Combining Social Willingness and Ecological Potential to Assess Biomass-based Biogas Production Potential

Keywords: Biomass, Biogas, Ecological Potential, Social Willingness
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

There is an increasing awareness that biomass-based biogas may make an important contribution both to the energy transition and to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and other ecosystem services. Despite these benefits, in Midwest US, the use of biomass as an energy source is still very limited. The engagement of farmers in biogas production is low, and the barriers to their participation are not well known. This study investigates how the social willingness and ecological potential of biogas production align. We found that about 27% of farmers are willing to generate renewable heat and power from biomass on their farms. Integrating social willingness and ecological potential, we found that more than 67% of the land in Iowa possesses a high potential for biogas production. We found that the potential for biogas production is high in areas where there is a higher willingness of farmers willing to generate renewable heat and power from biomass on their farms. We also found that areas with high ecological potential but low social willingness are low in the potential for biogas production. This shows that there should be the alignment of farmers’ willingness and ecological potential for promoting biomass-based biogas production.