Identifying environmentally and economically optimal bioenergy plant sizes and locations: A spatial model of wood-based SNG value chains

The optimal size and location of bioenergy plants with regards to environmental and economic performance are assessed with a spatially explicit value chain model of the production of synthetic natural gas (SNG) from wood. It consists of several individual models for the availability, harvest, transportation, conversion of wood to SNG, electricity and heat, and the use of these products to substitute non-renewable energy services. An optimization strategy is used to choose the optimal technology configuration for plant sizes from 5 to 200 MW and different locations for any desired weighting between the environmental performance based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and the economic performance.