As Australia searches for renewable energy sources and alternatives to emission-intensive energy production, there is an ever-growing opportunity for bioenergy. Bioenergy is affordable, clean and renewable energy derived in most cases from material considered to be waste, often the by-product of agricultural and forestry activity. While converting forest harvest residues (forest biomass) into an additional revenue stream is attractive, there are many challenges – including quality, costs and sustainability.
How do you cost-effectively harvest and haul forest biomass intended for energy production?
How do you ensure forest biomass is high enough quality for energy production?
What is the impact of extracting harvest residue on soil nutrients and future forest growth?
What scale of operations can be sustained long-term and in what parts of Australia?
This workshop will explore these questions from the perspective of both forest plantation owners/managers and bioenergy producers. It will also provide an overview of some of the latest research on forest biomass supply chains being undertaken in Australia, as well as presenting experience from Europe, which is leading the world in generating bioenergy from forest residue.
Who should attend?
• Forest plantation owners/managers
• Forest operations managers/supervisors
• Farm-forestry owners/managers
• Bioenergy producers
• Investors in bioenergy
• Bioenergy equipment suppliers
• Bioenergy policy managers
Date / location: Thursday 14 April 2011
University House, ANU (Cnr Balmain Cr and Liversidge St, Canberra, ACT)
Cost: $125
$75 (CRC for Forestry partners and Bioenergy Australia Members)
$40 (Students) WORKSHOP: Generating renewable energy from forest residues: Opportunities, challenges and the latest research
Program
9:45 Registration and morning tea
10:15 Introduction and welcome
10:30 Industry perspective: needs and expectations from forest biomass
Pine plantation view (Dean Turner, HVP)
Hardwood plantation view (Andrew Widdowson, Elders Forestry)
Conversion overview and cost sensitivities (David Coote, UniMelb PhD)
Energy pellet production experience (Dick Allen, Plantation Energy)
12:30 Lunch (provided)
13:15 Research on forest biomass harvest and logistics
Latest from Italy and Europe (Raffaele Spinelli, IVALSA)
Latest from Australia (Mohammad Ghaffariyan, CRC for Forestry – UTas)
Latest from Australia (Damian Walsh, CRC for Forestry – UTas)
15:15 Break (tea and coffee)
15:30 Panel discussion on next steps and future challenges
16:00 Close WORKSHOP: Generating renewable energy from forest residues: Opportunities, challenges and the latest research
