Not all sites are created equal – Exploring the impact of constraints to suitable biogas plant locations in Sweden

Abstract

Biogas production from manure is attractive to support plans towards a circular economy as it allows for renewable energy production and nutrient recycling in agriculture. Finding optimal locations for biogas plants, which minimize transport distances to and from farms, while accounting for multiple feasibility constraints, remains a challenge. We developed 1 km2 spatially-explicit datasets for known feasibility constraints such as distance to housing, compatible land-use zoning, and the presence of roads with sufficient weight bearing capacity. These datasets were used to improve the realism of an optimization model designed to minimize transportation costs in Sweden. At a national level, the presence of durable enough roads most limited the number of suitable locations for a plant. We further focused our analysis on a case study region where a company wanted to invest in a new manure-based biogas plant. In contrast to the national level, the constraint for remaining at least 500 m from housing/buildings had the greatest limiting impact, excluding 71% of grids in the Sjöbo or Tomelilla municipalities of Southern Sweden. Still, we identified 105 suitable locations for a new biogas plant. The most suitable location, accounting for feasibility and minimized transportation costs, changed when simultaneously accounting for another proposed plant in a neighboring municipality. Our results indicate that utilizing both local and national datasets can help narrow down potential biogas development sites and that long-term planning is necessary for actors with ambitions to build several plants to minimize costs and maximize energy and nutrient recycling benefits.