The role of biomass in the renewable energy system

Europe is striving for zero carbon electricity production by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous climate change. To meet this target a large variety of options is being explored. Biomass is such an option and should be given serious consideration. In this paper the potential role of biomass in a NW-European electricity mix is analyzed. The situation in NW-Europe is unique since it is a region which is a fore runner in renewable technology promotion but also an area with little sun, almost no potential for hydro and a lot of wind. This will result in a substantial need for non-intermittent low-carbon options such as biomass. The benefits and issues related to biomass are discussed in detail from both an environmental and an economic perspective. The former will focus on the life cycle of a biomass pellet supply chain, from the growth of the trees down to the burning of the pellets on site. The latter will provide detailed insights on the levelized cost of electricity for biomass and the role of biomass as a grid stabilizer in high intermittent scenarios. During the discussion, biomass will be compared to other competing electricity technologies to have a full understanding of its advantages and drawbacks. We find that biomass can play a very important role in the future low carbon electricity mix, the main bottleneck being the supply of large amounts of sustainably produced feedstock

Nuclear and old fossil phase out scenarios : assessment of shortages, surpluses and the load factor of flexible assets with high renewable generation targets : a Belgian case study

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Comparing push and pull measures for PV and wind in Europe

Successful technological innovation frameworks are based on synergistic packages of technology-push and demand-pull measures. As the massive deployment of premature renewable energy technologies risks becoming very expensive, the debate on the optimal trajectory of renewable technologies should explicitly consider the balance between deployment incentives and R&D efforts. This paper explores this balance regarding wind and PV technology support in Europe. Based on rather conservative estimates, we calculate future deployment costs and compare these figures to the current public investments in PV and wind R&D. We find that, today, for each Euro spent on R&D to develop future technologies, 35 to 41 Euros are spent on the deployment of existing technologies. Furthermore, private PV and wind technology companies tend to underinvest in R&D for various reasons. In an alternative scenario, we assess the optimal R&D efforts for the PV and wind sectors based on a 7% R&D-to-sales benchmark that is typical for engineering sectors. If public R&D efforts would increase according to this benchmark, and hence compensate for the private underinvestments in R&D, pull/push ratios between 6 and 8 could be achieved. This leads us to conclude that the current balance between deployment and R&D is far from optimal

Comparing various indicators for the LCA of residential photovoltaic systems

This chapter presents a broad environmental evaluation of residential Photovoltaic (PV) systems. It focuses mainly on how variations in irradiation levels, assessment methodology, and the lifetime of the solar panel influence the perception regarding its sustainability. Data from the Ecoinvent Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) database and the literature were used and various Life-Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods were considered for six different PV types. The results indicate that variations in irradiation levels, methodology and lifetime can significantly influence the final results and conclusions of a LCA. By carefully selecting assumptions and methodology, one can clearly influence the perceived environmental impact of PV systems. In addition, we state that multidimensional indicators should be used along with the one-dimensional ones. Also, the choice of the perspective (Hierarchist, Egalitarian or Individualist) has a major impact on the final results. In our opinion, the current focus on Greenhouse Gas (GHG)-emissions and energy efficiency ignores important environmental impact dimensions such as resource depletion