[en] In February 1993 an agreement of Swedish-Estonian scientific co-operation on energy forest was signed. In may five energy forest plantations (altogether 2 ha) were established in Estonia with Swedish selected clones of Salix viminalis and Salix dasyclados. The research within this project is carried out within three main directions. The studies of basic ecophysiological processes and radiation regime of willow canopy will be carried out in Toravere. The production ecology studies, comparison of the productivity of multiple clones on different soil types is based on the plantations as vegetation filter for wastewater purification is studied on the basis of plantations in Vaeike-Maarja and Valga (author)

[en] Growth of wood as an agricultural crop, for use in the large-scale production of electricity, provides a biomass fuel using intensive, but sustainable, agricultural practices. Short-rotation cropping (SRC) schemes, in which trees are grown in large plantations, could be used to produce electricity on a scale sufficient to form a significant part of a national energy supply system. The net CO₂ emissions from biomass-based electricity are substantially less than from conventional fossil-fuel fired generation. The objective of the study reported in this paper is to assess the extent to which this approach to power generation could be adopted if climate change considerations lead to the implementation of measures to reduce emissions of CO₂ to atmosphere. In the study reported here, 1GWe of electricity is produced from a number of SRC-based power stations, selected so as to minimize cost. The study is based in Spain a country believed to be reasonably well suited to SRC and representative of countries with a temperate climate. The best site produces electricity at 9.2 c/kWh. The other sites are more expensive, the average over 22 sites being 10.1 cents/kWh. These costs are for fluidized-bed combustion with a cumulative installed capacity approaching 1GWe; additional capacity will be more expensive. It is likely that the cost of biomass based SRC would be reduced as new technology, such as biomass gasifiers working in combined cycles, is introduced and the number of installations is increased. SRC biomass could supply about 5% (2.3GWe) of the present Spanish electrical capacity. Conceivably, this could be raised to about 10% if less suitable land is also used and SCR biomass is able to compete with some agricultural crops

[en] Africa accounts for 3 percent of world's modern energy consumption, the lowest per capita share of any continent, just half of the world average. High energy prices accelerate the pace of forest destruction and environmental degradation in most african countries, as households increase their charcoal and fuel wood use. This article describes the opportunity provided by bio fuels for attaining development and energy security in Africa

[en] Recently the Swedish companies Pala Press AB and Tradenergi Vast have developed a new baling press for wood fuels. The project was followed up by field studies in Sweden, England and Scotland. One of the studies concerns an analysis of a system to supply a larger consumer with baled fuel transported in a combination system using lorry and railway. The baling press is designed to be used directly on the felling area. The press uses an 85 kw Perkins diesel engine, and the volume of the bales is 1.3 m3. Further details are given in this conference paper

[en] According to the Regional Forestry Associations it would be possible to develop the harvesting of energy wood by increasing the use of it. The study was made at the areas of 34 regional forestry associations as an inquiry to the executive managers, as well as the persons responsible for timber trade, harvesting or regional affairs. The inquiries studied the use of energy wood and the user of them at the areas of the associations, as well as the amounts of harvesting and the realization of it. Only a third of the associations have large energy wood consuming plants (using more than 500 m³ energy wood per year). The closest large energy wood consuming plant was in the average 31 km from the office of the association. The average energy wood use of the plant was 20 000 m³/a, the variation being 700 - 200 000 m³/a. The energy wood purchase range of the plants varied from few kilometers to hundred kilometers, the average being 47 km. Most of the energy wood was harvested from forest regeneration areas. Some of the energy wood is also harvested from young forest maintenance and thinning areas. The estimated harvesting of energy wood in 1999 was 6300 m³. A part of the energy wood is used for heating the farms and other small real estates, and a part is used for heating larger buildings like schools, hospitals, factories. The fees to the associations for purchase of energy wood varied significantly. The range was 2.00 - 11.00 FIM/m³. One association charged 300 FIM/parcel, and in one association the price depend on the amount of wood acquired from the lot, the unit price being 0.5 FIM/m³. It appeared that the associations estimated the use of energy wood to increase. The level in 1999 was 6300 m³ and it is estimated to increase to 14 300 m³ in 2005. The associations estimated that the levels can only be achieved if the stumpage price of energy wood may not be 0.0 FIM. Even a marginal price would lead to an increased harvesting of energy wood. The associations estimated that the reasonable price of energy wood of the regeneration fellings to be 1-10 FIM/m³, and that of the first thinning, stem and rotten wood 5-50 FIM/m³

[en] This conference paper discusses the role of pellets in the use of bioenergy in Sweden. Pellets (P) have many advantages: (1) P are dry and can be stored, (2) P create local jobs, (3) P burn without seriously polluting the environment, (4) P are made from domestic and renewable resources, (5) P have high energy density, (6) P fit well in an energy system adapted to nature, (6) P are an economical alternative, both on a small scale and on a large scale. Pellets are more laborious to use than oil or electricity and require about three times as much storage space as oil. The Swedish pellets manufacturers per 1997 are listed. Locally pellets are most conveniently transported as bulk cargo and delivered to a silo by means of pressurized air. Long-distance transport use train or ship. At present, pellets are most often used in large or medium-sized heat plants, but equipment exists for use from private houses and up to the size of MW. Pellets may become the most important alternative to the fossil fuels which along with electricity today are dominating the small scale market. 1 fig., 1 table

[en] Wood-fired power plant potential is discussed, including technology review description, as well as selected Brazil wood-fired power plants, firewood potential and economics. 7 refs

[en] Use of forest chips was studied in 1999 in the national Puuenergia (Wood Energy) research program. Wood combusting heating plants were questioned about are the main reasons restricting the increment of the use of forest chips. Heating plants, which did not use forest chips at all or which used less than 250 m³ (625 bulk- m³) in 1999 were excluded. The main restrictions for additional use of forest chips were: too high price of forest chips; lack of suppliers and/or uncertainty of deliveries; technical problems of reception and processing of forest chips; insufficiency of boiler output especially in winter; and unsatisfactory quality of chips. The price of forest chips becomes relatively high because wood biomass used for production of forest chips has to be collected from wide area. Heavy equipment has to be used even though small fragments of wood are processed, which increases the price of chips. It is essential for forest chips that the costs can be pressed down because competition with fossil fuels, peat and industrial wood residues is hard. Low market price leads to the situation in which forest owner gets no price of the raw material, the entrepreneurs operate at the limit of profitability and renovation of machinery is difficult, and forest chips suppliers have to sell the chips at prime costs. Price of forest chips has decreased significantly during the past decade. Nominal price of forest chips is now lower than two decades ago. The real price of chips has decreased even more than the nominal price, 35% during the past decade and 20% during the last five years. Chips, made of small diameter wood, are expensive because the price includes the felling costs and harvesting is carried out at thinning lots. Price is especially high if chips are made of delimbed small diameter wood due to increased the work and reduced amount of chips. The price of logging residue chips is most profitable because cutting does not cause additional costs. Recovery of chips is carried out from final cutting areas there the production of forest chips can be integrated to harvesting of industrial wood. Moisture content and the share of needles of logging residue chips are higher, and the particle size of it is inhomogeneous. Improved harvesting technology is the main reason for the decrease of the price of logging residue chips. Automating of felling made the piling of residues nearly free of charge. Competition in the machine and transportation services decreased the costs of industrial wood by 20-30% in a decade. Average price of forest chips has decreased because the share of logging residues of the forest chips production has increased. The price (excl. VAT) of forest chips for heating plants in Finland varies between 40 - 80 FIM/MWh, the average being 53 FIM/MWh, and in Sweden about 80 FIM/MWh, and 75 FIM/MWh for industry. The taxation of fossil fuel in Sweden is higher than in Finland. Sweden uses over 3 M m³ of forest chips, the corresponding figures for Finland being about 1 M m³. Forest chips are used as a mixture with industrial wood residues. Production costs of industrial wood residues are lower than those of the forest chips. Alternative fuels for plants using forest chips are bark, sawdust and peat. Target price of Bioenergy research program for forest chips was 45 FIM/MWh

[en] Background features, goals of forest ownership, and forestry behaviour of forest owners who sell fuelwood are considered. The study is based on a sample of 4819 forest holdings collected by mail-inquiry in the 1999. The fuelwood assortments have not been segmented in the data, but fuelwood rerers to chopped firewood, poles, split firewood and chips sold during the period 1994-98. Also, the data does not bring out whether the forest owner has sold his or hers fuelwood straight to the end-user or to a professional trading merchant. The amount of forest owners who sold fuelwood at least once in the years 1994-98 was 33 000, i.e., 11 per cent of all private forest owners. The average sale quantity of fuelwood was 27 stacked cubic metres. The total amount sold fuelwood was 0.9 million stacked cubic metres or approximately 0.6 million solid cubic metres per year. The average size of forest holdings of forest owners who sell firewood was 59 hectares, so they clearly owned larger holdings than on average. The proportion farmers, men and owners who live in rural areas more often were also greater than on average. In addition, proportions of multiobjective, owners who underline both monetary and amenity benefits of their forest ownership, and self-employed forest owners, owners who underline timber sale revenues and self-employment opportunities in their forests, were greater than on average. As a timber sellers and as a silvicultural actors owners who sold fuelwood can be described as a self-initiating and active group of private forest owners. No less than 90 per cent of them made at least one commercial timber sale, and two-thirds at least one delivery sale in the years 1994-98. In addition, 58 per cent of forest holdings owned by fuelwood sellers carried out tending of young stands, and 60 per cent had harvested energy wood. These proportions were clearly greater than for forest holdings as an average. (orig.)

[en] Potential possibility and economic expediency of using wood as fuel to produce heat (instead of coal in the boilers and furnaces) and electric power (gas generators instead of diesels) under de-centralized power supply are considered