Social and environmental benefits of bioenergy projects
The issue of using wood waste for power generation continues to generate debate. Answers to some of the frequently asked questions are provided.
Will the use of wood waste for power generation lead to destruction of areas of native forest (i.e. an increase in forest harvesting)?
No.
Native forest harvesting takes place under strict sustainability guidelines to provide high quality timber products for the flooring, decking, furniture and framing industries. These high quality timber products are sought to build homes for all Australians, and their harvesting, transport and processing provides substantial rural and regional employment.
These high quality timber products are usually found in the stem of the tree. Without markets for the lower-grade timber resources, the remainder of the woody part of the tree (upper stem, large branches) would be left in the forest to rot, provide additional fuel for bushfires, or be burnt without any power generation when the forests are prepared for regeneration.
Information Sheets:
1: What is Wood Waste?
19: What are the energy management options available forest and timber industry?
Will generating electricity from native forests increase greenhouse pollution?
No, and in fact power generation from wood waste can actually reduce the total amount of greenhouse gas that’s emitted into the atmosphere, making it a safe, green alternative that benefits Australian and global communities.
Provided more energy is generated at combustion than is required to grow, harvest and transport the material, the forests are replanted and the net contribution to greenhouse emissions will be zero.
More importantly, where wood waste is used for renewable energy generation, it provides a direct substitute for energy from fossil fuels, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions.
Information Sheets:
3: The environmental benefits of using wood waste for renewable energy
19: What are the energy management options available forest and timber industry?
Will “forest furnaces” destroy old-growth forests?
No.
Sustainable forest management focuses on the protection of ecosystems and the protection of valuable timber resources for the community.
Harvesting of forests to provide timber products is a normal part of forest management. Provided this harvesting is undertaken in accordance with approved forest management guidelines and internationally agreed standards of forest management, sustainable forest management can continue to provide economic, social and environmental benefits in perpetuity.
Electricity generated through the effective use of wood waste actually reduces the amount of greenhouse and helps
Australia
to meet its renewable energy target.
Power generation from wood waste ensures that we use our existing resources in an environmentally sustainable and renewable way.
Information Sheets:
2: Forest and forest harvesting regulation in
Australia
19: What are the energy management options available forest and timber industry?
“What are the economic and employment benefits from renewable energy generation?”
Rural communities often have to import fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, to provide electricity, heating and fuel, resulting in substantial costs. Renewable energy resources, however, are developed locally, and the dollars spent on energy stay at home, creating more jobs and fostering economic growth.
Jobs in renewable energy result from the manufacture, design, installation, servicing, and marketing of renewable energy products. Jobs also arise indirectly from businesses that supply renewable energy companies with raw materials, transportation, equipment, and professional services, such as accounting and clerical services. In turn, the wages and salaries generated from these jobs provide additional income in local economies.
Information Sheet:
13: Economic and social benefits of wood waste to produce renewable energy
“What are the environmental benefits of using wood waste?”
Renewable energy technologies are a lot friendlier to the environment than conventional energy technologies, which rely on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels contribute significantly to the human induced or anthropogenic release of the world’s greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons, surround the Earth’s atmosphere like a thermal blanket. These gases let the sun’s rays in and trap the heat close to the Earth’s surface, increasing the Earth’s average surface temperature. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon dioxide is responsible for one-half to two-thirds of our contribution to global warming.
Renewable energy technologies can produce heat and electricity with a very low or no amount of carbon dioxide emissions. The CSIRO (http://www.ffp.csiro.au/fap/bioenergy.html) has shown that “using wastes and residues from a forest managed for sawn timber production for electricity generation results in the release of about eight times less CO2 into the atmosphere than generating the same amount by burning coal”.
Information Sheet:
3: The environmental benefits of using wood waste for renewable energy
An alternative view
Using forest residue material for power generation remains a contentious issue. The following reference to the Wilderness Society webpage contains the green view of the issue. Click on the link to see for yourself.
http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/forests/bioenergy/biomass3/
For more information, refer to the following Information Sheets
Information Sheet:
13: Economic and social benefits of wood waste to produce renewable energy
18: Frequently asked questions on the use of wood waste to produce renewable energy
|
