Analysis of forest residual biomass potential for bioenergy production in Spain

The current concern about the climate change and the need for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels has moved the European Union to establish objectives regarding the environment and renewable energy sources by 2020. Forest biomass is an alternative energy resource with an important role in the fulfillment of these objectives. This paper analyzes the possibilities of its implementation in Spain. Forest biomass resources have been analyzed with the BIORAISE application. Potential biomass is mapped considering local collection nodes by province, as well as available biomass, total cost (the sum of harvesting and transport costs), and energetic content ratio of the available biomass. The results show that Huesca and Cuenca are the two provinces with the most available biomass, while Pontevedra and Vizcaya have the highest energetic content ratio. The average total cost of biomass in Spain is 72.72 €/o.d.t., which is lower than the average cost of the supply of pellets to Pellet plants in Europe. Baleares and Huelva are the provinces which have the lowest potential cost of forest biomass. Savings between 48 and 81 % can be obtained using the available forest biomass for domestic heating compared to the other main systems.