New Methods for Assessing Sustainability of Wood-Burning Energy Facilities: Combining Historical and Spatial Approaches

Sarah Mittlefehldt, Erin Bunting, Emily Huff, Joseph Welsh and Robert Goodwin
Additional contact information
Sarah Mittlefehldt: Department of Earth, Environmental & Geographical Sciences, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
Erin Bunting: Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Emily Huff: Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Joseph Welsh: Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Robert Goodwin: Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: Methods to assess wood-based bioenergy projects have tended to focus on technological and physical constraints. Less is known about how longer-term environmental, economic, and social systems—the three pillars of sustainable development—have influenced technological development in the context of woody biomass energy. This research offers new methods for assessing the sustainability of wood-based energy projects by combining spatial analysis, semi-structured interviews, and archival data analysis. By integrating quantitative and qualitative methods, this project offers ways to understand how social and environmental dynamics from the past shape technological development in the future. A propensity analysis of biomass energy plants in Michigan, USA was performed using US Census data grouped by social, economic, and environmental categories. This quantitative analysis helped to characterize community and landscape types in which woody biomass plants were developed in Michigan in the late-twentieth century. To help illustrate some of the often-hidden social and political dimensions of energy development, such as access to decision-making and attitudes toward bioenergy projects, transcripts of public hearings, media coverage, and other archival sources were examined, and 30 stakeholder interviews were conducted. By integrating these qualitative and quantitative approaches, this paper aims to provide a more comprehensive approach to assessing the sustainability of wood-based biofuel technologies.

Keywords: wood energy; sustainability assessment; circular bioeconomy; biomass; decision-making; propensity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/7841/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/7841/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:23:p:7841-:d:685570

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().