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Summary of full report
Biomass energy production in Australia Status, costs and opportunities for major technologies
by C.R. Stucley, S.M. Schuck, R.E.H. Sims, P.L. Larsen, N.D. Turvey and B.E. Marino
February 2004
RIRDC Publication No 04/031 RIRDC Project No EPL-1A
Executive Summary
This report examines the
use of biomass to generate electricity and produce liquid transport fuels.
There are many different forms of biomass, from forestry and agriculture and from a range of process industries. The main focus of this study is on biomass from forestry, particularly new forestry that may also achieve other environmental benefits in Australia’s dryland regions.
The report is generally structured as follows:
a) Biomass is discussed first,
including:
With an emphasis
on new tree planting in this study, examples of several short cycle tree
crops are provided. Growing and harvesting short cycle mallee eucalypts
in Australia is already reported by RIRDC 1, and the authors are not aware
of other published work on short cycle forestry in Australia. This study
has therefore used overseas experience for much of its discussion of biomass
harvesting and transportation.
b) Technical sections are then provided to introduce current and projected technologies for production of electricity and liquid fuels from biomass feedstocks.
c) Following the technical sections is a summary of costs for several hypothetical examples of electricity and alcohol fuel plants, as well as overall costing of bioenergy systems and a preliminary sensitivity analysis.
d) With a view to understanding opportunities for new tree planting in Australia, case studies have been developed that examine short cycle (tree) crops for bioenergy and also for more conventional long rotation plantations. Locations examined are in south east Queensland and the Murray Darling Basin.
e) The work undertaken for the study showed that in many cases bioenergy alone is not a viable commercial driver for the new tree planting that the Joint Venture Agroforestry Project (JVAP) is encouraging across much of Australia. The report therefore examines other products that may be possible if biomass supplies are established for a bioenergy industry. Also considered are the other environmental and social benefits that would result from new tree planting and bioenergy in rural areas.
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