A GIS-based approach for evaluating the potential of biogas production from livestock manure and crops at a regional scale: A case study for the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship

In Poland, the promotion of the development of biogas plants was intensified under legal regulations. The potential expansion prompts the need for the assessment of a variety of environmental and geographical constraints as well as technical and economic factors, which ensure socio-economically and ecologically sound biogas development. In this paper, both spatial and non-spatial data were integrated to the GIS model to help determine the optimal sites for installing anaerobic digesters (AD). The focus was placed on animal manure (from cattle and pig populations), and co-substrates such as crop silage. Furthermore, the paper provides insight into the structure of cost and benefits in order to examine what incentive measures suffice to force biogas development and how much biogas feedstock could cost to make investments viable. The techno-economic assessment was carried out for combined heat and power generation and bio-methane injection into the gas grid. The methodology was applied to Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.