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| Principal investigators | Introduction | Keywords | International collaboration | Publications |
1. Principal investigators are currently:
On specific topics assistance is given by:
On average 5-6 students are writing their Msc. thesis in the biomass and waste field.
The potential of biomass as a renewable energy source has been clearly shown
in numerous studies. Long term scenarios for the worlds energy supply indicate
that biomass may cover up to 50% of the worlds energy demand in the second half
of the next century, equivalent to about 200 - 300 EJ/year. Biomass may also
prove to be one of the main renewable energy options than can compete on a large
scale with fossil fuels on the short term already.
However, numerous barriers can be identified that hamper the utilization of
this potential. Costs of bio-energy are still high in many situations. A contribution
of 200-300 EJ (compared to a current 50 EJ, of which a considerably part is
non-commercial and often unsustainable use of biomass) may involve a land surface
in the order of magnitude of 1.000 million hectares on a global scale. Such
a claim will have major consequences for land-use, biodiversity and possibly
competition with food production. Furthermore, biomass is a very diverse energy
carrier with a multitude of potential sources and applications. Furthermore,
the performance and impacts of bio-energy systems are often strongly site-specific.
The research of the department in this field aims for gaining more insight in
both barriers as well as promising options to utilize biomass for energy. Sustainability
issues related to large-scale use of biomass for energy are addressed in various
projects. In the work there is a focus on using biomass with efficient techniques
to convert them to modern energy sources, such as liquid fuels and electricity.
The biomass activities have many interactions with other areas of research in
the Copernicus Institute: important cross-links for the research in the bio-energy
field are with land-use and biodiversity, energy system analysis (e.g. LCA and
modeling of energy systems), material efficiency work (e.g. biomaterials and
recycling issues), as well as implementation and innovation oriented activities
(such as infrastructure issues and integrated resource planning). In fact, various
research projects are joint activities of different research areas within the
Copernicus Institute. In the Netherlands, ECN, ATO-DLO, the University of Wageningen,
RIVM and various industries (utilities, Shell) are essential partners in the
research.
In the field of research on biomass & waste STS has gained extensive experience in:
Biomass, Bioenergy, power generation, CHP, transport fuels, renewable energy, energy farming, waste and residues, biodiversity, multifunctionality, BIG/CC, gasification, combustion, gas turbines, methanol, hydrogen, macro-economic impacts, LCA.
International collaboration is very strong in this area, and Energy Supply plays a prominent role internationally with advisory roles for FAO (through a formal collaboration agreement on developing a strategic plan of action, together with Imperial College), the EC (with advisory roles for DG-RTD and DG-TREN) and wide involvement with various activities of the IEA Bio-energy agreement. The latter includes the National Task Leadership (NTL) in Task 38 (GreenHouse Gas Balances of biomass & bioenergy systems) and the recently obtained Task Leadership of the newly established Task 40 on ‘’Sustainable International Bio-energy Trade, securing Supply & Demand’, where at the moment of writing, 9 countries and FAO and the World Bank are involved as either full participant or observing party.
International exposure of the biomass & bio-energy work is excellent with participation in and invitations for many international events. For illustration, the cluster presented itself prominently with some 15 papers and presentations at the 1st World Biomass Conference in Seville Spain, summer 2000. Similar exposure was obtained at the 12th European Biomass conference (Amsterdam, June 2002) where we played a prominent role in the National Committee, Scientific Review committee & acted as Session Organizers on “Biomass Resources” (Amsterdam, June 2002) and organizing workshop on “International Biotrade” was organized on behalf of IEA Bio-energy Agreement. At the coming 2nd World Conference, May 2004 in Rome, the Energy Supply cluster is, again, one, if not the most productive participating groups in the international arene (e.g. with 8 oral presentations on the full spectrum of the work done).
Ph. D. theses
Carlo Hamelinck, (C.N.), Outlook for advanced biofuels, Ph.D. thesis, University of Utrecht, 7 juni 2004, 232 pp. (NWS-E-2004-25), Promotor: Prof.dr. W.C. Turkenburg, Co-promotor: Dr. A.P.C. Faaij.
Hoogwijk, M. M., d. B. J. M. Vries, W. C. Turkenburg, Assessment of the global and regional geographical, technical and economic potential of onshore wind energy, Energy Economics, 2004, Vol. 26, pp. 889-919. (http://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0140988304000246)
André
Faaij, (A.P.C.), 29
September 1997, Energy from Biomass and
Waste, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University (No. 97046), Promotores: Prof.
Dr. W.C. Turkenburg (Department of Science, Technology and Society of the
Utrecht University) and
Prof. Dr. D.O. Hall (King's
College London of the University of London), Co-promotor: Dr. A.J.M. van
Wijk (Department of Science, Technology and Society of the Utrecht University)
Marko Hekkert, 20 September 2000, Improving Material Management to Reduce
Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University, 216 pp. (NWS-E-2000-22),
Promotor: Prof. Dr. W.C. Turkenburg, Co-promotor: Dr. Ernst Worrell, Lawrence
Berkeley International Laboratory (LBNL), environmental Energy Technologies
Division, Berkeley, USA.
Richard van den Broek, (R.A.) 6 Oktober 2000, Sustainability
of biomass electricity systems, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University, 216
pp. (NWS-E-2000-25), Promotor: Prof. Dr. W.C. Turkenburg, Co-promotor: Dr.
A.J.M. van Wijk
Articles in scientific journals
Hamelinck, C. N., A. P. C. Faaij,
H. den Uil, H. Boerrigter, Production of FT transportation fuels from biomass;
technical options, process analysis and optimisation, and development potential,
Energy, 2004, Vol. 29, pp. 1743-1771.
Johansson, T. B. and W. C. Turkenburg, Policies for renewable energy in the
European Union and its member states: an overview, Energy for Sustainable Development,
Vol. VIII(1), 2004, 24 pp.( http://www.ieiglobal.org/vol8_issue1.html)
Berndes, G., M.M. Hoogwijk, and R. van den Broek, The contribution of biomass
in the future global energy system: a review of 17 studies, Biomass &
Bioenergy, Vol. 25(1), 2003, pp. 1-28. (NWS-E-2003-40)
Kauter, D., I. Lewandowski, and W. Claupein, Quantity and quality of harvestable biomass from Populus short rotation coppice for solid fuel use - a review of the physiological basis and management influences, Biomass & Bioenergy, Vol. 24, 2003, pp. 411-427.(NWS-E-2003-160)
Lewandowski, I. and A. Heinz, Delayed harvest of Miscanthus - influence on biomass quantity and quality and environmental impacts of energy production, European Journal of Agronomy, Vol. 19, 2003, pp. 45-63.(NWS-E-2003-161)
Lewandowski, I. and D. Kauter, The influence of nitrogen fertilizer on the yield and combustion quality of whole grain crops for solid fuel use, Industrial Crops and Products, Vol. 17(2), 2003, pp. 103-117.(NWS-E-2003-159)
Lewandowski, I., J.M.O. Scurlock, E. Lindvall, and M. Christou, The Development and Current Status of Perennial Rhizomatous Grasses as Energy Crops in Europe and the US, Biomass & Bioenergy, Vol. 25(4), 2003, pp. 335-361.(NWS-E-2003-42)
Lewandowski, I., J.C. Clifton-Brown, B. Andersson, G. Basch, D.G. Christian, U. Jorgensen, M.B. Jones, A.B. Riche, K.U. Schwarz, K. Tayebi, and F. Teixeira, Biofuels; Environment and Harvest, Journal, Vol. 95, 2003, pp. 1274-1280.(NWS-E-2003-27)
Rodrigues, M., A. Walter, and A.P.C. Faaij, Co-firing of natural gas and Biomass gas in biomass integrated gasification/combined cycle systems, Energy, Vol. 28, 2003, pp. 1115-1131.(NWS-E-2003-20)
Rodrigues, M., A.P.C. Faaij, and
A. Walter, Techno-economic analysis of co-fired biomass integrated gasification/combined
cycle systems with inclusion of economies scale, Energy, Vol. 28, 2003,
pp. 1229-1258.
(NWS-E-2003-23)
Vliet, O. van, A.P.C. Faaij, and C. Dieperink, Forestry projects under the Clean Development Mechanism? Analysis of the uncertainties in carbon mitigation and related costs of plantation forestry projects, Climate Change, Vol. 61(1-2), 2003, pp. 123-156.(NWS-E-2003-99)
Peer reviewed book chapters
Alsema, E.A., Energy payback time and CO2 emissions of PV systems, in: T. Markvart and T. Castaner (Eds.), Practical Handbook of Photovoltaics: Fundamentals and Applications, Elsevier Advanced Technology, 2003, pp. 869-887.(NWS-E-2003-32)
Johansson, T.B., L. Neij, K. McCormick, and W. Turkenburg, The Potentials of Renewable Energy, in: Thematic Background Papers for the International Conference on Renewable Energies, Renewables 2004, Bonn, Germany, December 2003 (http://www.renewables2004.de/)
For the publicationlist of STS click here
