Energy 81 (2015) 189e201

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/energy

Assessment of biomass energy potential in a region of Portugal

(Alto Alentejo)
Gonçalo Lourinho*, Paulo Brito
C3I (Interdisciplinary Coordination for Research and Innovation), Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Lugar da Abadessa, Apartado 148, 7301-901 Portalegre,
Portugal

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This work focuses on assessing the potential for generation of biomass residues from agroforestry
Received 20 February 2014 sources in a region of Portugal (Alto Alentejo), within the scope of energy valorization of the biomass by
Received in revised form means of combustion technologies. The model uses a GIS-based method to estimate the technical po-
28 November 2014
tential of biomass based on current cartographic and statistical data. The analyzed components related to
Accepted 7 December 2014
Available online 8 January 2015
the biomass potential are: effective biomass area (in ha), biomass availability (in dry t/year) and energy
potential (in GJ/year). The potential of agricultural and forest residues in Alto Alentejo is estimated to be
4000 dry t/year and 40,000 dry t/year, respectively. This amount of biomass corresponds to an energy
Keywords:
Biomass energy
potential of 158,000 GJ/year, which is equivalent to 100% of the combined consumption of electricity in
Agricultural residues three out of the nine municipalities covered in this study. A preliminary analysis on the suitability of the
Forestry residues location and characteristics of a 9 MW biomass power plant in the region is made; alternative solutions
GIS and most representative species are also discussed. It was concluded that not enough biomass is available
Energy potential to supply the energy facility and that the most promising option for the region is the combustion of
residues in small scale units.
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction conversion of solar energy into vegetable matter and it is regarded

1.1. Biomass and the environment
The need to change towards a greener socio-economic paradigm
has forced politicians and decision makers to pay closer attention to
alternative forms of energy, namely bioenergy. The provision of
quality energy services respecting the environment has been a
source of increasing concern, but lack of knowledge regarding
resource potential and quantification has been seen as one of the
main hindrances to ensuring a better use of domestic energy re-
sources. As such, it has become even more important to map and
assess the potential of energy sources both at local and country-
wide levels.
Bioenergy is a form of energy derived from biomass and it is
considered one of the most important renewable energy sources, as
no other can be available in solid, liquid and gaseous forms via
some processing [1]. Biomass can be defined as the contempora-
neous (non-fossil) biological material generated from the
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ351245300226; fax: þ351245300230.
E-mail address: glourinho@gmail.com (G. Lourinho).
as one of the most suitable ways of energy storage, thus being a real
alternative to fossil fuels, as it is abundant, clean and carbon neutral
[1e4]. Energy from biomass is arguably not the final answer to
address the environmental and energetic challenges faced by so-
ciety in the 21st century, but if used in a sustainable and
environmentally-friendly way, bioenergy can contribute to a sig-
nificant reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. In addition, the
use of bioenergy lessens the risks of fire, by promoting the cleaning
of woodlands, and diversify energy supplies, not to mention its
relevant and positive social impacts deriving from the creation of
new jobs and the development of rural areas [5,6].
In light of these facts, the use of biomass residues for energy
purposes is attracting more and more attention in recent times.
Renewable energy advocates and forest managers across Europe
are becoming increasingly supportive of biomass for heat and
electricity as wood wastes in various forms are abundantly avail-
able in most of the countries with no other use. Currently, a rising
percentage of heat and electricity production within the European
union (EU) is already being generated through solid biomass and
the sector has registered a growth in 2012 as gross solid biomass
primary energy consumption reached 85.6Mtoe in the end of the
year [7]. Biomass heat production accounted for about 79% of total

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2014.12.021
0360-5442/© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
190 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201
consumption of solid biomass, most of it directly used by domestic
and industrial sectors, while total solid biomass electricity output
amounted to 80 TWh in the same period [7]. Concerning Portugal,
the country has witnessed a favorable evolution in European
biomass scenario during the last decade; since 2005, the number of
woody biomass power plants connected to the public grid has risen
from 2 to 8 and more are expected to be in operation until 2015.
Recently, in order to fulfill the pledges made in the context of Eu-
ropean policies, the Portuguese Government has adopted a new
National Action Plan for Renewable Energy (PNAER 2020) [8] to
reinforce its commitment in reaching the target of at least 31% of
gross final energy consumption to come from renewable sources in
2020. Bioenergy occupies a central position in the plan and new
measures for creating conditions for the effective installation of
250 MW capacity allocated in 2006 were approved. In fact, Portugal
is already moving towards the creation of a decentralized biomass
power grid and currently has a total installed capacity of 569 MW of
which 446 MW (78%) comes from combined heat and power (CHP)
plants and 123 MW from electricity only plants [9]. The percentage
share of renewable energy in Portuguese gross final energy con-
sumption amounted to 23.8% in 2012, with bioenergy contributing
with 54% of the total [9]. It has been estimated that the amount of
forest biomass residues available in the country amount to
approximately 2.2 million tons every year [10].
Despite considerable efforts to increase its use, biomass still
faces significant challenges in many regions. Key barriers to
biomass development have typically been identified as unfavorable
political and economic context, lack of knowledge regarding
biomass potential, missing regional markets and infrastructures
and uncertain biomass removal practices and objectives. This is
evident in Portugal, where much of the forest landscape is domi-
nated by fragmented, non industrial private forestlands which lead
to unreliable supply chains and logistic processes, thus hindering
the creation of use opportunities that require biomass harvesting
plans on a broader scale. Strong efforts by public and private forest
managers to develop a modern industry around biomass energy are
therefore needed. Although much of the focus has been on biomass
use for energy purposes, biomass residues encompass a wide va-
riety of applications that should also be considered in attempts to
increase its use. In fact, the development of a sustainable biomass
industry would be able to supply not only the energy sector, but
also side industries such as paper pulp, saw mills, pellets and other
value-added wood products, offering novel opportunities for eco-
nomic development of local communities.
Some important studies have been published with estimates of
biomass and energy production from forest and agricultural species
in several regions of the world, including Portugal. Nevertheless,
there are few studies which portrait a complete picture of biomass
potential as these studies often lack depth either in terms of scope,
biomass families included or biomass access restrictions (see
Table 1). In most cases, geographical information systems (GIS) are
used as a supporting tool. Among those that share some relevance
Table 1
Summary of biomass potential data from the reviewed research.
Study area/scope Residues type
Portugal/Country Forestry
Portugal/Local Forestry and agricultural
Portugal/Local Forestry, agricultural and timber industry
Portugal/Local Forestry and agricultural
Mozambique/Local Forestry
Spain/Local Forestry
Spain/Country Forestry and agricultural
concerning the present work, the following ones are worth high-
lighting. Viana et al. [11] assessed the potential quantities of
available forest biomass residues in Portugal (from eucalyptus and
maritime pine), evaluating at the same time the suitability of
existing and proposed power plant locations in the country. These
authors estimated total biomass amounts of 580,000 dry t/year
from maritime pine and 517,000 dry t/year from eucalyptus and
concluded that the total capacity attributed to power plants was
generally excessive, with difficulties to collect biomass to fulfill the
demands especially experienced in the regions of Alentejo and
Algarve. Fernandes & Costa [12] evaluated the biomass potential
from both forest and agricultural residues, in a small region of
Portugal (Marva ~o). They concluded that the annual biomass po-
tential of the region was about 10,600 t/year, with a corresponding
energy potential of circa 106,000 GJ/year. Rosa & Vieira [13] eval-
uated the biomass potential in the island of Madeira (Portugal).
These authors included in their study both forest and agricultural
residues, as well as residues from the timber industry. Using a GIS-
based method, they estimated a total biomass potential of
135,000 t/year in Madeira Island. Using a similar methodology,
Vieira et al. [14] quantified the biomass potential in the region of
Algarve (Portugal) estimating a biomass potential of 4,500,000 GJ/
year. Still regarding biomass potential, one should mention studies
from Lo pez-Rodríguez et al. [15], Viana and Costa [16] and Gomez
pez-Rodríguez et al. [15] evaluated and mapped bio-
et al. [17]. Lo
energy potential of forest residues from the most representative
forestry species of the west-central region of Spain (Ca ceres). The
authors used GIS for data processing and estimated a biomass
availability of 463,000 dry t/year, with a corresponding energy
potential of 5,800,000 GJ/year. In turn, Viana & Costa [16] con-
ducted a study using GIS tools for the quantification of forest
biomass residues in Maputo province, Mozambique. The authors
concluded that the total production of forest biomass residues in
Maputo province was about 1,200,00 t/year, which corresponds to
an energy potential of 17,300,000 GJ/year. Finally, Gomez et al. [17]
introduced a hierarchical and GIS-based methodology to assess the
energy contents of agricultural and forestry residues in Spain, and
the potential for the generation of electricity from them. Their re-
sults indicated a technical biomass potential of 118,000,000 GJ/year
for the whole country.
The methodologies used in these studies generally consist in the
definition of production areas for each residue, followed by the
application of biomass yields and availability factors, so that the
biomass quantities and the energy potential of the residues can be
estimated.
1.2. GIS and biomass potential
Since its original design, based on the traditional production of
maps, GIS have become increasingly prominent in terms of appli-
cations. Historically, however, this fact has received far too little
recognition and as long as cartography production remains one of
Biomass quantities Energy potential Biomass access GIS based Sources
[t/year] [GJ/year] restrictions method
1,097,000 e No Yes [11]
10,600 106,000 No Yes [12]
135,000 e No Yes [13]
e 4,500,000 Yes Yes [14]
1,200,000 17,300,000 No Yes [16]
463,000 5,800,000 Yes Yes [15]
e 118,000,000 Yes Yes [17]
 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201
its primary capabilities, GIS potential is better described by the
term “database” [18]. In fact, GIS can be defined as a specialized
database, since any data stored in it - be it a number, a string of text
or an image - is referred to a spatial representation of reality based
on a set of geographical coordinates. Therefore, the main feature of
GIS is its ability to combine spatial data in the form of points, lines,
polygons or grids with a set of attributes stored in a conventional
table. This possibility of data manipulation and analysis attached to
a spatial component is even considered one of the most important
features of GIS environments from an engineering point of view.
Thus, considering that any variable liable to geo-referencing can be
studied, the biomass potential of any forest or agriculture species is
no exception.
To Voivontas [19], GIS utilization in the bioenergy sector has two
notable advantages: First, all parameters that affect biomass
accessibility and production (ex. slopes and terrain elevation) can
be modeled within a GIS environment by means of cartographic
algebra processes; Second, the findings of the analysis can be
visualized using maps or more evolved techniques like animations
or virtual landscapes. Together, these factors have transformed GIS
in an outstanding tool regarding bioenergy, notably in research
associated with the assessment of its potential, but also in a wide
variety of subjects like environmental sciences, civil engineering,
trading and transportation. For that matter, GIS utilization is still
relatively recent as the first available reference dates back to only
1996 [20]. In that seminal work, Easterly and Burnham [20]
assessed the spatial distribution of biomass in Tennessee and
used a GIS-based method in order to define the most suitable places
for thermal plants. At present, the rather dispersed geographical
distribution of biomass potential has raised interest in scientific
community, and apart from the selection of places for bioenergy
projects [11,15,19,21,22], GIS have been applied in the quantification
and mapping of biomass residues [12e16,19,23e25] and the esti-
mation of transport costs to existent or proposed power plants
[17,26].
Land cover maps are one of the main data sources which feed
GIS environments. Land cover data, i.e., data about the character-
istics of the elements that make up the earth's surface, constitute a
crucial type of information in relation to environmental and bio-
energy related studies [27]. The importance of this type of infor-
mation extends through several domains (scientific, resources
management and policy making) and has seen an increasing rele-
vance together with community interest in environmental and
energy related questions. The main land cover source of informa-
tion in Portugal is the Land Cover Map of Portugal Mainland for
2007 (COS0 2007 in Portuguese) [27]. COS0 2007 [28] is in vector
format and divides the physical space into landscape units that
share the same concepts of land cover. This cartography possesses a
high thematic detail, allowing one to measure the extension and
distribution of each land cover class and operating as a good
working basis to generate more complex information about various
topics, such as biomass use and quantification [29].
1.3. The present study
The aim of this study is to obtain a better knowledge of the
quantities of biomass residues, both from forest and agricultural
sources, generated in the Alto Alentejo region (Portugal). This paper
presents a complete assessment of the quantification and mapping
of biomass potential of the most predominant species identified in
the region, with a perspective of transformation of the resource
into electricity by means of combustion technologies.
It should be noticed that the present work provides an assess-
ment of the amount of electricity that can be generated from
agricultural and forestry residues. The term “energy potential”
191
should be taken, therefore, in the sense of “electrical generation
potential”; in fact, both terms are used in the paper as having the
same terminology.
2. Characterization of Alto Alentejo region
Alto Alentejo is a Portuguese region located in the eastern part
of Portugal, near the Spanish border. With an area of about
6084 km2, the region includes fifteen municipalities essentially of
rural characteristics, with a predominant agricultural and forestry
profile.
As a region, Alto Alentejo is fairly mountainous, with Serra de
Nisa, Serra de Marva ~o and Serra de Sa ~o Mamede being its main
natural slopes. Serra de Sa ~o Mamede is a natural reserve with a
maximum elevation of 1025 m. The average temperature ranges are
very wide, being very hot in summer and quite cold in winter. The
distinctive socio-economic and climatic features of a Mediterra-
nean and mountainous region have identified the area as especially
well placed to make the most of the opportunities offered by
biomass energy, due to the facilitated existence of diversified flora,
mainly pine (Pinus pinaster and Pinus Pinea), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus
globulus), holm oak (Quercus suber), cork oak (Quercus rotundifolia),
and chestnut (Castanea sativa). For reasons of data availability (see
Fig. 1) the geographical area covered in this study spans nine of the
fifteen municipalities of the region - Alter do Cha~o, Arronches, Avis,
Castelo de Vide, Crato, Marva ~o, Monforte, Portalegre e Sousel -
accounting for a total of 4% of the total area of Portugal mainland.
3. Materials and methods
3.1. Methodology overview
For the assessment of biomass potential from agriculture and
forest residues a bottom-up and resource-focused approach was
used. The methodology adopted estimates the theoretical potential
of biomass production and further adds a series of restrictions
which limit its exploitation, yielding a more representative tech-
nical potential of the residues actually usable. In general terms, the
potential of a biomass energy source results from two basic esti-
mations: the amount of residues generated in a given temporal
cycle within a certain geographical disaggregation (typically one
year), and the energy content of each residue considered (typically
one tonne) [22]. The model was implemented using GIS as a sup-
port system and used geo-referenced data for the whole region
through the integration of the data presented in Table 2. Table 3
introduces the required inputs for the biomass potential assess-
ment. More specifically, the methodology was developed in four
stages:
1. Assessment of land cover data, estimating the area capable of
generating biomass residues in terms of physical constraints; a
first catalog of the most predominant species of the region was
also produced;
2. Introduction of a series of restrictions to be observed during
residue collection, not considering technically appropriate the
collection of residues from areas of steep slopes, nor from those
too far from roads or tracks, hence with difficult access; calcu-
lation of the area actually usable in terms of technical
constraints;
3. Reclassification of identified biomass families taking into ac-
count the most predominant species; transference of land cover
data from pre-set collection areas into an attribute table that
contains information of the residues yield for each biomass
family; calculation of biomass amounts (in t/year).
192 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201
Fig. 1. Location of Alto Alentejo region.
4. Determination of electrical generation potential e i.e. the en-
ergy potential - (in GJ/year) using information concerning the
LHV (low heating value) of each biomass family and the effi-
ciency of conversion of the resource into electricity;
The following subsections describe the steps and data re-
quirements to estimate the energy potential of Alto Alentejo re-
sidual biomass in detail.
3.2. Forestry and agricultural cover
The first step taken for the estimation of the residual biomass
generated in the region was the identification and classification of
each vegetation areas, both forest and agricultural ones. This pro-
cedure was carried out by using the land cover map of the region
(positional accuracy better than 5.5 m and overall thematic accu-
racy of 85.13% ± 2.00%; all errors representing the 95% confidence
level) and included the classification of each landscape unit (or
polygon) in terms of biomass potential with the objective of elim-
inating non-biomass areas (rivers, towns, etc.) and differentiating
between the agricultural and forestry components of the potential.
In the GIS application, the task required the attribution of the value
Table 2
Information used in the construction of the GIS database of Alto Alentejo.
Data types
Official administrative map of Portugal (IGP), 2011 version
Land cover map (COS2007), 2007 version
Digital terrain model 30M (ASTER DEM 30M), 2009 version
Road map (10 k)
“0” to non-biomass polygons and the value “1” to polygons in which
forest species and agriculture crops have been identified. The
spatial distribution of the classified areas was accomplished by
taking into account the administrative boundaries of the munici-
palities of the region.
The next step consisted in determining the area occupied by
each forest and agriculture species by means of the analysis of the
land cover map nomenclature. The land cover map of the region
includes a hierarchical classification system in which several land
uses are described in detail, namely: artificial territories; agricul-
ture and agroforestry areas; forest and natural and semi-natural
areas; watery zones; and water bodies. These categories corre-
spond to the first of five levels in the mapping thematic detail. Thus,
the land cover map of the region describes the spatial distribution
of several agricultural and forest species, from which up to three
can be located in a given polygon in the map. Although the iden-
tification of biomass potential areas in the land cover map is very
complete, its analysis does not allow a direct quantification of the
area effectively occupied by each biomass family, since more than
one biomass species can be identified in a given polygon and the
Table 3
Data requirements for biomass potential estimation.
Biomass resources Attributes
Forestry residues Forest species
Source
Forest area
[30] Residues productivity
[28] Agricultural residues Cultivation species
[32] Cultivation area
[31] Residues productivity
 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201 193

nomenclature of the map indicates differences in vegetation cover Table 4

between categories. Therefore, the total area of a given polygon Summary of every parameter used in the definition of effective areas associated with
each forestry biomass source present in the land cover map.
does not necessarily equal the area covered with vegetation (see
Fig. 2). To get around the problem, an estimation of the effective Biomass sources hc % Main % Secondary % Tertiary
area occupied by biomass was carried out, defining it as the value culture culture culture
a
resulting from the product of the total area of a given polygon by AFS with temporary non- irrigated 55 50 50 e
the vegetation cover percentage and the occupation rate of a given crops 25 25 50
AFSa with temporary irrigated crops 55 50 50 e
species, as described by the equation:
25 25 50
XXX a
AFS with pastures 55 50 50 e
Aef
nt ¼ ATnm hC hO
s (1) 25 25 50
e n m AFSa with permanent crops 55 50 50 e
25 25 50
where ATnm is the total area of polygon n in municipality m, in ha; hC Hardwood forest 65 100 e e
Mixed hardwood forest 65 62.5 37.5 e
is the percentage of land covered by the horizontal projection of the
Softwood forest 65 100 e e
vegetation; hO s is the percentage of land occupied by the species e; Mixed softwood forest 65 62.5 37.5 e
and Aefnm is the effective biomass area of the polygon n in munici- Mixed forest of hardwood and softwood 65 75 25 e
pality m, in ha. In Table 4 and Table 5 a summary of equation pa- Mixed forest of softwood and hardwood 65 75 25 e
rameters hC and hO Herbaceous vegetation 5 100 e e
s is presented for forest and agriculture species.
Dense scrubs 5 100 e e
The application of Eq. (1) allowed the estimation of the effective Less dense scrubs 5 100 e e
biomass areas of the following biomass families (forest and agri- Dense sclerophyll vegetation 5 100 e e
culture, respectively): Less dense sclerophyll vegetation 5 100 e e
Hardwood open forest 20 100 e e
Mixed hardwood open forest 20 75 25 e
- Holm oak; Chestnut; Unknown forest species; Invader species;
Softwood open forest 20 100 e e
Eucalyptus; Hardwood; Dense scrubs; Less dense scrubs; Mixed softwood open forest 20 62.5 37.5 e
Hardwood mix; Softwood Mix, Others species; Other hard- Mixed open forest of hardwood with 20 75 25 e
wood; Other woody formations; Other mixes; Other softwood; softwood
Other oaks; Maritime pine; Stone pine; Softwood; Cork oak; Mixed open forest of softwood with 20 75 25 e
hardwood
Dense sclerophyll vegetation; Less dense sclerophyll vegetation;
Other woody formations 5 100 e e
Herbaceous vegetation Clear cuts and new plantations 5 100 e e
- Unknown crop; permanent crop; Temporary irrigated crops; Forest nurseries 55 100 e e
Temporary non-irrigated crops; Olives yard; Other fruit farms; a
Agroforestry system.
Fruit farms; Almond farms; Chestnut farms; Pastures; Perma-
nent Pastures; Citrine farms; Fresh fruit farms; Herbaceous and/
or scrub vegetation; Vineyards; Thus, in this work the extraction of biomass residues was limited to
areas with slopes less than 20%, an option justified by both tech-
nical and economic difficulties of the collection (possibility of
3.3. Biomass potential restrictions mechanization and collection cost), as well as some environmental
considerations (steeper terrain might involve erosion and soil loss
The methodology employed in the estimation of the biomass problems) [15]. Regarding the introduction of data in the GIS, the
quantities generated in Alto Alentejo region considered a series of area of the region corresponding to the criteria (slopes less than
technical restrictions for the collection of the resource, as used in 20%) was calculated as described next: the whole study area was
similar studies, such as Gomez et al. [22] and Lo
 pez-Rodríguez et al. classified according to the basic topographic data, assigning the
[15]. The first of these restrictions takes into account the technical value “1” to zones with slopes below or equal to 20%, and “2” to
difficulties of the collection of residues from areas of steep slopes. those with steeper terrain; the polygons matching the established

Fig. 2. Example representation of a given polygon. A: Total polygon area. B: Effective biomass area, i.e. area effectively occupied by vegetation cover.
194 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201

Table 5 procedure, the value “2” was assigned to distances longer than
Summary of every parameter used in the definition of effective areas associated with 3 km, and the value “1” to distances below or equal to the reference
each agricultural biomass source present in the land cover map.
value, as illustrated in Fig. 4.
Biomass sources hc % Main % Secondary % Tertiary The layer corresponding to the area suitable for biomass
culture culture culture collection was then generated through the intersection of the layers
Temporary non-irrigated crops 5 100 e e corresponding to the zone's effectively usable areas according to
Greenhouses and nurseries 0 e e e the two classification criteria (slopes below 20% and distances no
Temporary irrigated crops 5 100 e e
longer than 3 km). The final result of this classification is repre-
Rice fields 0 e e e
Vineyards 10 100 e e sented in Fig. 5 and shows that almost 95% of the study area is
Vineyards with fruit farms 10 50 50 e suitable for biomass collection.
Vineyards with olives yard 10 50 50 e
Fruit farms 30 100 e e
Fruit farms with vineyards 30 50 50 e
3.4. Biomass availability
Fruit farms with olives yards 30 50 50 e
Olives yard 10 100 e e
Olives yard with vineyards 10 50 50 e Once all necessary data were gathered, regarding both the
Olives yard with fruit farms 10 50 50 e quantification of the existing agroforestry areas (collected through
Permanent pastures 5 100 e e the geographical analysis of the administrative boundaries) and
Temporary non-irrigated crops 5 50 50 e
land cover, a calculation of the biomass available in the region was
associated with permanent crops
Temporary irrigated crops associated 5 50 50 e undertaken. For that, the biomass availability was defined as the
with permanent crops annual quantities of residual biomass (in dry t/year) derived from
Pastures associated with permanent 5 50 50 e forest and agriculture activity liable to energy purposes. This esti-
crops
mation only included, in agreement with the Portuguese strategy
on biomass [11], residues derived from primary sources, i.e.,
biomass without application on traditional markets, outside the
criteria were then selected and a new layer generated with all the
energy market, such as timber industry. The annual quantities of
zone's exploitable areas, i.e., zones with slopes below or equal to
agroforestry biomass were then calculated through the following
20% (Fig. 3).
equation:
The second technical restriction was defined by taking into ac-
count the fact that biomass should not be collected from areas with XXX
pBsm ¼ Aef P R
nm hs hs (2)
difficult access, considering the distance to roads or passable tracks. s n m
The availability layer related to the new criteria was determined as
described next: via the GIS capabilities, and using the road map of where the sum is extended to each species s, on every discrete area
Alto Alentejo as reference, the distance to the closest road was ef
(or polygon) n in the municipality m considered, corresponding Anm
calculated for each polygon in the map; following this mapping to the effective biomass area of each polygon n, in municipality m

Fig. 3. Study area classification according to slopes criteria.

 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201 195

Fig. 4. Study area classification according to distance to roads criteria.

Fig. 5. Integrated classification according to both slopes and distance to roads criteria.
196 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201

(in ha); hPs to the residue productivity of species s (in dry t/ha/year);
hRs to the fraction of residues of each species s which can be effec-
tively used for energy purposes; and pBsm to the biomass of the
species s, available in municipality m (in dry t/year). Eq. (2) was
applied to each forest and cultivation species reclassified in a total
of 10 and 5 biomass families, respectively. Estimations on residues
yields for the considered biomass families were assigned through
the analysis of a set of references published in the literature, being
the hPs parameter defined on a species-to-species basis. Table 6 lists
the biomass yields used in this work [12,14].
It should be noted that the biomass yields associated with every
forest species only include residues derived from forest manage-
ment activities like pruning and thinning, taking also into account
the fraction of residues left on the soil for environmental purposes;
thus, for forest residues hRs ¼ 1.0 was used [17]. For the agricultural
biomass, hRs ¼ 0.25 [17] for cereals and herbaceous plant, being the
remaining residues left on the soil to decompose as fertilizer or
used as animal fodder; and hRs ¼ 0.60 [17] for fruit farms, olive yards
and vineyards with the rest of the residues having other final uses,
such as local firewood markets.
3.5. Energy potential
For the assessment of the energy potential associated with
agroforestry biomass generated in Alto Alentejo a methodology for
the estimation of the maximum amount of electrical energy that
can be generated from the several biomass families considered was
used. This evaluation resulted from the knowledge of three base
estimations: the amount of biomass generated during the temporal
cycle of one year; the energy content of each biomass family, rep-
resented by their respective LHV; and the electrical conversion
efficiency of the biomass through combustion technologies.
Accordingly, the energy potential was calculated through the
following equation:
XX
pEsm ¼ pBsm hQ
s h
T
(3)
s m
where the sum is extended to each species s, in municipality m,
corresponding pBsm to the biomass from the species s, available in
municipality m (in dry t/year); hQ s to the low heating value of the
species s (in GJ/t); hT to the efficiency of conversion of the resource
into electrical energy [17]; and pEsm to the energy potential of the
species s, available in municipality m (in GJ/year).
For the estimation of the potential for electrical generation of
Alto Alentejo biomass residues, the power plant technology
considered was fixed-bed (grate) combustion coupled with a steam
cycle (GC/ST) with an efficiency of 25%; therefore, hT ¼ 0.25 [17].
The hQs parameter, representing the LHV of each biomass family,
was assigned after the evaluation of a set of references published in
the literature [12e14]. Table 7 presents a summary of LHVs used
[12]. In the next section, all the findings of the data processing
procedure are presented.
4. Results
4.1. Effective biomass area

Table 6
The first results arising from the application of the methodology
Summary on de residue productivity (in dry t/ha/year) of each forestry and agri-
cultural biomass family considered in the study [12,14]. described in the last section are related to the quantification of the
effective area of production and collection of residual biomass. In
Biomass family Residue productivity ðhPe Þ
Alto Alentejo more than 73,000 ha of land with potential for
Holm oak Pruning of a tree every 20 years and thinning of 0.20 generating biomass were identified, i.e., about 23% of the total area
trees/ha every year with a biomass yield of 5 dry t/ha
of the region. In Table 8 a summary of the results for the effective
and 0.22 dry t/ha/year; total biomass yield of 0.48 dry
t/ha/year; areas of production, according to the origin and spatial distribution
Cork oak Moderate pruning of 70 trees/ha every 9 years and of the residues, is presented. The distribution of agroforestry areas
thinning of a tree/ha every year with a respective between the biomass families is as follows: 27% corresponds to
biomass yield of 2.50 dry t/ha and 0.75 dry t/ha/year; herbaceous plant, 26% are holm oaks, 22% cork oaks and 10%
total biomass yield of 1.00 dry t/ha/year;
eucalyptus, with the remaining percentages being occupied by
Chestnut Biomass yield of 0.50 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based
on literature data. other families. In other words, about 85% of the suitable collection
Oak Biomass yield of 0.50 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based areas are occupied by 5 out of the 15 biomass families considered.
on literature data. Furthermore, in terms of the two residue components studied e
Eucalyptus Selection of logs after the first revolution with biomass
forestry and agricultural e differences are also noted, representing
yield of 14 dry t/ha; total biomass yield of 0.88 dry
t/ha/year
the forestry area 68% of the total area and the agricultural area 32%.
Other Hardwood Biomass yield of 0.75 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based
on literature data.
Other Softwood Biomass yield of 0.85 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Table 7
on literature data. Summary of LHV (in GJ/t) of each biomass family
Maritime pine Pruning and thinning at 10 and 15 years of age with considered.[12,14].
biomass yield of 12 dry t/ha and 5.2 dry t/ha; trimming
Biomass family ðhQ
e Þ (GJ/t)
at next term with biomass yield of 20 dry t/ha; total
biomass yield of 1.0 dry t/ha/year Holm Oak 14
Stone pine Biomass yield of 0.85 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Cork Oak 14
on literature data. Chestnut 15
Scrubs Biomass yield of 4.00 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Oak 15
on literature data. Eucalyptus 15
Cereal cultivation Biomass yield of 1.45 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Other Hardwood 15
on literature data. Other Softwood 15
Olives yard Biomass yield of 1.50 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Maritime pine 17
on literature data. Stone pine 15
Herbaceous plants Biomass yield of 0.31 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Scrubs 14
on literature data. Cereal cultivation 14
Fruit farms Biomass yield of 2.00 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Olives yard 14
on literature data. Herbaceous plants 14
Vineyards Biomass yield of 7.00 dry t/ha/year. Estimation based Fruit farms 14
on literature data. Vineyards 14
 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201 197

Table 8 In Fig. 6 a map of the geographical distribution of the considered

Results, disaggregated by biomass family and municipality, for the effective biomass biomass families is presented.
area of production of forestry and agricultural residues (in ha).

Biomass family Effective % Municipality Effective %

4.2. Biomass availability
area (ha) area (ha)

Forestry Biomass Forestry Biomass Biomass availability estimations were obtained through the
Holm Oak 18,883 37.9 ~o
Alter do Cha 5063.0 10.2
Cork Oak 15,813 31.7 Arronches 3676.0 7.38
aggregation of the residual biomass generated in each mapping
Chestnut 303.00 0.61 Avis 10,821 21.7 unit, according to its origin and municipality distribution, as pre-
Oak 1855.0 3.72 Castelo de vide 3655.0 7.33 sented in Table 9. The integrated results of this biomass generation,
Eucalyptus 7324.0 14.7 Crato 8458.0 17.0 where all usable agroforestry residues are included assuming no
Other Hardwood 2381.0 4.78 Marva ~o 2528.0 5.07
losses in the collection process, are 44,000 dry t/year. Specifically,
Other Softwood 189.00 0.38 Monforte 5121.0 10.3
Maritime Pine 2007.0 4.03 Portalegre 7542.0 15.1 36% of the biomass generation corresponds to cork oak residues,
Stone Pine 206.00 0.41 Sousel 2974.0 5.97 21% corresponds to holm oak, 15% are eucalyptus, 10% come from
Scrubs 877.00 1.76 scrubs and 5% proceed from maritime pine, with the remaining
Total 49,837 percentages resulting from the other biomass families. Avis, Por-
Agricultural Biomass Agricultural Biomass
talegre, Crato and Alter do Cha~o municipalities possess the largest
Cereal cultivation 1804.0 7.71 ~o
Alter do Cha 3107.0 13.3
Olives yard 1385.0 5.92 Arronches 3171.0 13.6 quantities of available biomass, accumulating 22%, 17%, 16% and 9%
Herbaceous Plants 19,950 85.3 Avis 4323.0 18.5 of total production, respectively. Forestry potential also exceeds
Fruit Farms 166.00 0.71 Castelo de vide 921.00 3.94 agricultural potential in terms of biomass availability (91 and 9%
Vineyards 79.000 0.34 Crato 2763.0 11.8
respectively).
Marva ~o 353.00 1.51
Monforte 3690.0 15.8
Portalegre 2708.0 11.6 4.3. Energy potential
Sousel 2347.0 10.0
Total 23,384
Assuming that all available biomass may be converted into
electricity, Alto Alentejo's energy potential is 158,000 GJ/year,
which is equivalent to about 18% of the combined electric energy
consumption in the region in 2010. Energy potential estimations,

Fig. 6. Agroforestry map of Alto Alentejo (reclassified into 15 biomass families).

198 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201

Table 9 remaining municipalities, with Avis, the municipality with the

Results, disaggregated by biomass family and municipality, for the biomass avail- largest energy potential, having a potential 3 times greater than
ability of forestry and agricultural residues (in dry t/year).
Arronches. In general, one can conclude that there isn't a great
Biomass family Biomass % Municipality Biomass % difference between the municipalities with the largest biomass
availability availability availability and the ones where energy potential is greatest. Also,
(in dry (in dry
t/year) t/year)
the cumulative potential of the biomass derived from the forest is
the most significant, 10 times higher than the agricultural potential.
Forestry Biomass Forestry Biomass
Holm Oak 9064.0 22.6 Alter do Ch~
ao 3692.0 9.22
Cork Oak 15,813 39.5 Arronches 2386.0 5.96 4.4. Results from other studies
Chestnut 151.00 0.38 Avis 8940.0 22.3
Oak 928.00 2.32 Castelo de vide 3630.0 9.07
Eucalyptus 6445.0 16.1 Crato 6794.0 17.0
The findings of this study can be judged to be in good agreement
Other Hardwood 1785.0 4.46 Marv~ao 2648.0 6.62 with those reported by other authors, namely Fernandes and Costa
Other Softwood 161.00 0.40 Monforte 2950.0 7.37 [12]. These authors assessed biomass potential for energy purposes
Maritime Pine 2007.0 5.01 Portalegre 6799.0 17.0 in a region of Alto Alentejo (Marv~ao) and concluded that there is a
Stone Pine 175.00 0.44 Sousel 2196.0 5.49
large potential for biomass residues production locally. One can
Scrubs 3507.0 8.76
Total 40,035 extend this conclusion to the whole Alto Alentejo, although present
Agricultural Biomass Agricultural Biomass results are below the ones presented by the referred authors. Dif-
Cereal cultivation 654.00 16.4 Alter do Ch~
ao 476.00 12.0 ferences can generally be explained by taking into account a mul-
Olives yard 1247.0 31.3 Arronches 416.00 10.5 tiplicity of factors including the applied methodology, the
Herbaceous Plants 1546.0 38.9 Avis 797.00 20.0
Fruit Farms 199.00 4.99 Castelo de vide 160.00 4.02
resources' availability and cartographic data and, especially in this
Vineyards 333.00 8.37 Crato 332.00 8.36 case, the introduction of biomass access restrictions.
Marv~ao 180.00 4.53
Monforte 450.00 11.3
Portalegre 554.00 13.9
5. Discussion
Sousel 613.00 15.4
Total 3978.0 5.1. Spatial distribution of biomass potential

Biomass resources generated in the region present a very sig-

taking into consideration the origin and distribution of the resi-
dues, are summarized in Table 10. The distribution of the potential
by biomass family is: 35% of the generated residues are from cork
oak, 20% come from holm oak, 15% from eucalyptus, 8% originate in
scrubs and 5% come from maritime pine, with the remaining per-
centages of biomass residues resulting from the other families. In
turn, the distribution of the potential by municipality corresponds
to: Avis possesses 22% of the identified potential, Portalegre 17%,
Crato 16%, Alter do Ch~ ao 9% and, in the end, to Castelo de Vide
corresponds also 9%. The remaining potential is spread by the
Table 10
Results, disaggregated by biomass family and municipality, for the energy potential
of forestry and agricultural residues (in GJ/year).
nificant spatial distribution (see Fig. 7). The largest amounts of
residual agroforestry biomass are located in the west-central re-
~o, Crato and Avis municipalities, as a
gion, especially in Alter do Cha
consequence of the high concentration of short rotation forestry
crops, namely eucalyptus, but also forest cultures of cork oak.
Traveling east, near the Spanish border, other zones of high density
of biomass can be observed due to the large presence of maritime
pine (northeast of Portalegre municipality in the middle of Serra de
S~
ao Mamede) and cork oak (north of Castelo de Vide and Marva ~o
municipalities). Using the spatial distribution as criteria, these
areas can be considered as the most suitable for the location of
energy production units.
5.2. Portalegre power plant

Biomass family Energy % Municipality Energy %

Within the Portuguese government goal of increasing the
potential potential
(GJ/year) (GJ/year) installed capacity for electricity production from biomass resources
on 100 MW in 2010 [33], Alto Alentejo's region was positioned as a
Forestry Biomass Forestry Biomass
Holm Oak 31,724 22.1 ~o
Alter do Cha 13,202 9.19
candidate to receive a biomass power plant, which would require a
Cork Oak 55,334 38.5 Arronches 8404.0 5.84 local supply of biomass. The proposed solution included a
Chestnut 568.00 0.40 Avis 31,614 22.0 centralized unit with a nominal power of 9 MW to be placed in a
Oak 3480.0 2.42 Castelo de vide 13,028 9.06 batch located in the surroundings of Alto Alentejo's capital, Porta-
Eucalyptus 24,168 16.8 Crato 24,671 17.2
legre (see Fig. 8).
Other Hardwood 6250.0 4.35 Marv~ao 9601.0 6.69
Other Softwood 640.00 0.42 Monforte 10,342 7.20 Taking into account the technical features of the installation, the
Maritime Pine 8552.0 5.94 Portalegre 25,113 17. 5 findings of the study suggest that local biomass would only meet
Stone Pine 683.00 0.46 Sousel 7706.0 5.36 45% of the biomass requirements of the plant, assuming a biomass
Scrubs 12,273 8.55 consumption of 8,7 t/hour, a load factor of 7800 h and a 70%
Total 143,681
Agricultural Biomass Agricultural Biomass
collection rate; besides, if for reasons associated with transport
Cereal cultivation 2292.0 16.4 ~o
Alter do Cha 1665.0 12.0 costs one considers a 30 km supply radius [15], the biomass avail-
Olives yard 4364.0 31.3 Arronches 1461.0 10.5 able would certainly be lower and, as a consequence, the local
Herbaceous Plants 5418.0 38.9 Avis 2790.0 20.0 biomass supply of the power plant would also be reduced (to about
Fruit Farms 701.00 4.99 Castelo de vide 586.00 4.02
29%). Unlike other regions, there are no alternative biomass sources
Vineyards 1266.0 8.37 Crato 1205.0 8.36
Marv~ao 671.00 4.53 in Alto Alentejo (for example, industries associated with the
Monforte 1577.0 11.3 transformation of fibrous materials into paper pulp) and therefore
Portalegre 1939.0 13.9 one can assume that a large share of the biomass consumed in the
Sousel 2147.0 15.4 power plant would result directly from forest and agriculture
Total 14,041
exploitation, suggesting an oversizing of the plant capacity.
 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201 199

Fig. 7. Spatial distribution of Alto Alentejo's biomass potential.

Fig. 8. Location and influence area of Portalegre's power plant.

200 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201
In terms of resource accessibility, it seems more reasonable to
select a power plant with a lower capacity, assuring the existence of
enough local biomass to supply its demand. Moreover, the adverse
effects that economies of scale may play in a project with a smaller
size should also be considered. Taking the proposed location for the
plant as a starting point, the results of this study indicate, for a 30 km
radius supply, a biomass availability of 28,000 dry t/year, about 63%
of the total biomass available in the region, and enough quantity to
supply a power plant with a capacity up to 3 MW. The energy pro-
duced by this power plant would represent between 10 and 15% of
the electricity consumed yearly in Portalegre municipality.
5.3. Alternative solutions
Still with regard to dedicated power plants, biomass gasification
represents an alternative option with great potential and versatility.
Biomass integrated gasification followed by firing in a gas (internal
combustion) engine for CHP production (BIG/GE) is a successfully
demonstrated technology and can be considered near commer-
cialization [34e36]. Biomass integrated gasification/gas turbine
combined cycle (BIG/GTCC) or co-production of synthetic natural
gas (SNG) technologies are also interesting, but with efficiencies
and investment costs somewhat uncertain, due to their early
development phase. For both of them, commercialization is still
rather distant since some technological challenges related with gas
cleaning, process scale-up and integration still remain unsolved
[10,34].
Furthermore, any application related to the implementation of
small or medium scale power plants may have, regardless the
thermochemical process involved, potential limitations associated
to the adverse effects that economies of scale play in the viability
and attractiveness of the projects [17,22,37]; if the true measure of
these effects is enough to block future investments in the region,
considering the biomass amounts available, is a question to be
adequately researched in future studies. Therefore, it's worth
pointing out that the opportunity to harness Alto Alentejo's resid-
ual biomass is not limited to building dedicated plants; the wide-
spread use of decentralized small scale production units for heat
production through the direct utilization of biomass or derived
products (like pellets or chips) in households or hotels, constitute
an interesting and even desirable option. In a region where heating
still greatly depends on fossil fuels, the opportunity to introduce a
market alternative with environmental and economic benefits
seems to exist indeed.
With this in mind, one can consider the most promising option
of biomass exploitation in the region as the combustion of residues
in small-scale decentralized facilities (perhaps medium-scale) in
domestic, touristic or industrial applications.
5.4. Main exploitable species
Regarding main exploitable species, Alto Alentejo's region is
characterized by the existence of large zones of forest systems
based on Quercus ilex, Q. suber and Eucalyptus globulus, the three
species representing more than 70% of the biomass available. In
terms of agricultural crops, the biomass families with the greatest
potential are herbaceous plants and olive yards. Against this
background, it seems reasonable to deduce that the importance of
the above mentioned biomass families should have some impact
within regional and national authorities, leading to the develop-
ment and optimization of a series of procedures related to their
management and exploitation (mainly Q. ilex and Q. suber). At the
same time, such measures should also help fighting realities that
lead to the underutilization of resources, as rural abandonment,
fuel accumulation and negligence and lack of interest from land
owners. In fact, all this effort should be worthwhile because the
promotion of biomass use for energy purposes has a probable
positive impact on regional socio-economic development
(employment, infrastructures) and the protection of rural areas
(reducing the risks of forest fires).
6. Conclusions
This study evaluates the biomass potential for electrical gener-
ation derived from residues of the most predominant biomass
families in Alto Alentejo, both from agricultural and forestry sour-
ces. The developed model used a bottom-up and resource-focused
approach, estimating the technical potential of bioenergy based on
current geographical and statistical data. GIS was used as a sup-
porting tool.
Results indicate there is an important and meaningful potential
for the generation of biomass residues capable of being used for
energy purposes in the region; in particular, the availability of
agricultural and forest residues in Alto Alentejo is estimated at
4000 dry t/year and 40,000 dry t/year, respectively. This amount of
biomass hold an energy potential for electrical generation of
158,000 GJ/year, which is equivalent to 100% of the combined
consumption of electricity in three out of the nine municipalities
included in the study.
Steep slopes can play a relevant role in terms of available
biomass, reducing the effective biomass area of production in
certain mountainous zones in Portalegre, Marva ~o and Castelo de
Vide municipalities; distance of collecting areas to roads or pass-
able tracks also possesses some relevance, provided that the ter-
ritorial capacity for the implementation of bioenergy projects is
strongly affected by transport costs.
Given that a 9 MW biomass power plant was to be implemented
in the region, a preliminary analysis on the suitability of its location
and characteristics has been carried out. It was concluded that not
enough biomass is available to supply the energy facility and that
the most promising option for the region is the combustion of
residues in small scale units.
Acknowledgments
The first author (G. Lourinho) is pleased to acknowledge
Regional Energy and Environment Agency from North Alentejo
(AREANATejo) for the provision of a scholarship. Technical support
in managing GIS software and processing data was provided by Rui
Pedro Henriques (IrRadiare) and is much appreciated.
References
[1] McKendry P. Energy production from biomass (Part 1): overview of biomass.
Bioresour Technol 2002;83:37e46.
[2] Zhang L, Xu C (Charles), Champagne P. Overview of recent advances in
thermo-chemical conversion of biomass. Energy Convers Manag 2010;51:
969e82.
[3] Vassilev SV, Baxter D, Andersen LK, Vassileva CG. An overview of the chemical
composition of biomass. Fuel 2010;89:913e33.
[4] Gustavsson L, Holmberg J, Dornburg V, Sathre R, Eggers T, Mahapatra K, et al.
Using biomass for climate change mitigation and oil use reduction. Energy
Policy 2007;35:5671e91.
~ o M, Prada A, Va
[5] Solin zquez MX. Green electricity externalities: forest biomass
in an Atlantic European Region. Biomass Bioenergy 2009;33:407e14.
[6] Fiorese G, Guariso G. A GIS-based approach to evaluate biomass potential from
energy crops at regional scale. Environ Model Softw 2010;25:702e11.
[7] EurObServ’ER. The state of renewable energies in Europe. 2013. 13th EurOb-
serv’ER Report. 2013.
[8] Preside^ncia do Conselho de Ministros. Resoluça~o do Conselho de Ministros n.o
20/2013 (PNAEE 2016, PNAER 2020). 2013. Portugal.
[9] DGEG - Direcça ~o Geral de Energia e Geologia. Renovaveis. Estatísticas R
apidas
No 110-Abril de 2014. 2014.
[10] Ferreira S, Moreira NA, Monteiro E. Bioenergy overview for Portugal. Biomass
Bioenergy 2009;33:1567e76.
 G. Lourinho, P. Brito / Energy 81 (2015) 189e201
[11] Viana H, Cohen WB, Lopes D, Aranha J. Assessment of forest biomass for use as
energy. GIS-based analysis of geographical availability and locations of wood-
fired power plants in Portugal. Appl Energy 2010;87:2551e60.
[12] Fernandes U, Costa M. Potential of biomass residues for energy
production and utilization in a region of Portugal. Biomass Bioenergy
2010;34:661e6.
[13] Rosa F, Vieira A. Avaliaç~ ao do potencial energetico da biomassa na regia ~o
auto noma da Madeira. Final Report. Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto Nacional de
Engenharia, Tecnologia E Inovaça ~o; 2005.
[14] Vieira A, Franco C, Marques F, Rosa F, Monsanto M. Avaliaça ~o do potencial de
biomassa da regia ~o do Algarve. Final Report. Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto
Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia E Inovaça ~o; 2006.
pez-Rodríguez F, Atanet CP, Bla
[15] Lo zquez FC, Celma a R. Spatial assessment of
the bioenergy potential of forest residues in the western province of Spain,
Caceres. Biomass Bioenergy 2009;33:1358e66.
[16] Vasco H, Costa M. Quantification and use of forest biomass residues in Maputo
province, Mozambique. Biomass Bioenergy 2009;33:1221e8.
[17] Go mez A, Rodrigues M, Montan ~es C, Dopazo C, Fueyo N. The potential for
electricity generation from crop and forestry residues in Spain. Biomass Bio-
energy 2010;34:703e19.
[18] Gregory IN, Healey RG. Historical GIS: structuring, mapping and analysing
geographies of the past. Prog Hum Geogr 2007;31:638e53.
[19] Voivontas D. Assessment of biomass potential for power production: a GIS
based method. Biomass Bioenergy 2001;20:101e12.
[20] Easterly JL, Burnham M. Overview of biomass and waste fuel resources for
power production. Biomass Bioenergy 1996;10:79e92.
[21] Panichelli L, Gnansounou E. GIS-based approach for defining bioenergy facilities
location: a case study in Northern Spain based on marginal delivery costs and
resources competition between facilities. Biomass Bioenergy 2008;32:
289e300.
[22] Go mez A, Zubizarreta J, Rodrigues M, Dopazo C, Fueyo N. An estimation of the
energy potential of agro-industrial residues in Spain. Resour Conserv Recycl
2010;54:972e84.
201
[23] Beccali M, Columba P, Dalberti V, Franzitta V. Assessment of bioenergy potential
in Sicily: a GIS-based support methodology. Biomass Bioenergy 2009;33:79e87.
[24] Bernetti I. A methodology to anaylse the potential development of biomass-
energy sector: an application in Tuscany. For Policy Econ 2004;6:415e32.
[25] Kinoshita T. A spatial evaluation of forest biomass usage using GIS. Appl En-
ergy 2009;86:1e8.
 
[26] Cosi c B, Stanic Z, Dui c N. Geographic distribution of economic potential of
agricultural and forest biomass residual for energy use: case study Croatia.
Energy 2010;36:2017e28.
[27] Caetano M, Pereira M, Carra ~o H, Araújo A, Nunes A. Cartografia tema tica de
ocupaç~ ao/uso do solo do instituto Geogra fico Portugue ^s. Mapp - Rev Int
Ciencias La Tierra No 2008;126:78e87.
[28] Instituto Geogra fico Portugue ^s. Carta de Ocupaça ~o do Solo (COS’2007). 2007.
[29] Caetano M, Santos T, Gonçalves L. Cartografia de Ocupaça ~o do solo com
imagens de Sate lite;: estado da arte. In: ESIG’2002-VII Encontro Util.
Informaça ~o Geogr afica; 2002.
[30] Instituto Geogr afico Portugue ^s. Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal. 2011.
[31] Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alto Alentejo, Rede Vi aria (10k). 2009.
[32] NASA. Digital terrain model 30M (ASTER DEM 30M). 2009.
[33] Ministe rio da Economia e Inovaça ~o. Energia e Alteraço ~es Clim aticas. Mais
investimento, melhor ambiente. Lisboa. 2007.
[34] Difs K, Wetterlund E, Trygg L, So € derstro
€m M. Biomass gasification opportu-
nities in a district heating system. Biomass Bioenergy 2010;34:637e51.
[35] Salomo n M, Savola T, Martin A, Fogelholm C-J, Fransson T. Small-scale
biomass CHP plants in Sweden and Finland. Renew Sustain Energy Rev
2011;15:4451e65.
[36] Ahrenfeldt J, Thomsen TP, Henriksen U, Clausen LR. Biomass gasification
cogeneration e a review of state of the art technology and near future per-
spectives. Appl Therm Eng 2013;50:1407e17.
[37] Rendeiro G, Macedo EN, Pinheiro G, Pinho J. Analysis on the feasibility of
biomass power plants adding to the electric power system e economic,
regulatory and market aspects e state of Par a, Brazil. Renew Energy 2010;36:
1678e84.