Abstract
Anaerobic digestion producing biogas is an important decentralized renewable energy technology used to mitigate climate change. It is dependent on local and regional feedstocks, which determine its sustainability. This has led to discussions on how to alter feedstock for biogas plants without compromising their GHG (Greenhouse gas) saving, one particular issue being the use of Maize silage (MS) as the dominant feedstock. To support this discussion, this paper presents an integrated life cycle assessment of energy crop cultivation for 425 biogas catchments in the region of Central Germany (CG). The simulations for the CG region showed that MS as an effective crop to mitigate GHG emissions per kilowatt hour (GHGculti) was context dependent. In some cases, GHGculti reductions were supported due to higher yields, and in other cases, this led to increased GHGculti. We show that the often-proposed strategy of substituting one crop for another needs to be adapted for strategies which take into account the crop mixtures fed into biogas plants and how they perform altogether, under the specific regional and locational conditions. Only in this way can the trade-offs for lower GHGculti be identified and managed.
Highlights
Anaerobic digestion producing biogas is one of the most important decentralized renewable energy technologies, which is heavily dependent on local and regional feedstocks
These results are comparable to the literature, for which higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with Maize silage (MS) cultivation for biogas has already been shown, in comparison with grass silage [4], sugar beet [8], and cereals [39]
While approaches to tackle the complexity of biobased energy systems are challenging [44,45], we have started in this paper to do so at a regional scale and in a spatially integrative manner
Summary
Anaerobic digestion producing biogas is one of the most important decentralized renewable energy technologies, which is heavily dependent on local and regional feedstocks. It is undergoing rapid expansion globally in order to combat climate change and to ensure a secure energy supply [1]. While financial incentives under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act have had a strong role in determining what feedstock or combinations of feedstocks are potentially used, German biogas plants are generally planned and built according to available feedstocks [3]. 92% of substrates used in biogas plants originate from agricultural sources [2], such as livestock manures (solid and liquid) and energy crops, which have a higher energy content [4,5,6]
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