A Spatially Explicit Evaluation of the Economic Performance of a Perennial Energy Crop on the Marginal Land of the Loess Plateau and China

Author:

Liu Yanmei1ORCID,Hastings Astley2ORCID,Chen Shaolin3ORCID,Faaij André145ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Soc—Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 6, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands

2. Institute of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK

3. Biomass Energy Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China

4. Energy Transition Studies, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), 1043 NT Amsterdam, The Netherlands

5. Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands

Abstract

The Loess Plateau, with a large area of marginal land, holds the potential to produce 62–106 Tg per year of switchgrass biomass; however, the economic feasibility of producing bioenergy in the region is unclear. The farm-gate feedstock production (FGFP) cost of switchgrass was calculated in a spatially explicit way by taking the geographic variation in crop yield, soil properties, land quality, and input costs into consideration in order to evaluate the economic performance of bioenergy production. Cost–supply curves were constructed to explore the energy supply potential of switchgrass feedstock. The calculations were conducted using ArcGIS in a 1 km grid and all the evaluations were conducted under different agricultural management practice (AMP) scenarios in parallel. The FGFP costs showed significant spatial variation ranging from 95 to 7373 CNY (Chinese Yuan) per tonne−1 and that the most economically desirable areas are scattered in the south and southeast region. The weighted average FGFP costs are 710, 1125, and 1596 CNY per tonne−1 for small bale (SB), large bale (LB), and chipping (CP) harvest methods, respectively. The projected energy supply potential is 1927 PJ (Petajoules) per year−1, of which 30–93% can be supplied below the market prices of different fossil fuels according to feedstock formats. Compared to current biomass residual pricing, 50–66 Tg (Teragrams) switchgrass feedstock is competitive. The results demonstrated that the Loess Plateau holds the potential to produce bioenergy that is economically feasible. This study provides a methodological framework for spatially explicit evaluation of the economic performance of perennial energy crops. Detailed information obtained from this study can be used to select the optimal locations and AMPs to produce feedstock production at minimum cost.

Funder

Chinese Scholarship Council

UK Natural Environment Research Council

EPSRC

BBSRC

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Energy (miscellaneous),Energy Engineering and Power Technology,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Control and Optimization,Engineering (miscellaneous),Building and Construction

Reference71 articles.

1. IEA (2021, October 04). China Has a Clear Pathway to Build a More Sustainable, Secure and Inclusive Energy Future. Available online: https://www.iea.org/news/china-has-a-clear-pathway-to-build-a-more-sustainable-secure-and-inclusive-energy-future.

2. Drivers of Change in China’s Energy-Related CO2 Emissions;Zheng;Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,2020

3. The State Council the People’s Republic of China (2021, October 04). China Maps Path to Carbon Peak, Neutrality under New Development Philosophy, Available online: http://english.www.gov.cn/policies/latestreleases/202110/24/content_WS61755fe9c6d0df57f98e3bed.html#:~:text=By2030%2CChina’scarbondioxide,reiteratingthecountry’spreviouspledge.

4. Anaerobic Digestion in Global Bio-Energy Production: Potential and Research Challenges;Appels;Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.,2011

5. NDRC (2023, May 10). China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, Available online: https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/xxgk/zcfb/ghwb/202203/t20220322_1320016.html.

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3