Economic and policy factors driving adoption of institutional woody biomass heating systems in the U.S

Jesse D. Young, Nathaniel M. Anderson, Helen Naughton and Katrina Mullan

Energy Economics, 2018, vol. 69, issue C, 456-470

Abstract: Abundant stocks of woody biomass that are associated with active forest management can be used as fuel for bioenergy in many applications. Though factors driving large-scale biomass use in industrial settings have been studied extensively, small-scale biomass combustion systems commonly used by institutions for heating have received less attention. A zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model is employed to identify economic and policy factors favorable to installation and operation of these systems. This allows us to determine the effectiveness of existing policies and identify locations where conditions offer the greatest potential for additional promotion of biomass use. Adoption is driven by heating needs, fossil fuel prices, and proximity to woody biomass resources, specifically logging residues, National Forests, and fuel treatments under the National Fire Plan.

Keywords: Institutions; Woody biomass; Heating; ZINB; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L73 L78 Q23 Q42 R12 R53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:69:y:2018:i:c:p:456-470

DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2017.11.020

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