Sustainable Agro-Biomass Market for Urban Heating Using Centralized District Heating System

The importance of biomass for energy production is included in the government program Energy Policy of Poland until 2040. Biomass is one of the most stable renewable energy sources (RES), and its resources are the largest of all alternative energy sources. The paper presents and discusses the most important conditions that are related to the possible usage of the biomass that is obtained from agriculture for heating purposes. The aim of the study is to assess the energy potential of a selected agro-biomass and to indicate its effective use for the production of district heat. The research uses: in-depth statistical data analysis (data were obtained from the Central Statistical Office and the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture), inference methods, short- and long-term forecasting, the minimum spanning tree (MST) algorithm, and methods of single- and multi-criteria optimization for the selection of the most advantageous variant. The research covers three different scenarios: optimistic, moderate, and pessimistic. The results of the study present: technical and energy potential of biomass, taking into account its type, energy properties, and places of its collection; optimum location of intermediate storage and processing sites; and the optimum storage frequency of its transport to energy companies.

Automated summary

This paper discusses the importance of biomass for energy production in Poland's energy policy. It presents the conditions related to using agricultural biomass for heating purposes and aims to assess its energy potential and effective use. The research uses data analysis, forecasting, and optimization methods to determine the most advantageous variant. The results include the potential of biomass, optimum location for storage and processing sites, and the frequency of transport to energy companies.