Bioenergy options for New Zealand
As oil reserves become depleted and less accessible, alternative resources of energy are being investigated. Thinking about possible alternative energy options is an important issue for New Zealand in order to be less vulnerable (at risk) from future fuel shortages.
One such alternative that is being researched is the use of biomass, to provide the energy needed to run some of our daily activities, such as household heating, transportation and so on.
The Bioenergy Options project
Peter Hall from Scion explains what the Bioenergy Options for New Zealand project is about and why he thinks that exploring the potential of biofuels is important.
Peter Hall is involved in a project called Bioenergy Options for New Zealand. This project looks at different biomass resources that could be potentially used in New Zealand to produce energy. The scientists not only have an interest in ways of making energy, but are also looking into which biomass products have the smallest impact on the environment. One way of reducing New Zealand’s carbon footprint is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and look at alternative options. However, to determine which biofuel is the best, a lot of research and development must be undertaken to ensure that future energy demands can be met in an efficient way, while reducing detrimental impacts on the environment.
This project was completed in 2009.
Energy that is being made available through the use of biological matter is also referred to as bioenergy. The most common form of bioenergy used in New Zealand is burning wood, whether small scale (home heating), medium scale (school boilers) or large scale (pulp mill steam boilers). Bioenergy that has been both produced and used locally has the potential to cut down carbon emissions.
A scientist involved in this work was Peter Hall, who works for the Crown Research Institute Scion. Peter was involved in a project that looks at bioenergy options for New Zealand. Other Crown Research Institutes such as the National Institute of Weather and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Landcare (an environmental research organisation) and CRL (an energy and environmental consulting company) were also involved in the project. This project was completed in 2009.
Residual waste and biomass
Peter Hall from Scion explains that residual biomass is material created as a byproduct from making something else.
Residual biomass is a term that is used to describe waste products from biomass resources that can be used to produce energy. Wood off-cuts left behind in the forest are a good example of this. However, energy demands outnumber what can be supplied by using residual biomass. In order to supply a growing demand of renewable energy resources, residual biomass could be supplemented through purpose-grown products.
A main feature of the project was to look at biomass wastes from a variety of sources, such as wastes from agriculture and forestry, as well as municipal waste products (waste from towns, like household rubbish) and industrial wastes. In this project, the scientists investigate the possibility of efficiently converting the biomass to bioenergy.
This means the scientists have to evaluate how cost efficient and energy efficient the conversion of those resources into energy is. The effectiveness of a power plant that converts the biomass to energy needs to be analysed – for example, cost factors in building and running the plant versus the energy produced, levels of pollutants produced by the plant and the cost of transportation are some of the factors that have to be considered.
From this work, Scion produced a report that makes recommendations about types of biomass that could be utilised in the future. The work that they are doing will provide information to engineers who will be able to develop technologies for possible energy generating alternatives for when oil and coal are less abundant and more expensive than today.
The report also identifies information and technology gaps in bioenergy research and development strategies.
Life cycle analysis
Peter Hall from Scion explains the importance at looking at the big picture when comparing the impact of different products and processes used to make biofuels.
Life cycle analysis looks at the big picture – it is an assessment of the environmental impacts of a product due to its existence – so when Peter Hall and his colleagues are evaluating biomass resources, they have to consider every step in the process from growing, processing and transporting to the disposal of waste products. For this type of analysis, everything must be accounted for – the use of fertilisers and water, and the emissions caused, not just by using the product, but also through transport and production.
The next stage of Peter’s research project will be looking at a life cycle analysis. Such an analysis involves considering an entire production system. For example, if a forest is used for biomass, this evaluation will consider how much energy is necessary to grow the forest in the first place.
From that, the scientists calculate how much energy had to be consumed initially to produce the bioenergy, along with consumption of other resources, and production or reduction of greenhouse gases.
Peter’s work at Scion is concerned with new uses for biomass resources that consider sustainability and smart uses for future generations.
Useful links
Download a PDFof the Bioenergy Options for New Zealand report from 2008 from Scion, NIWA amd others.
More information about Scion's research.
Information about bioenergy on the Bioenergy Association website.
EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) focuses on energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.
