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Unlocking green energy: A geospatial approach to identify optimal forest residue-fired power plant siting and size in China

Author

Listed:
  • Guo, Tao
  • Lai, Chunwei
  • Zhang, Chunyu
  • Gan, Xiaofan
  • Fu, Shanyi
  • Li, Linlin
  • Yang, Meng
  • Liu, Weiguo

Abstract

Forest residues are reliable renewable resources in replacing fossil fuels, thereby reducing environmental pollution and improving energy security. However, the utilization of forest residues for bioenergy is typically associated with high costs, Optimizing the sites and sizes of biorefinery facilities can help reduce these costs, while this aspect has been only limitedly studied. Therefore, this study develops a novel framework using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to construct a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model. In this framework, candidate plant sites were identified using GIS-AHP considering forest residue distribution, transportation distance, land use, slope, and environmental constraints. The MILP model was then applied to determine optimal plant locations and capacities under nine scenarios formed by combining three residue collection intensities (25 %, 47.5 %, 70 %), three conversion technologies (direct combustion, gasification, and combined heat and power). The model optimized the site and size of forest residue-fired power plants under two electricity selling prices: market prices, and maximum usage-associated prices. The results indicated that the electricity outputs were range from 4.88 billion kWh in Scenario 1 to 34.32 billion kWh in Scenario 9. With the increased collection intensity and electricity efficiency, the optimal installed capacity of power plants would increase. Scenario 9 with the highest collection intensity and electricity efficiency had the highest total installed capacity of 4290 MW with 143 forest residue-fired power plants consuming 49.9 % of the total potential forest residues under the maximum usage-associated prices. This study provides valuable references and guidance for exploring the optimal utilization of forest residues in China. The model framework also provides a feasible approach to determine the optimal strategy for biomass utilization at a large scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Guo, Tao & Lai, Chunwei & Zhang, Chunyu & Gan, Xiaofan & Fu, Shanyi & Li, Linlin & Yang, Meng & Liu, Weiguo, 2026. "Unlocking green energy: A geospatial approach to identify optimal forest residue-fired power plant siting and size in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PI).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pi:s0960148125023651
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124701
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