Biomass energy opportunities on former sugarcane plantations in Hawaii

Conference · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:115228

Phillips, V D; Tvedten, A E ^[1]; Lu, W ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); and others

Electricity produced from burning sugarcane bagasse has provided as much as 10 percent of Hawaii`s electricity supply in the past. As sugarcane production has ceased on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii and diminished on Maui and Kauai, the role of biomass energy will be reduced unless economically viable alternatives can be identified. An empirical biomass yield and cost system model linked to a geographical information system has been developed at the University of Hawaii. This short-rotation forestry decision support system was used to estimate dedicated biomass feedstock supplies and delivered costs of tropical hardwoods for ethanol, methanol, and electricity production. Output from the system model was incorporated in a linear programming optimization model to identify the mix of tree plantation practices, wood processing technologies, and end-products that results in the highest economic return on investment under given market situations. An application of these decision-support tools is presented for hypothetical integrated forest product systems established at two former sugarcane plantations in Hawaii. Results indicate that the optimal profit opportunity exists for the production of medium density fibreboard and plywood, with annual net return estimates of approximately $3.5 million at the Hamakua plantation on the island of Hawaii and $2.2 million at the Waialua plantation on Oahu. Sensitivity analyses of the effects of different milling capacities, end-product market prices, increased plantation areas, and forced saw milling were performed. Potential economic credits for carbon sequestration and wastewater effluent management were estimated. While biofuels are not identified as an economical viable component, energy co-products may help reduce market risk via product diversification in such forestry ventures.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 115228
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP--200-8098; CONF-9508104--; ON: DE95009230
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
BAGASSE
BIOMASS PLANTATIONS
DIVERSIFICATION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
FORESTRY
HAWAII
INVESTMENT
LINEAR PROGRAMMING
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OPTIMIZATION
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
SHORT ROTATION CULTIVATION
SUGAR CANE
WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY