Abstract
The use of woody biomass as fuel for energy production has gained new attention now that it is eligible under the Feed in Tariff scheme ‘FIT’. However the supply of woody biomass is insufficient, which causes problems for starting and managing power generation businesses. This paper examines a new method of expanding woody biomass energy use.
The investigation of some current practices, that use woody biomass for energy production, has revealed that the concentration of lumber industry is an important factor affecting woody biomass supply formation. The paper analyzes regional characteristics such as the rate of forest land, sawmill capacity and population density. The investigated areas were classified into five groups, as providing a separate strategy for each group was considered a necessary measure in achieving further increases in woody biomass energy use.
In addition, this paper explores the problems related to supply and demand balance, and clarifies the characteristics of each fuel. Maintaining supply and demand balance plays an important role for expanding the use of woody biomass in the region. If demand increases, supply should be increased as well. In this regard a special attention should be drawn to co-firing of coal with biomass fuels for power generation.
This paper summarizes the planning and measuring sequence. And it presents the creation of a new entity that coordinates energy business and energy distribution throughout the whole region.
