Energy from Biomass: Assessing Sustainability by Geoinformation Technology

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 7.2 requests a substantial increase in the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. Renewable energy production in all sectors has to be evaluated for its contribution to reach this target. Biomass for energy production has gained a bad reputation over the past years due to the “food versus fuel” debate or reported unsustainable practices. The BIOPLAT-EU project is employing geoinformation technologies combined with sustainability and economic expertise to more accurately evaluate the sustainability of bioenergy value chains. The project has three main parts: first, the generation of a pan-European map of marginal, underutilized, and contaminated (MUC) lands potentially usable for bioenergy production. This is realized by employing remote sensing time series, existing Copernicus, and other spatial data sets. Second, the generation of a web-based geographical information system (GIS) connecting the MUC lands with other important information sources necessary to assess sustainability. Thisrd, the sustainability assessment includes not only typical social and environmental sustainability indicators like soil, water, or greenhouse gas emissions, but also economic sustainability indicators like employment. Current financial barriers are addressed by integrating innovative financing solutions considering SDG target 12.A.