Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access
ISSN: 2090-4541
ISSN: 2090-4541
Peter Rauch
BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Fundam Renewable Energy Appl
The aim of this paper is to develop and evaluate innovative strategies in order to overcome biomass supply problems and to increase the competitiveness of wood based energy production. Potential impacts of the socio-economic, political and ecological environment on future demand and the supply situation are scanned by means of portfolio and risk analyses. Based on a SWOTstrategy development process preventative and coping strategies are formulated. A holistic evaluation of the developed strategies by stakeholders of the whole biomass supply chain, including competing industries (i.e. bioenergy, pulp and panel industry) is performed by applying a standardized group decision process (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and reveals the most promising, robust strategies. The applied strategy development and evaluation process was well accepted by the stakeholders, with them cooperating in a constructive manner and engaged discussions. The proposed strategy development process and the portfolio of the top ranked strategies is a research contribution which facilitates both; the wood based bioenergy production in increasing supply security, and further research focusing on strategic issues of the forest fuel supply chain. Furthermore, the portfolio of the top ranked strategies assists relevant bioenergy stakeholders (e.g. investors, feedstock procurement managers and government agencies) in making strategic decisions with regard to investment, biomass supply and policy.
Email: peter.rauch@boku.ac.at