BeWhere Finland at World Bioenergy 2012

The Finnish biofuel industry is undergoing a major change in particular second generation Fischer Tropsch (FT) biodiesel production. However, efficient geographical energy planning is essential to optimally allocate the limited natural resources between biomass based industries. Therefore, a decision tool was formulated which includes three different models: (1) a spatial model that estimates the amount of biomass supply and industrial residues available for energy production, (2) an energy demand model calculates the amount of heat and transport fuel that can be delivered to the customers, (3) an optimization model that minimizes the complete costs of biodiesel supply chain from biomass supply to biodiesel delivery at the fuel stations to determine the optimal location, size and configurations of FT biodiesel production plants in Finland. This study also provides an insight into the techno-economic performance of the FT biodiesel production technology and also the influence of industrial biomass competition on new energy systems. In addition, the study analyses the potential use of by-product heat and power produced at the plant. In this study, a case study of Eastern Finland is investigated to illustrate the model findings.This decision tool can be of significant importance to policy makers and stakeholders to choose an appropriate strategy regarding the expansion of FT biodiesel industry.

Last edited: 12 April 2013