© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Renewable Energy Resources:Regional Potential and Ecological Impact
Assessment
Bernhard Zimmer
Bavarian Institute for Sustainable Development
Hosemannstraße 2883451 Piding, Germany
Contact: [email protected]
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Regional Potential
water power for generation of electricity
wind power for generation of electricity
solar power for generation of heat and electricity
(photovoltaics)
biomass for for generation of heat and electricity
biomass for biofuel and biogas production
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Utilization of solar power in Southern Germany
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Utilization of solar power in Southern Germany
Districts of Traunstein and Berchtesgadener Land
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Strength of renewable energy resources
peripheral, local sources
local exploitation is possible
regional and local value creation (economic potential)
potential for small and medium-sized companies
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Weakness of renewable energy resources
uneven sources (e.g. wind, solar power)
renewable but not unlimited (e.g. biomasses)
not without impacts on environment
sometimes in competition to food production (e.g. cornbased biogas)
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Life Cycle Assessment, tool to estimate environmental impacts
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Impact Categoriesfor Natural Resources and Land Use
input related categories(resource depletion or competition)abiotic resources (funds, flows)biotic resources (funds e.g. biodiversity)Land
output related categories(pollution)•global warming potential (GWP100) •depletion of stratospheric ozone•ecotoxicological impacts•human toxicological impacts•formation of photo-oxidants•acidification•eutrophication•odour•noise•radiation•casualties•...
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
LCA of wood chips was part of the project:
•Supply of forest wood chips:
•economical and environmental assessment (LCA) of
current supply chains
(3 years; Budget: 500.000 €)
•Main task of the project was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current supply chains as well as assessing their economical and environmental impacts.
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Relationsship between heating values and water content
water content [%]
mass of combustible per kg ovendried mass
lower heating
value (Hu)
upper heating
value (Ho)
amount of energy based on Hu
amount of energy based on Ho
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Supply chain – modules of investigation (LCA)
Forest management
Chipping
Transports
Energy combustion Ash treatment
Electricity Heat
different harvesting and hauling systems were investigated
steady state chipping and mobil chipping on the forest roads
transport by tractors and different trucks
Storage of wood chipsloss of mass and heating value eg. by fungi
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Harvesting traditional
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Harvesting and hauling - mechanized
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Feller-buncher-sytems - thinnings
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Bunching of forest residues
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Wood chips – forest chips
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Chipping
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Transport by tractor and agricultural systems
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Transport by trucks
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Transport by railway – long distance transports
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Transports: specific primary energy consumption
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Entfernung [km]
Ene
rgie
verb
rauc
h [k
Wh/
MW
h]
MIX-50%-15Srm-16l/h MIX-50%-15Srm-26l/h
MIX-30%-LKW-45Srm MIX-50%-LKW-35Srm
MIX-50%-LKW-45Srm MIX-30%-LKW-100Srm-Nahverkehr
MIX-30%-LKW-100Srm-Fernverkehr MIX-50%-LKW-100Srm-Nahverkehr
MIX-50%-LKW-100Srm-Fernverkehr MIX-30%-Bahn
MIX-50%-Bahn
distance [km]
Ene
rgy
cons
umpt
ion
[kW
h/M
Wh]
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Combined heat and power generation (up to 60 MW)
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Specific primary energy consumption
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70p
rim
ary
en
erg
y c
on
su
mp
tio
n [
kW
h/M
Wh
]
transport 2 21,1 32,3 5,8 8,9 2,6 4,0 2,6 4,0 2,6 4,0
transport 1 3,5 5,4
chipping 10,9 16,6 3,8 5,8 3,0 4,7 3,0 4,7 3,0 4,7
hauling 6,3 9,7 2,7 4,2 2,4 3,7 3,2 4,9 6,9 9,7
harvesting 3,9 6,0 3,9 6,0 5,1 7,8 5,1 7,8 5,1 7,8
LH-30% NH-50% LH-30% NH-50% LH-30% NH-50% LH-30% NH-50% LH-30% NH-50%
private forest owners - small
forest company - professional
professional - forest storage
professional - logistic center
feller-buncher-system - thinnings
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Specific primary energy consumption
0
10
20
30
40
50
60p
rim
ary
en
erg
y c
on
su
mp
tio
n [
kW
h/M
Wh
]
transport 2 22,9 25,0 6,3 6,9 2,8 3,1 2,8 3,1 2,8 3,1
transport 1 3,8 4,2
chipping 11,8 12,9 4,1 4,5 3,3 3,6 3,3 3,6 3,3 3,6
hauling 6,9 7,5 3,0 3,2 2,6 2,9 3,5 3,8 6,9 7,5
harvesting 4,3 4,7 4,3 4,7 5,5 6,0 5,5 6,0 5,5 6,4
MIX-30% MIX-50% MIX-30% MIX-50% MIX-30% MIX-50% MIX-30% MIX-50% MIX-30% MIX-50%
private forest owners - small
forest company - professional
professional - forest storage
professional - logistic center
feller-buncher-system - thinnings
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
harvesting
hauling
chipping
transportswood:
energy storage
softwood – water content x=50%)
scenario: „private forest owners“
Primary energy consumption versus Hu
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
harvesting
hauling
chipping
transportswood:
energy storage
softwood – water content x=50%)
scenario: „private forest owners“
scenario: „feller-buncher-system“
Primary energy consumption versus Hu
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Energy balance of the supply chain
scenario: "private forest owner" - MIX-50%
stor
age
- 6 m
onth
so
lar
en
erg
y -
by p
ho
tosyn
thes
is
ha
rve
stin
g
ha
ulin
g
ch
ipp
ing
tra
nsp
ort
1
tra
nsp
ort
2
consumption of primary energy
stor
age
- 3
mon
th
bala
nce:
prim
ary
ener
gy -
with
out
stor
age
bala
nce:
prim
ary
ener
gy -
3 m
onth
sto
rage
bala
nce:
prim
ary
ener
gy -
6 m
onth
sto
rage
production of energy with
85% degree ofeffectiveness
-400
-200
0
200
400
600
800
1000[kWh/MWh]
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
wood productionthrough
photosynthesis
solar energy
19100 MJ
water
nutrientsN, P, K, Mg, Ca
water541 kg
oxygen
1392 kg
wood atro(softwood)
1000 kg
water1082 kg
carbon dioxide1851 kg
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Global warming potencial – GWP100
scenario: "private forest owner" - MIX-50%
ha
ulin
g
ch
ipp
ing
tra
ns
po
rt 2
ca
rbo
n s
tock -
by p
ho
tosyn
the
sis
ha
rve
sti
ng
tota
l: G
WP
10
0
co
mbu
stio
n o
f w
oo
d c
hip
s
cred
it fo
r sub
stitu
tion:
heat
ing
with
hea
vy o
il
balance: GWP100
-500
-400
-300
-200
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
CO
2-e
qu
iva
len
ts [k
g / M
Wh
]
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Conclusions
Energy from wood chips is not only renewable and
so called „CO2-neutral“.
Energy from wood has the additional benefit of the
substitution of fossil fuels (e.g. heating-oil, natural gas) and
therefore an „C-plus-effect“.
From worldwide point of view:
as long as any energy is produced by fossil fuels
this substitution effect can be considered.
© FH-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmer – 1st. EnerGEO Summer School,Salzburg, 08.09.2011
Thank you for your attention
• Photos: B. Zimmer