IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v14y2010i8p2256-2265.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Bioenergy in Switzerland: Assessing the domestic sustainable biomass potential

Author

Listed:
  • Steubing, B.
  • Zah, R.
  • Waeger, P.
  • Ludwig, C.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the sustainable domestic biomass potential for bioenergy in Switzerland. Relevant biomass resources were selected based on expert interviews and literature analyses. A definition of technical and sustainable biomass potentials was developed. The technical and sustainable biomass potentials were then assessed based on technical and sustainability constraints. The sustainable potentials were further subdivided into the already energetically-used potential and the remaining biomass potential. Data was collected from the literature and supplementary interviews with field experts. Finally, the primary energy potential from biomass was calculated and compared to the current Swiss energy demand. We show that there is currently no sustainable potential for agricultural biomass, such as energy crops, crop residues and grass. On the other hand, there is a substantial potential from woody biomass, manure and waste biomass. The main constraints that limit the sustainable biomass potential are competing material utilizations, economic factors as well as the Swiss biofuels policy. Currently, 3.6% of Switzerland's energy demand is met by biomass resources, whereas the remaining potential could provide an additional 3.3%. Hence, with respect to a sustainable energy supply, bioenergy in Switzerland could cover a total share of 7%.

Suggested Citation

  • Steubing, B. & Zah, R. & Waeger, P. & Ludwig, C., 2010. "Bioenergy in Switzerland: Assessing the domestic sustainable biomass potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(8), pages 2256-2265, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:14:y:2010:i:8:p:2256-2265
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364-0321(10)00098-5
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Beach, Robert H. & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K. & Yang, Jui-Chen & Murray, Brian C. & Abt, Robert C., 2005. "Econometric studies of non-industrial private forest management: a review and synthesis," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 261-281, March.
    2. Gregory, S. Amacher & Christine Conway, M. & Sullivan, Jay & Gregory, S. Amacher, 2003. "Econometric analyses of nonindustrial forest landowners: Is there anything left to study?," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 137-164.
    3. Rathmann, Régis & Szklo, Alexandre & Schaeffer, Roberto, 2010. "Land use competition for production of food and liquid biofuels: An analysis of the arguments in the current debate," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 14-22.
    4. Searchinger, Timothy & Heimlich, Ralph & Houghton, R. A. & Dong, Fengxia & Elobeid, Amani & Fabiosa, Jacinto F. & Tokgoz, Simla & Hayes, Dermot J. & Yu, Hun-Hsiang, 2008. "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12881, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    5. Reijnders, L., 2006. "Conditions for the sustainability of biomass based fuel use," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 863-876, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Diermeier, Matthias & Schmidt, Torsten, 2014. "Oil price effects on land use competition: an empirical analysis," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17.
    2. Mohd Alsaleh & Muhammad Mansur Abdulwakil & Abdul Samad Abdul-Rahim, 2021. "Land-Use Change Impacts from Sustainable Hydropower Production in EU28 Region: An Empirical Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Marvin Joseph F. Montefrio, 2016. "Partnership Regimes for the Production of Biofuels and Natural Rubber in Upland Palawan, Philippines," EEPSEA Research Report rr2016045, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), revised Apr 2016.
    4. Nielsen, Anne Sofie Elberg & Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl & Strange, Niels, 2018. "Landowner participation in forest conservation programs: A revealed approach using register, spatial and contract data," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Julia Touza & Charles Perrings & María Chas Amil, 2010. "Harvest Decisions and Spatial Landscape Attributes: The Case of Galician Communal Forests," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 46(1), pages 75-91, May.
    6. Diogo, V. & Koomen, E. & Kuhlman, T., 2015. "An economic theory-based explanatory model of agricultural land-use patterns: The Netherlands as a case study," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1-16.
    7. Rahman, Farahiyah Abdul & Aziz, Md Maniruzzaman A. & Saidur, R. & Bakar, Wan Azelee Wan Abu & Hainin, M.R & Putrajaya, Ramadhansyah & Hassan, Norhidayah Abdul, 2017. "Pollution to solution: Capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and its utilization as a renewable energy source for a sustainable future," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 112-126.
    8. repec:zbw:rwirep:0340 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Wilson, P. & Glithero, N.J. & Ramsden, S.J., 2014. "Prospects for dedicated energy crop production and attitudes towards agricultural straw use: The case of livestock farmers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 101-110.
    10. Cai, Zhen & Narine, Lana Landra & D'Amato, Anthony & Aguilar, Francisco Xavier, 2016. "Attitudinal and revenue effects on non-industrial private forest owners' willingness-to-harvest timber and woody biomass," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 52-61.
    11. Størdal, Ståle & Lien, Gudbrand & Baardsen, Sjur, 2008. "Analyzing determinants of forest owners' decision-making using a sample selection framework," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 159-176, June.
    12. Kilham, Philipp & Hartebrodt, Christoph & Schraml, Ulrich, 2019. "A conceptual model for private forest owners' harvest decisions: A qualitative study in southwest Germany," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Hendee, Jacob T. & Flint, Courtney G., 2013. "Managing private forestlands along the public–private interface of Southern Illinois: Landowner forestry decisions in a multi-jurisdictional landscape," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 47-55.
    14. Pontau, Patricia & Hou, Yi & Cai, Hua & Zhen, Yi & Jia, Xiaoping & Chiu, Anthony S.F. & Xu, Ming, 2015. "Assessing land-use impacts by clean vehicle systems," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 112-119.
    15. Watson, Adam C. & Sullivan, Jay & Amacher, Gregory S. & Asaro, Christopher, 2013. "Cost sharing for pre-commercial thinning in southern pine plantations: Willingness to participate in Virginia's pine bark beetle prevention program," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 65-72.
    16. Gutierrez-Castillo, Ana & Penn, Jerrod & Tanger, Shaun & Blazier, Michael A., 2022. "Conservation easement landowners' willingness to accept for forest thinning and the impact of information," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    17. Lange, Mareike, 2011. "The GHG balance of biofuels taking into account land use change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2373-2385, May.
    18. Holthausen, Niels, 2006. "Ökonomische Bedeutung und Management von Naturrisiken im Wald: Theoretische Grundlagen und empirische Analysen nach dem Sturm Lothar (1999) in der Schweiz," Schriftenreihe Forstökonomie und Forstplanung, University of Freiburg, Chair of Forestry Economics and Planning, volume 26, number 26.
    19. Kostadinov, Fabian & Holm, Stefan & Steubing, Bernhard & Thees, Oliver & Lemm, Renato, 2014. "Simulation of a Swiss wood fuel and roundwood market: An explorative study in agent-based modeling," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 105-118.
    20. Lindhjem, Henrik & Mitani, Yohei, 2012. "Forest owners’ willingness to accept compensation for voluntary conservation: A contingent valuation approach," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 290-302.
    21. Yakubu Abdul-Salam & Melf-Hinrich Ehlers & Jelte Harnmeijer, 2017. "Anaerobic Digestion of Feedstock Grown on Marginal Land: Break-Even Electricity Prices," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:14:y:2010:i:8:p:2256-2265. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.