Towards a sustainable future - the role of biomass in future renewable-based energy systems
Abstract
Denmark’s vision of achieving a fossil independent energy system by 2050 implies that the Danish energy system will undergo a substantial transition towards an energy system based on renewable energy sources. In this paper, bioenergy is modelled as an integrated part of the future energy system, through a co-simulation of the comprehensive energy system model, Balmorel, and the generalised spatiotemporal network optimisation model, OptiFlow. The results of this study show that biomass plays a key role in particular when transforming the transportation sector to a renewable-base sector. To efficiently utilise the limited biomass resource, hydrogen is used to boost the biofuel production. The applied modelling framework allow investigations of the transportation of biomass resources and illustrate that a spatial representation of the resources is necessary when including bioenergy in energy systems modelling. Moreover, the results show positive systems benefits from the extensive biofuel production, such as efficient utilisation of excess heat in the Danish district heating network, and flexible production of hydrogen, which can help to balance the power system. Thus, this study concludes that biomass has a key role to play in a future Danish system, which is based on renewables.
Info
Journal Article, 2018
UN SDG Classification
DK Main Research Area
Science/Technology
