings of Tournai. . 48


List of Tables

Table 2.1: Default values of BIOPOLE parameters .............................................................................. 10

Table 3.1: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Lombardy region. 22

Table 3.2: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Slovenia. .............. 31

Table 3.3: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Northern Ireland. . 40

Table 3.4: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Wallonia. ............. 49

Table 4.1: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a crop anaerobic plant, compared to the

total cells of the regions considered. ........................................................................................ 50

Table 4.2: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a wood combustion plant, compared to

the total cells of the regions considered. .................................................................................. 50

Table 4.3: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a waste combustion plant, compared to

the total cells of the regions considered. .................................................................................. 50

Table 4.4: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a herbaceous combustion plant,

compared to the total cells of the regions considered. .............................................................. 51

Table 4.5: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a waste anaerobic plant, compared to the

total cells of the regions considered. ........................................................................................ 51


Background

Funded by the European Commission under the Intelligent Energy Europe 2007-2013 Programme,

the BioEnerGIS Project has developed a Decision Support System which allows decision makers

identifying the suitable localization for new bioenergy plants serving district heating systems in

Lombardy (Italy), Northern Ireland, Slovenia and Wallonia (Belgium).

BioEnerGIS promoted the integrate planning of bioenergy at regional level, in order to meet the

European target on renewables, greenhouse gases and energy efficiency: the Project investigated the

whole chain of biomass, from the survey of the available biomass, of the thermal energy demand and

of the technical options to the economic, environmental, social and regulatory aspects. The

involvement of regional and local stakeholders were encouraged in all the steps of the activity.

The web GIS-based Decision Support System BIOPOLE combines all these elements in order to

generate maps of suitable localization and configuration - in terms of energy, environmental and

economic sustainability - of new biomass plants. BIOPOLE is fed by the data resulting from the

assessment of the exploitable biomass potential and of the heat demand: these layers of information

are cross-analyzed with the integration of technical options and sustainability criteria specifically

assessed in each region.

BioEnerGIS has also explored the public and private interest in implementing the identified plants, the

different stakeholders’ needs and the possible financial or legislative instruments in order to encourage

a shared action programme. The Project thus created the conditions for the subscription of Local

Agreements aimed at promoting new concrete bio-business initiatives between different actors of the

local networks.

BioEnerGIS presents common features with other two bio-business Projects - BEn and MAKE IT BE -

funded within the same IEE Call. In order to make the most of potential synergies, to avoid

duplication and to amplify the effects of the actions, Project Partners periodically met in common

meetings and exchanged information on the progress achieved, the obstacles faced and the solutions

found.

This report presents the areas potentially interesting for the development of heating networks fed by

biomass plants, through the maps of the eligible cells for the different plant types considered in

BIOPOLE default simulations.


1 INTRODUCTION

The aim of this deliverable is to present the areas potentially interesting for the development of heating

networks fed by biomass plants as resulting by the run of the DSS (Decision Support System)

BIOPOLE.

For all the technical information on the structure and functioning of the tool, refer to Deliverable

D8_BIOPOLE.

In the following pages maps of the eligible cells in each region are represented for the following types

of plants considered:

wood combustion plants;

herbaceous combustion plants;

crop anaerobic digestion plants;

waste anaerobic digestion plants.

No map has been here produced for waste combustion plants, being the regional results numerically

not significant compared to other plant typologies. This sector could of course be fully investigated, as

the others, in BIOPOLE.

A “single plant” approach is followed by BIOPOLE in the plant localization: each solution found by

the DSS does not consider the presence of other possible solutions; it follows that all the plants

mapped could not be realized contemporaneously and that the sustainability level for each possible

plant showed must be read as independent from other plants nearby.


2 SUSTAINABILITY CRITERIA

At the end of (each) BIOPOLE run process, cells are characterized by a Global Sustainability Index

which allows picking out the most sustainable localizations constrained to certain preferences directly

or indirectly expressed by the decision maker.

The results here showed are obtained using the default parameters synthesized in Table 2.1.

Parameter Value

Plant use Cogeneration

Biomass category All

Heat demand category All

Demand satisfied - residential 50%

Demand satisfied - industrial 30%

Demand satisfied - tertiary 80%

Biomass used 75%

Max allowed urban area 80%

Sustainability criteria n° 1

Involved population weight 33%


Ratio between supply and demand weight 34%


Mean distance of the biomass weight 33%

Table 2.1: Default values of BIOPOLE parameters

According to the several interests represented by the different stakeholders, three different criteria

have been identified:

Ratio between supply and demand index.

Mean distance of the biomass index.

Involved population index.

2.1 RATIO BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND INDEX

The availability of enough quantity of a suitable raw material is a constraint to the realization of a

specific type of biomass plant.


However it has to be considered that territorial biomass supplying is unpredictable, and it could vary

during the life of the plant: the easy availability of the suitable biomass normalized on the heat

demand is an index of guarantee of supplying.

2.2 MEAN DISTANCE OF THE BIOMASS INDEX

A biomass plant unavoidably generates extra traffic, due to the fact that trucks have to transport the

biomass from the harvest areas to the biomass plant. This index evaluates the mean distance of the

biomass sources selected for the simulation.

2.3 INVOLVED POPULATION INDEX

A biomass plant is also a source of air pollution, in fact, both it is used for heat generation and CHP, it

generates combustion emissions that have a potential impact on the surrounding territory. As an

indicator of impact it has been considered how many people the pollution generated by the biomass

plant affects. It has been hypothesized that the pollution of a plant should fall within a circular area of

2,5 km radius and the indicator measures if the pollution affects to some people who do not enjoy the

benefits of the plant.

2.4 GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

The values of the three indicators cannot be simply added together, because they have different units

of measurement and different physical meanings. To be aggregated, they must be made homogeneous

and this can be done by transforming the indicators into indexes, between 0 and 1, through so-called

“utility functions” that reflect the satisfaction (maximum 1; minimum 0) regarding the value of the

indicator in question.

In other words, the indicators are transformed through these utility functions into indexes that can be

then added together.

Through a weighted sum of the three indexes the Global Sustainability Index is computed.

In the standard simulations, and therefore in the ones that generated these outputs, an equal weight is

assumed for all the indexes.

In BIOPOLE, the values of these indexes are represented by three dashboards. An example is

represented in the figure below.


Figure 2.1: BIOPOLE sustainability indexes.


3 MAPS

Below, the Global Sustainability Index maps are represented for the four regions of interest and for

each relevant plant type.

Two different scales are shown: the regional one and a local zoom on the area resulting as the best

suited to accommodate plants.

In the summary tables at the end of each subchapter, the number of feasible plants is represented, for

each plant type considered in BIOPOLE and split into four classes of global sustainability index.

The green rows highlight, where present, the plants in the highest class of sustainability and therefore,

according to the overall assumptions made in BIOPOLE, the first ones for which it could be worth to

realize more advanced pre-feasibility studies.


3.1 LOMBARDY

3.1.1 Regional suitability map: Herbaceous combustion plants

Figure 3.1: Map of herbaceous combustion plants - Lombardy.


3.1.2 Example of priority areas: Herbaceous combustion plants

Figure 3.2: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Lombardy, Po Valley between Cremona,

Bergamo and Brescia.


3.1.3 Regional suitability map: Wood combustion plants

Figure 3.3: Map of wood combustion plants – Lombardy.


3.1.4 Example of priority areas: Wood combustion plants

Figure 3.4: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Lombardy, Alpine foothills north of Brescia.


3.1.5 Regional suitability map: Crop anaerobic digestion plants

Figure 3.5: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy.


3.1.6 Example of priority areas: Crop anaerobic digestion plants

Figure 3.6: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy, Po Valley between Cremona,

Bergamo, Brescia and Mantova.


3.1.7 Regional suitability map: Waste anaerobic digestion plants

Figure 3.7: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy.


3.1.8 Example of priority areas: Waste anaerobic digestion plants

Figure 3.8: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Lombardy, Po Valley between Cremona,

Milan and Bergamo.

3.1.9 Summary table

The following table represents, for each plant type considered, the number of feasible plants, divided

into four classes of global sustainability index.


Global sustainability index

value

Number of feasible

plants %

Crop anaerobic digestion plants 6.449

0,75-1 95 1%

0,5-0,75 2.179 34%

0,25-0,5 2.565 40%

0-0,25 1.610 25%

Herbaceous combustion plants 5.668

0,75-1 24 0,4%

0,5-0,75 1.640 29%

0,25-0,5 2.783 49%

0-0,25 1.221 22%

Waste anaerobic digestion plants 6.376

0,75-1 6 0,1%

0,5-0,75 705 11%

0,25-0,5 4.080 64%

0-0,25 1.585 25%

Waste combustion plants 6.092

0,75-1 2 0,03%

0,5-0,75 450 7%

0,25-0,5 4.475 73%

0-0,25 1.165 19%

Wood combustion plants 6.115

0,5-0,75 675 11%

0,25-0,5 4.432 72%

0-0,25 1.008 16%

Table 3.1: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Lombardy region.


3.2 SLOVENIA


Figure 3.9: Map of herbaceous combustion plants - Slovenia.



Figure 3.10: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Slovenia, east of Maribor.



Figure 3.11: Map of wood combustion plants – Slovenia.



Figure 3.12: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Slovenia, surroundings of Postojna.



Figure 3.13: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia.



Figure 3.14: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia, east of Maribor



Figure 3.15: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia.



Figure 3.16: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Slovenia, north of Ljubljana.

3.2.9 Summary table

The following table represent, for Slovenia and for each plant type considered, the number of feasible

plants, divided into four classes of global sustainability index.



value

Number of feasible

plants %


0,75-1 1 0,04%

0,5-0,75 235 10%

0,25-0,5 1.536 63%

0-0,25 667 27%

Herb combustion plants 2.549

0,75-1 37 1%

0,5-0,75 495 19%

0,25-0,5 1.281 50%

0-0,25 736 29%


0,5-0,75 363 13%

0,25-0,5 2.124 78%

0-0,25 234 9%


0,5-0,75 1.374 52%

0,25-0,5 1.212 46%

0-0,25 70 3%

Table 3.2: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Slovenia.


3.3 NORTHERN IRELAND


Figure 3.17: Map of herbaceous combustion plants – Northern Ireland.



Figure 3.18: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Northern Ireland, south-west of Belfast.



Figure 3.19: Map of wood combustion plants – Northern Ireland.



Figure 3.20: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Northern Ireland, Mid-Ulster.



Figure 3.21: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland.



Figure 3.22: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland, north of Cookstown.



Figure 3.23: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland.



Figure 3.24: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Northern Ireland, surroundings of Belfast.

3.3.9 Summary tables

The following table represent, for Northern Ireland and for each plant type considered, the number of

feasible plants, divided into four classes of global sustainability index.



value

Number of feasible

plants %


0,75-1 1 0,1%

0,5-0,75 247 16%

0,25-0,5 882 59%

0-0,25 371 25%


0,75-1 217 15%

0,5-0,75 761 52%

0,25-0,5 491 33%


0,5-0,75 6 0,4%

0,25-0,5 630 46%

0-0.25 720 53%

Waste combustion plant 1.469

0,5-0,75 270 18%

0,25-0,5 1.015 69%

0-0,25 184 13%


0,75-1 3 0,2%

0,5-0,75 497 34%

0,25-0,5 731 50%

0-0,25 238 16%

Table 3.3: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Northern Ireland.


3.4 WALLONIA


Figure 3.25: Map of herbaceous combustion plants – Wallonia.



Figure 3.26: Map (zoom) of herbaceous combustion plants – Wallonia, Province of Liege.



Figure 3.27: Map of wood combustion plants – Wallonia.



Figure 3.28: Map (zoom) of wood combustion plants – Wallonia, Province of Luxembourg.



Figure 3.29: Map of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia.



Figure 3.30: Map (zoom) of crop anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia, Province of Luxembourg.



Figure 3.31: Map of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia.



Figure 3.32: Map (zoom) of waste anaerobic digestion plants – Wallonia, surroundings of Tournai.

3.4.9 Summary table

The following table represent, for Wallonia and for each plant type considered, the number of feasible

plants, divided into four classes of global sustainability index.



value

Number of feasible

plants %


0,75-1 14 0%

0,5-0,75 3.260 43%

0,25-0,5 3.624 48%

0-0,25 678 9%


0,5-0,75 87 2%

0,25-0,5 3.066 59%

0-0,25 2.023 39%


0,5-0,75 58 2%

0,25-0,5 584 22%

0-0,25 2.066 76%

Waste combustion plants 1.151

0,25-0,5 35 3%

0-0,25 1.116 97%


0,5-0,75 851 12%

0,25-0,5 4.198 60%

0-0,25 1.950 28%

Table 3.4: Number of feasible plants related to the global sustainability index for Wallonia.


4 SUMMARY TABLES

The following tables represent, for the plant types considered and for each region, the number of total

feasible plants in relation to the total number of cells analyzed.

4.1 CROP ANAEROBIC DIGESTION PLANTS


value

Number of feasible

plants

% on total cells of

the region

Lombardy 6.449 7%

Slovenia 2.439 3%

Northern Ireland 1.501 3%

Wallonia 7.576 11%

Table 4.1: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a crop anaerobic plant, compared to the total

cells of the regions considered.

4.2 WOOD COMBUSTION PLANTS


value

Number of feasible

plants

% on total cells of

the region

Lombardy 6.115 6%

Slovenia 2.656 3%


Wallonia 6.999 10%

Table 4.2: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a wood combustion plant, compared to the

total cells of the regions considered.

4.3 WASTE COMBUSTION PLANTS


value

Number of feasible

plants

% on total cells of

the region

Lombardy 6.092 6%

Slovenia 0 0%


Wallonia 1.151 2%

Table 4.3: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a waste combustion plant, compared to the



4.4 HERBACEOUS COMBUSTION PLANTS


value

Number of feasible

plants

% on total cells of

the region

Lombardy 5.668 6%

Slovenia 2.549 3%


Wallonia 5.176 7%

Table 4.4: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a herbaceous combustion plant, compared to

the total cells of the regions considered.

4.5 WASTE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION PLANTS


value

Number of feasible

plants

% on total cells of

the region

Lombardy 6.376 7%

Slovenia 2.721 3%


Wallonia 2.708 4%

Table 4.5: Percentage of eligible cells for the construction of a waste anaerobic plant, compared to the


Documents

Bioenergy priority development areas identified through ......Bioenergy 2020+ GmbH (BE2020) Stefano Oliveri Environmental Research Centre of Catholic University “Sacro Cuore” (CRASL)