Research project SD/EN/05B (Research action SD)
Context
Bioenergy from agriculture is today in the heart of sustainable development, integrating its key components: environment and climate change, energy economics and energy supply, agriculture, rural and social development.
Fighting against climate change imposes the mitigation of greenhouse gases. Considerable efforts have to be pursued, especially in the field of energy production and use. Recent energy crises have reminded our policy and economic decision makers of the importance of energy, of a secure and diversified energy supply in our economies. Agriculture in Europe is at a turning point, leading to important questions about the diversification of agricultural productions and sources of incomes for farmers, the use of rural and arable lands for food and non-food crops, the contribution of agriculture to climate change fighting and renewable energy supply.
Project description
Objectives
The final objective of the project is to lead to an actual and significant contribution of bioenergy from agriculture to the mitigation of greenhouse gases emission, to a secure and diversified energy supply and to farmers’ incomes and rural development.
To reach this final objective, the TEXBIAG project will develop three specific tools:
1. A database of primary quantitative data related to environmental and socio-economic impacts of bioenergy from agriculture integrating biomass logistics;
2. A mathematical model “monetarizing” bioenergy externalities from agriculture;
3. A prediction tool assessing the impacts of political decisions made in the framework of the development of bioenergy from agriculture on different economic sectors (energy, agriculture, industry, and environment).
Methodologies
Applying the principles of the systemic methodology, the project implementation is structured as follows :
Task 1. Database construction:
- Conception of the database, in collaboration with the partners in charge of the development of the decision-making tools;
- Data and model collection from literature and measurements for missing data and filling the database with collected information and operation;
- Survey and analysis of existing studies carried out on logistics of biomass supply chain from agriculture;
- Feed-back from the decision-making tools and adaptation/updating of the database.
Task 2. Externalities monetary value model:
- Contribution to database construction through a continuously improved model;
- Analysis of existing studies and models, comparison and evaluation;
- Building of a qualitative model to put in evidence causal relationships (detection of induced effects);
- Costs / revenues analysis in order to reach monetary valuation;
- Building of a quantitative externalities monetary value model.
Task 3. Policy prediction tool, based on an existing model:
- Addition to the existing tool of new targets, such as job creation (direct and indirect employment), rural development, energy supply security, added value, and other externalities;
- Addition of technology routes not yet considered in the previous model (DME, hydrogen, biogas, biorefineries, etc.);
- Addition of missing commodities such as water and other relevant externalities;
- Modelling of non-linear perturbations effects: electricity system, refineries, secondary products such as animals feeds, agro market perturbation, etc;
- Addition of the externalities monetary value model;
- Addition of potential policy measures in the existing model (quotas, subsidies, other measures,..).
Task 4. Dissemination and valorisation of the results of the project:
- Making a user friendly interface to use the software tool (data access & update, policy measures, sensitivity analysis);
- Dissemination of the results through communications tools (brochures, posters, website, conferences, workshops, etc).
CRA-W is task leader for Tasks 1 and 4 and is coordinator of the project.
VUB is task leader of Task 3.
FUNDP is task leader of Task 2.
KULeuven assists VUB in the execution of Task 3.
VUB, FUNDP, KULeuven assist CRA-W in the execution of Task 4.
Links with international programmes
The project is directly related with the Bioenergy Agreement of the International Energy Agency (IEA Bioenergy), whose work, focusing on research, development and demonstration, is now increasingly also emphasizing on a large-scale and worldwide deployment. The project will especially operate along with the following horizontal tasks :
Task 29 : Socio-economic drivers in implementing bioenergy projects
Task 38 : Greenhouse gas balances of biomass and bioenergy systems
Task 40 : Sustainable bioenergy markets, trade and resources.
Expected results
The long-term impacts of the project are expected to be:
1. An increase of the level of awareness among policy makers regarding policy gaps and policy implementation issues in Belgium regarding bioenergy from agriculture;
2. The implementation of policy reinforcement and policy implementation guidelines in renewable energy;
3. Stimulation of rural development by creating employment opportunities in relation to the implementation of bioenergy projects from agriculture;
4. An improvement of the local environment and living conditions through the introduction of modern and efficient bioenergy technologies;
5. An improvement of the global and local environment through the introduction of modern and efficient bioenergy technologies by reducing the air emissions associated to fossil fuels combustion hereby reducing the amount of Greenhouse Gases (CH4 and CO2) emissions.
Partners
Activities
CRA-W is a public research institution founded in 1872 active in agricultural and natural resources R&D as well as scientific and analytical services. CRA-W is a leading institution in bioenergy R&D projects for more than 25 years.
The dept. of Mechanical Engineering at the VUB has been active in the field of bioenergy for some 15 years. Study of liquid biofuels has been initiated in 2002. The dept. has participated in several projects at European, national and regional level. Besides technical projects, the dept. has been continuously involved in technology assessment and policy making projects.
The University of Namur (FUNDP) is a Jesuit University founded 175 years ago. Besides a recognized high-level pedagogy, the university has developed recognized research centres. Among them, several are dedicated to economical and managerial sciences.
The research group ELECTA from the Electrical Engineering Department from the KULeuven conducts research on the production, transmission, distribution and intelligent consumption of electrical energy. The group is also part of the KULeuven Energy Institute. They are involved in many different technological and policy oriented research projects linked to liberalisation of the electricity market, including the move to more sustainable electricity production.
Contact Information
Coordinators
Yves Schenkel & Florence Van Stappen
Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques (CRA-W)
Département Génie rural – DGR
Chaussée de Namur, 146
B-5030 Gembloux
Tel : +32 (0)81 627 148 or 081 627 185
Fax : +32 (0)81 615 847
schenkel@cra.wallonie.be
vanstappen@cra.wallonie.be
www.cra.wallonie.be
Promoters
Jacques Deruyck, Svend Bram & Thomas Neven
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Pleinlaan, 2
B-1050 Brussel
Tel : 02 629 2393
Fax : 02 629 2865
jdruyck@vub.ac.be
Annick Castiaux & Isabelle Brose
Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix (FUNDP)
Business Administration Department
Rempart de la Vierge, 8
B-5000 Namur
Tel :+32 (0)8172 48 80 or (0)8172 53 15
Fax +32 (0)8172 48 40
annick.castiaux@fundp.ac.be
isabelle.brose@fundp.ac.be
www.fundp.ac.be
Johan Driesen
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven)
Department Electrical Engineering
Research group Electrical Energy ESAT-ELECTA
Kasteelpark Arenberg 10
B-3001 Heverlee - Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)16 32.10.20 or (0)16 32.10.24
Fax: +32 (0)16 32.19.85
johan.driesen@esat.kuleuven.be
http://www.esat.kuleuven.be/electa
Follow-up Committee
Johan Bogaert - Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
Charles Debouche - Facultés Universitaires des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux
Michel Degaillier - SPF Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et Environnement
Jean-Marie Delincé - Elia s.a.
Olivier Gerard - Fédération Wallonne de l'Agriculture
Dominique Gusbin - Bureau fédéral du Plan
Jean-Marc Jossart - Université Catholique de Louvain
Françoise Liners - Agrobiopôle Wallon asbl
Didier Marchal - ValBiom asbl
Stijn Overloop - Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij
Luc Pelkmans - Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek
José Renard - Ministère de la Région Wallonne
Wim Soetart - Universiteit Gent
Olivier Squilbin - CWAPE
Dirk Van Gijseghem - Vlaamse Overheid
Lieven Van Lieshout - Vlaams Energieagentschap
Bart Vleeschouwers - Boerenbond
Hilde Wustenberghs - Instituut voor Landbouw en Visserijonderzoek (ILVO)
Decision-making tools to support the development of bioenergy in agriculture : final report
Schenkel, Yves - De ruyck, Jacques - Castiaux, Annick ... et al Brussels : Federal Science Policy, 2012 (SP2486)
[To download]
[To order]
Beleidsinstrumenten ter ondersteuning van bio-energie in de landbouw : samenvatting van de resultaten
Schenkel, Yves - De ruyck, Jacques - Castiaux, Annick ... et al Brussel : Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, 2012 (SP2487)
[To download]
Outils d'aide a la décision pour le développement de la bioénergie en agriculture : résumé des résultats
Schenkel, Yves - De ruyck, Jacques - Castiaux, Annick ... et al Bruxelles : Politique scientifique fédérale, 2012 (SP2488)
[To download]
Decision-making tools to support the development of bioenergy in agriculture : summary of results
Schenkel, Yves - De ruyck, Jacques - Castiaux, Annick ... et al Brussels : Federal Science Policy, 2012 (SP2489)
[To download]
