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Biopower generation from mountain pine infested wood in Canada: An economical opportunity for greenhouse gas mitigation

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  • Kumar, Amit
  • Flynn, Peter
  • Sokhansanj, Shahab

Abstract

Biomass is considered carbon neutral, and displacement of fossil fuel-based power by biomass-based power is one means to mitigate greenhouse gases. Large forest areas in British Columbia (BC), Canada, are infested by the mountain pine beetle (MPB). Dead wood from the infestation is expected to vastly exceed the ability of the pulp and lumber industry to utilize it; current estimates are that 200–600 millionm3 of wood will remain unharvested over the next 20 years. Regions where the damaged wood is not harvested will experience loss of jobs in the forestry sector, increased risk of forest fire hazard, carbon emissions from burned or decaying wood, and uncertainty about timing of replanting since this usually occurs at harvest. This paper reports the results of a detailed preliminary techno-economic analysis of producing power from MPB killed wood. Power plant size and location are critical factors affecting overall power cost. Overall cost of power rises steeply at sizes below 300MW net power output. By locating the power plant in an area of high infestation, transportation distances can be minimized. A 300MW power plant would consume 64millionm3 of wood over a 20-year lifetime, and hence is a significant sink for otherwise unharvestable wood. Cost estimates are based on harvesting of whole dead trees with roadside chipping and transport to a central power plant located in either the Nazko or Quesnel regions of BC. A circulating fluidized bed boiler with a conventional steam cycle is a currently available technology demonstrated at 240MW in Finland. The estimated power cost is $68 to $74 per MWh, which is competitive with other “green power” values in BC. Given recent values of export power in the Pacific Northwest, a 300MW MPB power plant is viable with a carbon credit below $15 per tons of CO2.

Suggested Citation

  • Kumar, Amit & Flynn, Peter & Sokhansanj, Shahab, 2008. "Biopower generation from mountain pine infested wood in Canada: An economical opportunity for greenhouse gas mitigation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 1354-1363.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:33:y:2008:i:6:p:1354-1363
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2007.07.008
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolas Mansuy & Julie Barrette & Jérôme Laganière & Warren Mabee & David Paré & Shuva Gautam & Evelyne Thiffault & Saeed Ghafghazi, 2018. "Salvage harvesting for bioenergy in Canada: From sustainable and integrated supply chain to climate change mitigation," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(5), September.
    2. G. Cornelis van Kooten, 2013. "Economic analysis of feed-in tariffs for generating electricity from renewable energy sources," Chapters, in: Roger Fouquet (ed.), Handbook on Energy and Climate Change, chapter 9, pages 224-253, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Bogle, Tim & van Kooten, G. Cornelis, 2011. "What Makes Mountain Pine Beetle a Tricky Pest? Difficult Decisions when Facing Beetle Attack in a Mixed Species Forest," Working Papers 117439, University of Victoria, Resource Economics and Policy.
    4. Mansuy, Nicolas & Thiffault, Evelyne & Lemieux, Sébastien & Manka, Francis & Paré, David & Lebel, Luc, 2015. "Sustainable biomass supply chains from salvage logging of fire-killed stands: A case study for wood pellet production in eastern Canada," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 62-73.
    5. Stanojevic, M. & Vranes, S. & Gökalp, I., 2010. "Green accounting for greener energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2473-2491, December.
    6. G. Cornelis van Kooten, 2011. "Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry: Economic Perspectives," Working Papers 2011-05, University of Victoria, Department of Economics, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group.
    7. Brad Stennes & Kurt Niquidet & G. Cornelis van Kooten, 2009. "Implications of Expanding Bioenergy Production from Wood in British Columbia: An Application of a Regional Wood Fibre Allocation Model," Working Papers 2009-02, University of Victoria, Department of Economics, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group.
    8. Tan, Qinliang & Wang, Tingran & Zhang, Yimei & Miao, Xinyan & Zhu, Jun, 2017. "Nonlinear multi-objective optimization model for a biomass direct-fired power generation supply chain using a case study in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1066-1079.
    9. Jeong, Dawoon & Tyner, Wallace E. & Meilan, Richard & Brown, Tristan R. & Doering, Otto C., 2020. "Stochastic techno-economic analysis of electricity produced from poplar plantations in Indiana," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 189-197.
    10. Niquidet, Kurt & Stennes, Brad & van Kooten, G. Cornelis, 2008. "Bio-energy from Mountain Pine Beetle Timber and Forest Residuals: The Economics Story," Working Papers 45476, University of Victoria, Resource Economics and Policy.
    11. Visser, Henning & Thopil, George Alex & Brent, Alan, 2019. "Life cycle cost profitability of biomass power plants in South Africa within the international context," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 9-21.
    12. Evans, Annette & Strezov, Vladimir & Evans, Tim J., 2010. "Sustainability considerations for electricity generation from biomass," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(5), pages 1419-1427, June.
    13. Zhen Xu & Carolyn E. Smyth & Tony C. Lemprière & Greg J. Rampley & Werner A. Kurz, 2018. "Climate change mitigation strategies in the forest sector: biophysical impacts and economic implications in British Columbia, Canada," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 257-290, February.
    14. Cambero, Claudia & Sowlati, Taraneh, 2014. "Assessment and optimization of forest biomass supply chains from economic, social and environmental perspectives – A review of literature," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 62-73.
    15. Upadhyay, Thakur Prasad & Shahi, Chander & Leitch, Mathew & Pulkki, Reino, 2012. "Economic feasibility of biomass gasification for power generation in three selected communities of northwestern Ontario, Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 235-244.
    16. Peyman Alizadeh & Lope G. Tabil & Edmund Mupondwa & Xue Li & Duncan Cree, 2023. "Technoeconomic Feasibility of Bioenergy Production from Wood Sawdust," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-18, February.
    17. Md. Bedarul Alam & Reino Pulkki & Chander Shahi & Thakur Upadhyay, 2012. "Modeling Woody Biomass Procurement for Bioenergy Production at the Atikokan Generating Station in Northwestern Ontario, Canada," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(12), pages 1-21, December.
    18. Mobini, Mahdi & Sowlati, Taraneh & Sokhansanj, Shahab, 2011. "Forest biomass supply logistics for a power plant using the discrete-event simulation approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(4), pages 1241-1250, April.
    19. Qu, Mei & Lin, Ying & Liu, Can & Yao, Shunbo & Cao, Yang, 2016. "Farmers׳ perceptions of developing forest based bioenergy in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 581-589.

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