Burning wet wood: varieties of non-recognition in energy transitions

Jari Lyytimäki

doi:10.1007/s10098-019-01699-9

Abstract

One of the most widely accepted rule of thumb of bioenergy production has been that burning wet wood should be avoided. This advice has guided the development of harvesting, logistics and combustion of wood chips. However, experimentations in Finland have challenged this approach by showing that it may be possible to considerably improve the energy efficiency of heat and power plants by burning the wood chips as soon as possible after harvesting them from boreal forests. The high energy content of fresh wood has been known for a long time, but this knowledge has not been widely acknowledged as the guiding principle in the development of the energy use of wood chips. This study analyses public (non)debate of wood chip burning in Finland based on conceptualisations of non-recognition and discusses the implications of knowledge use and non-use for sustainable energy transitions. It is concluded that various forms of non-recognition can significantly hinder the development and implementation of more sustainable energy solutions. The importance of the varieties of ignorance and their societal consequences should not be forgotten from the sustainability transition studies.Graphical abstract

Highlights

A feature story published by a widely read Finnish magazine challenged the commonly accepted view that firewood should be as dry as possible when burned
Lyytimäki the title creating an impression that all fresh wood burns better than dry wood, the story only focused on wood chips burned in large combustion plants
Policy priorities of renewable energy are influenced by public opinion that is influenced by media contents that, in turn, are partly shaped by policy priorities

Summary

Introduction

“It’s true! Fresh wood burns better than dry wood”. (Heikkinen 2018, p. 35). A feature story published by a widely read Finnish magazine challenged the commonly accepted view that firewood should be as dry as possible when burned. The increasing use of wood has recently raised public criticism because of carbon dioxide emissions from energy production, fears for the sufficiency of wood resources, biodiversity effects in forest ecosystems and other harmful environmental effects. A more efficient and carefully controlled burning Such a variety of expected benefits together with the societal prominence of bioenergy in Finland makes it reasonable to assume that there would be an intensive debate over the energy efficiency of wood chip burning. The question is not necessarily about the simple symmetric relation between the existence and non-existence of knowledge, but about the different reasons and complicated societal consequences of not knowing

Study design and data sources

24 November 2017 12 January 2018

Findings

Conclusions