Environmental sustainability and financial feasibility evaluation of woodfuel biomass used for a potential replacement of conventional space heating sources. Part I: a Greek case study

Chalikias, Miltiadis; Kyriakopoulos, Grigorios L.; Kolovos, Konstantinos G.

doi:10.1007/s12351-009-0033-y

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…• the applicability of enhanced exploitation of renewables [52]; • the spur of novel technologies upon electrical energy storage in electricity generation [53]; • the socio-cultural value of energy production as a common good that must be instilled in the secondary education systems [54]; • the energy autonomy and the forestry management of mountainous regions in satisfying the energy demand, either as energetically autonomous countries, or under bilateral national agreements of legal importing and exporting forestry biomass as supplementary sources of energy production [55,56]; • the public attitude that is generally positive towards RES and the high cost and lack of information as obstacles towards the wider support of RES-based energy investments [19,21,57]; • and the ongoing controversy between ecological, economic, and financial environment in Greece, since national policies should be oriented to 'green fiscal policies'. Greek national policy must be compatible with relevant European reports.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy: A Case Study from Greece

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The purpose of this study is to discover the factors shaping public opinion about renewable energy sources and investigate willingness to pay for expansion of renewable energy sources in the electricity mix. Data was collected through a questionnaire applied in Nikaia, an urban municipality of Greece. The respondents have a positive attitude towards renewable energy systems. Most of them have good knowledge of solar and wind energy systems and are using solar water heating, while several respondents own a solar PV system. Environmental protection is seen as the most important reason for investing in a renewable energy system. Willingness to pay for a wider penetration of RES into the electricity mix was estimated to be 26.5 euros per quarterly electricity bill. The statistical analysis revealed the existence of a relationship between RES perceived advantages and willingness to pay for renewable energy. Furthermore, by using a binary logit model, willingness to pay was found to be positively associated with education, energy subsidies, and state support.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy: A Case Study from Greece

et al. 2018

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“…Regression models are developed, and marginal effects of forestry subsidies are calculated [18]. Scientists investigate the correlations between afforestation and biomass utilization in the economy [31,32]. There are very few studies, however, which account for the fact that farmers who make planting decisions on low-productivity agricultural land are guided not only by a complex and individual set of values, but also by the results of profitability analyses concerning investments on the real estate market.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Financial Dilemmas Associated with the Afforestation of Low-Productivity Farmland in Poland

Źróbek-Różańska

Nowak

et al. 2014

Forests

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Abstract:In Poland, 82% of forests are State-owned, and only 17% of forests constitute private property. Each year, forests are converted to other land-use types, mainly for road construction. The afforestation rate on privately-owned low-productivity land is decreasing steadily. The owners and perpetual usufructuaries of this kind of land are eligible to government subsidies to cover establishment expenditures in whole or in part, provided that the afforestation scheme complies with the local zoning plan or an outline planning permission. The above creates a dilemma for farmers-is this a profitable option of managing low-productivity land? Owners of small farms particularly often face such dilemmas. Owners of small farms, which consist of low-yield agricultural land, can be regarded as investors operating on the real estate market, but those investors have features characteristic of agricultural producers. This study relied on the net present value (NPV) criterion, which is popularly used to assess the effectiveness of investments on the real estate market. A financial feasibility assessment performed with the use of such method in view of afforestation statistics and the 5% discount rate on the Polish forest market OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 2847 revealed the highest increase in net cumulative cash flows in the first five years, followed by a gradual decrease in successive years. The first negative cash flow was reported in year 20. NPV would remain negative because farmers would be charged with periodic maintenance expenditures until the stand reaches harvestable age at approximately 40 years. The longer the investment period, the lower the profits, even if discount rate is excluded. Investments of the type are difficult to terminate because forests younger than 20 years are difficult to sell at a price that covers growing outflows. Afforestation projects are also influenced by other economic and non-economic factors. The paper validates the research hypothesis that afforestation is a long-term investment that delivers benefits for future generations.

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“…It is developed and maintained by the Government of Canada and supported by an international network of partners. Some examples of the use of RETScreen for the evaluation of biomass projects are Chalikias et al (2010), Mani et al (2010) and Mallaki and Fatehi (2014).…”

Section: Case Study For Energy Utilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass residues for energy production and habitat preservation. Case study in a montado area in Southwestern Europe

Malico

Carrajola

Gomes

et al. 2016

Journal of Cleaner Production

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a b s t r a c tThe use of forest and agricultural residues for energy production presents multiple benefits, but the link between bioenergy and the environment is complex and not all of the energetic options have the same impacts. This work evaluates the net positive effect of valorizing residual biomass in the context of a rural area of Portugal, Estremoz. It focuses on the combined assessment of biomass availability, technoeconomic feasibility and environmental aspects of utilizing forest and agricultural residues to produce bioheat. At first, the energy potential of the residual biomass available in the municipality is evaluated using a geographical information system database. The assessment with RETScreen of the technoeconomic feasibility of replacing electricity by biomass for heating local public schools follows. The results show that around 27 314 t of residues, corresponding to about 267 680 GJ, are produced each year in Estremoz, more than half in montado areas. The use of this biomass for the replacement of the existing electric heating systems of nine local schools by biomass-based ones offers good project profitability. As far as the environment is concerned, the energetic valorization of the residual biomass in Estremoz has multiple benefits. It contributes to climate change mitigation by saving greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the preservation of the traditional extensive uses of the ecosystems. Moreover, a correct vegetation management decreases the fire risk, potentiates the increase in biodiversity, offers better conditions for native species and allows to maintain the ecosystems.

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Environmental sustainability and financial feasibility evaluation of woodfuel biomass used for a potential replacement of conventional space heating sources. Part I: a Greek case study

Cited by 22 publications

References 16 publications

Public Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy: A Case Study from Greece

Public Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy: A Case Study from Greece

Financial Dilemmas Associated with the Afforestation of Low-Productivity Farmland in Poland

Biomass residues for energy production and habitat preservation. Case study in a montado area in Southwestern Europe

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