Greenhouse gas mitigation potential of electricity from biomass

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

In the European Union, the share of renewable energy has increased significantly over the past few years. Among renewable energy options, bioenergy is considered to be the dominant energy source. Previous literature is inconclusive regarding the suitability of bioenergy to mitigate greenhouse gases. The goal of this paper is to address this research gap. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of biomass systems for electricity generation were gathered via a systematic literature review and form the empirical basis of this study. A quantitative exploratory analysis and a Qualitative Comparative Analysis were carried out to identify the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of different biomass systems used for electricity generation. Significant variations in LCA results are due to the heterogeneity of these systems; therefore, the transferability of LCA results to similar systems must be investigated on a case-by-case basis. Results show that electricity from biomass can be an appropriate measure for greenhouse gas mitigation in the European Union. To mitigate greenhouse gases, it is recommended to promote the employment of (1) non-dedicated lignocellulosic biomass with thermochemical conversion, (2) dedicated lignocellulosic biomass with thermochemical conversion, and (3) dedicated lignocellulosic biomass with direct combustion. For a more holistic assessment, future research should focus not only on greenhouse gas emissions, but also on other environmental, economic, and social impact categories.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)483-490
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Cleaner Production
Volume103
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

researchoutputwizard legacy.publication#68105
Scopus 84953322209

Keywords

Keywords

  • Climate change, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), Greenhouse gas (GHG), Sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)