Pulling effects of district heating plants on the adoption and spread of willow plantations for biomass: The power plant in Enköping (Sweden)

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.03.040

Biomass and Bioenergy

Volume 35, Issue 7, July 2011, Pages 2986-2992

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.03.040 Get rights and content

Abstract

The development of the willow cultivation for bioenergy in the municipality of Enköping was analysed, with special attention to the changes in the capacity and use of wood fuels of the municipality’s combined power and heat plant, during the period 1986–2005. The evolution is compared with the municipality of Örebro, in Central Sweden, a pioneer in the use of willow plantations. The study was performed including the geographical location of all the plantations and owners using a GIS platform, and a methodology based on n-sigmoidal curves was proposed to study the adoption curves of willow before and after the changes in the district heating plant. The results show significant enlargements of the area planted with willow observed after the enlargement of the plant in 1994; most of these new plantations being located within 30 km from the plant. The method applied seems to be suited to explain the effects in adoption of the power plant. Around 28% of the growers seem to be attributed to the effects of the plant. The results of this study provide empirical evidence of the effect of the district heating systems on the development and promotion of willow plantations. The methodology provided can be valuable in understanding the success or failure of the energy programmes, from the farmer’s perspective, and can aid policy makers in achieving their goals.

Highlights

► In this study we model the adoption of willow in Enköping and Örebro during 1986–2005. ► About 28% of the growers are attributed to changes in the district heating plant capacity. ► Adoption curves are a valid method to analyse the demand role on the spread of willow.

Introduction

Research on the expansion and adoption of new energy crops by farmers plays a key role in the successful development and implementation of the energy plans. The achievement of the energetic goals set during the end of the 90s by the European Union [1] and in more recent years (i.e. the Biomass Action Plan [2], the Energy Policy for Europe [3] and the objectives of the directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources [4]) will require a remarkable enlargement of the area cultivated by ligno-cellulosic energy crops in Europe. Currently, however, Sweden is the only country that has promoted short rotation forestry to a commercial level, and can offer empirical experience and data regarding willows as energy crops.

During the 1990s, the area of willow plantations for bioenergy was expanded in Sweden, reaching a total of 16,000 ha planted [5], and additionally a market for willow chips was successfully established [6]. This rapid progression was due to a combination of policy incentives, creative research and innovation in the field, and the demand for wood fuels by the district heating systems. On one hand, the Swedish agricultural reform led to low grain prices and offered compensation for set-aside land as well as specific subsidies for willow plantations. In addition to these incentives, the taxation on fossil fuels during the 1990s made biomass more competitive, which resulted in higher demand: the wood-fuel consumption by the district heating systems in Sweden increased from 3700 GWh in 1990–14,200 GWh in 2004 [7]. Altogether, the market for wood fuel is considerable, and during the last years, biomass from various origins constituted around a third of the total fuel consumption of the district heating systems in Sweden [6].

Although the main wood fuel of the district heating systems in Sweden was forest biomass, the district heating played a significant role in the expansion of the willow based energy systems. The positive green publicity of wood energy and the development of the infrastructure for the logistics and distribution of wood fuel from forest to the district heating plants benefits willow production, since it can use the already existing distribution chain. In addition, the existence of a district heating plant, with an increasing demand of biofuels, raises the confidence of the growers in the development of a market for willow chips [8]. Efficient district heating also reduces the risks taken by the farmer, which is fundamental in order to encourage farmers to increase their investments in willow plantations [9]. Finally, the enlargement of the wood fuel capacity of the district heating plants leads to an increment in the demand for wood fuel, and in some cases to the need to cultivate short rotation plantations in the nearby areas. Therefore the study of the interactions of the district heating plants and the willow plantations plays a central role in the promotion of willow cultivation as they act as a pulling factor in the development of the willow cultivation.

Section snippets

The Enköping heating system

To study these interactions, we have focused on the municipality of Enköping, in central-eastern Sweden, with around 20 000 inhabitants. Since the 1980s, the municipality of Enköping has been using biofuels for heat generation [9], and the use grew significantly when the main central energy plant was completed in 1994. In 1997, the last one of the oil-fired boilers at the main central boiler station was configured to burn wood pellets, and since then Enköping’s district heating generation

Material, methods and hypotheses addressed

The methodology used for describing the adoption of willow plantations by local farmers in the area of Enköping is based on sigmoidal shapes. This approach was first proposed by theoretical studies on the adoption of new agriculture varieties, having its origins in the work of [15], and has been confirmed by later empirical evidence (a review of works using this approach can be found in Rubas [16]). In willow cultivation, as in any other new crop, only a few farmers are willing to invest in

Results

The evolution of both the area planted with willow and the number of willow growers is presented in Fig. 2. In general, an increment is noticeable in the municipality of Enköping after 1994, in both area and number of growers. This increment is also noticed in the neighbouring municipalities of Uppsala and Eskilstuna. On the other hand, Örebro (the municipality used as reference) does not show the same increment after 1994, and the evolution seems to be of a single sigmoidal type. Around 63% of

Discussion

This study focussed on the evolution of short rotation willow plantations in the municipality of Enköping and the nearby regions, and the effects of the municipality’s wood-fuelled plant with the adoption and spread of willow cultivation in the area during the period 1986–2005. The data available for this study included almost extensive information about the areas planted, their location and the number of owners, although it must be taken into account that it did not include the absolute total

Acknowledgements

Financial support for this project was provided by the North Karelia Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen Kulttuurirahasto). We are indebted to Gustav Melin and Stig Larsson at Lantmännen Agroenergi AB, for providing the data for the willow plantations, and to Charlotta Abrahamsson at Svensk Fjärrvärme AB. Our special thanks to Dr. Pär Aronsson, Prof. Timo Pukkala and Dr José Ramón González Olabarria for all their valuable cooperation and assistance as well as to Dr David

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Pulling effects of district heating plants on the adoption and spread of willow plantations for biomass: The power plant in Enköping (Sweden)

Abstract

Highlights

Introduction

Section snippets

The Enköping heating system

Material, methods and hypotheses addressed

Results

Discussion

Acknowledgements

Biomass Bioenergy

J Clean Prod

Biomass Bioenergy

Biomass Bioenergy

Biomass Bioenergy

Technol Forecasting Soc Change

Technol Forecasting Soc Change

Biomass and Bioenergy

Energy Policy

Biomass Bioenergy

Biomass Bioenergy

Energy for the future: renewable sources of energy

COM

Biomass action plan

COM