Utilisation of Spatial Data in Energy Biomass Supply Chain Research—A Review

Olli-Jussi Korpinen, Mika Aalto (), Raghu Kc, Timo Tokola and Tapio Ranta
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Olli-Jussi Korpinen: School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Lönnrotinkatu 7, 50100 Mikkeli, Finland
Mika Aalto: School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Lönnrotinkatu 7, 50100 Mikkeli, Finland
Raghu Kc: School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Lönnrotinkatu 7, 50100 Mikkeli, Finland
Timo Tokola: School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistokatu 7, 80100 Joensuu, Finland
Tapio Ranta: School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Lönnrotinkatu 7, 50100 Mikkeli, Finland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-23

Abstract: The supply logistics of energy biomasses generally involves a complex system of supply chains, which aim to achieve timely and cost-efficient feedstock deliveries to biomass demand points. The performance of supply chains is often examined in case studies where spatial data about biomass sources and transportation networks are deployed in varying resolutions and to different geographical extents. In this paper, we have reviewed 94 publications, in which spatial data were used in case studies that focused on analysing and optimising energy biomass supply chains. The reviewed publications were classified into 16 categories, according to the publication year, study methods and objectives, biomass types, supply system complexity and the spatial features of each study area. This review found that the use of geographical information systems in this context has increased in popularity in recent years, and that and the multiformity of the applied methods, study objectives and data sources have increased simultaneously. Another finding was that most of the studies that we reviewed focused on countries in which spatial biomass and transport network data of high quality were unrestrictedly available. Nevertheless, case studies, including spatial data from multiple countries, were represented marginally in the papers that we reviewed. In this paper we also argue that a standard way of reporting geographical contents in biomass case studies should be developed to improve the comprehension and reproducibility of the publications in this field of research.

Keywords: bioenergy; geographical information systems (GISs); biofuels; logistics; biomass procurement (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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