Biomass Supply: Mapping WI Biofuel Potential Fueling Wisconsin’s Future: 2010 Wisconsin Bioenergy Summit October 14, 2010, Madison WI
Steve Ventura Department of Soil Science Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison
Thoughts from a collective research effort Steve Ventura, Joe Wolter, Kyle Minks Department of Soil Science Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison
Matt Kures
Center for Community Economic Development University of Wisconsin-Extension
Cassandra Garcia, Natalie Hunt, Lea Shanley, Bevin Moeller
Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility University of Wisconsin-Madison
Joe Kramer, Doug Ahl Energy Center of Wisconsin
Funders Hatch NC-506 USDA-CSREES WI Focus on Energy Consortium for Rural Geospatial Innovations USDA-CSREES Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative DOE Sun Grant
Context: related activities 1) Biofuel facility siting website 2) Biomass commodity exchange site 3) UW Power plant - siting and logistics 4) Marginal land for bioenergy crops 5) Standards for cropping marginal lands
Context: related activities Biofuel facility siting website Biomass commodity exchange site
UW power plant - siting and logistics Marginal land for bioenergy crops Standards for cropping marginal lands
1) Biofuel Facility Siting Website • Components – Site and source concepts • siting process • potential issues and impacts • “pre-digested” analysis and maps
– Interactive maps – Tools and data – Biomass Market
Biofuel Facility Siting Website • Site and source concepts – potential issues and impacts
Biofuel Facility Siting Website • Site and source concepts – maps for viewing and download – analyses relevant to biofuels production and potential
Biofuel Facility Siting Website • Interactive maps
Biofuel Facility Siting Website • Interactive map layers: – Existing facilities – Base layers • jurisdictions, etc.
– Infrastructure • roads, rails • gas, electric
– Potential biomass sources • cropland, including CRP • forests
2) Biomass Market • Craig’s List of biomass – Listings of biomass generators – Facilities that use biomass – Supplies, services, and consultants
• Information resource (not a broker)
Biomass Market • Craig’s List of biomass – Listings of biomass generation • • • • •
what kind of material is being generated how much? where is it? who has it? costs?
Biomass Market
Biomass Market
Biofuel Mapping Website and Biomass Market COMING TO A WEBSITE NEAR YOU SOON! BIONIC: Bioenergy Information and Outreach NetworkInformation Center Collaboration of WBI and Energy Center of Wisconsin
3) University of Wisconsin Heat and Power Plant • Up to 1/2 of power from biofuels – How much? – Where is it? – At what cost?
• Materials handling – 2-3 days on-site storage – 30 rail cars/day – Off-site facilities for aggregation, processing & storage
• Major cost in logistics v. low fuel value
Staging the fuel for Charter Street Power Plant • Aggregation/Processing Center(s) – Near rail line – Near fuel sources – Up to 50 acres – Industrial type activity – Suitable conditions – Public/private venture? – Existing infrastructure?
• Aggregation/Processing Center: public lands within 5K of WSOR rail line
•  Aggregation/Processing Center: agricultural cooperatives along rail lines
•  Aggregation/Processing Center: site conditions (e.g., soil suitability for construction)
• Site Characterization report
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources – Bioenergy crops – Municipal wood waste, food waste, etc. – Forests: slash, non-commercial thinning, etc.
• Supply Chains
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources – Bioenergy crops - next section of discussion – Municipal wood waste, food waste, etc. – Forests: slash, non-commercial thinning, etc.
• Supply Chains
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources – Bioenergy crops - next section of discussion – Municipal wood waste: extrapolated from reports and landfill sizes – Forest slash, non-commercial thinning, etc.
• Supply Chains
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources – Bioenergy crops – Municipal wood waste – Forests: • public forest land - databases • Managed Forest Land • remote sensing for private forest harvest estimates
• Supply Chains
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources – Bioenergy crops – Municipal wood waste – Forests:
• Supply Chains
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources • Supply Chains - TMP practicum spreadsheet
Fueling the Charter Street Power Plant • Sources • Supply Chains – existing studies – SunGrant: land-owner response
4) Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops Evaluation of potential for bioenergy crop production on “marginal land” – How much? – Where is it? – At what cost?
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Imprecise definition of marginal land: – choices: acceptable levels of environmental degradation – technology adaptation: planting and harvesting equipment and crop varieties adapted to dry, wet, or steep terrain – adequate return on investment in capital equipment and inputs
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Prototypical crops – Corn • emblematic of row crops • lots of information on yield under different conditions
– Switchgrass • represents a type of proposed bioenergy crops • emerging research
– Willow hybrids • woody biomass harvested with agronomic equipment • limited information on conditions, productivity
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Sources of information – Potential lands (statewide analyses) – Limiting conditions (fine scale analyses)
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Sources of information – Potential lands (statewide analyses): • • • •
USGS National Land Cover Data FSA cropland data layer FSA CRP WDNR wetlands
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Lands considered – NOT: • current ag production land • closed canopy forest • already developed
– Remainder: • • • •
hay, permanent pasture, CRP old fields, under-utilized land non-forested wetlands (open space: parks, golf courses, back yards!)
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Limiting conditions (why is it marginal) – Too steep – Too wet • shallow to water table • seasonally flooded
– Too shallow to bedrock; too rocky – Too little water holding capacity
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Sources of information – Limiting conditions (fine scale analyses) • County soil surveys (SSURGO) • WDNR wetlands
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops Example: Corn production: 1) Underutilized land – Soil capability class 1 and 2 Soil capability class 3, not hydric or partial, no bedrock restrictions, slope < 6%. 2) Marginal land with moderate erosion hazard or moderately droughty– Soil capability class 3, not hydric, not shallow to bedrock, not excessively drained Soil capability class 4, designated as prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance, less than 12% slope, not excessively drained 3) Marginal land, productive if drained Land class 1, 2 & 6 in soil capability class 3&4, all or partial hydric 4) Marginal land – significant erosion or drought hazard – Soil capability class 4, greater than 12% and less than 20% slope, not excessively drained
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops Ground-truthing - Visited 50 sites in every Major Land Resource Area - Observed actual land use, marginality condition - Statistical adjustment of remotely-sensed data
Changes - FSA classification of hay/fallow/grassland: separated into permanent pasture or tame hay as part of rotation - â&#x20AC;&#x153;developedâ&#x20AC;? open land adjustment
Lots of numbers - by county Switchgrass Productive Land, Underutilized Non-ag open land
Corn Productive Land, Underutilized
Marginal Land
Hybrid Willow
Marginal Land
Hay/CRP/ Fallow Ag.
Moderate erosion or drought hazard
Significant erosion or drought hazard
Non-ag open land
Hay/CRP/ Fallow Ag.
Moderate erosion or drought hazard
Significant erosion or drought hazard
Productive if drained
Suitable
Suitable if drained
Unsuitable
NAME ADAMS
2,147
2,009
41,117
1,183
13,378
7,026
20,627
534
1,638
46,422
11,767
72,801
ASHLAND
1,744
348
22,090
468
3,946
14,205
3,922
0
32,564
26,988
37,997
94,510
BARRON
30,051
98,990
52,619
5,667
37,500
105,380
37,437
5,587
13,116
187,959
6,039
29,684
134
628
50,312
264
3,078
40,702
5,003
0
46,850
53,874
10,675
45,167
19,270
64,897
35,498
782
25,988
83,502
32,059
384
4,045
126,855
8,926
42,561
BUFFALO
6,142
12,388
19,964
23,312
7,456
13,925
18,006
22,985
1,546
75,600
1,691
36,991
BURNETT
1,949
6,390
34,482
3,321
4,123
11,656
12,453
1,003
13,773
50,464
14,149
85,029
VILAS
1,289
179
2,944
529
2,773
252
2,407
0
7,058
5,183
30,010
110,976
WALWORTH
35,057
28,380
15,838
2,779
36,173
29,145
12,220
2,779
11,250
66,595
500
25,453
WASHBURN
1,445
8,462
29,751
6,282
3,148
14,173
15,665
762
8,242
50,770
9,524
50,166
WASHINGTON
32,536
33,094
23,501
5,175
35,828
35,370
19,529
5,174
26,525
88,679
1,657
39,010
WAUPACA
31,300
35,759
39,533
1,900
40,041
39,568
22,876
1,900
11,702
106,488
4,880
91,744
WAUSHARA
7,444
5,267
49,178
7,739
30,128
12,423
37,562
1,925
0
63,814
3,379
90,014
WINNEBAGO
42,713
29,942
19,157
6,822
50,245
34,516
16,280
41
10,050
82,642
1,528
48,081
WOOD
46,390
14,160
12,636
152
50,847
15,216
6,760
84
9,462
73,131
17,862
120,536
BAYFIELD BROWN
â&#x20AC;Ś
Statewide Totals CORN Marginal land (land capability class 3 & 4, erosion or drought restrictions) Moderate hazard Significant hazard Productive if drained
829,000 + 159,000 298,000 + 57,000 570,000 + 110,000
SWITCHGRASS Marginal land (land capability class 3 & 4, some class 6, erosion or drought restrictions) Moderate hazard Significant hazard
1,203,000 + 237,000 367,000 + 72,000
WILLOW (land capability class 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6, slope < 12%, suitable = moderately to somewhat excessively drained, suitable if drained = somewhat poorly drained) Moderate hazard Significant hazard
3,080,000 + 546,000 453,000 + 80,000
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Lands considered – NOT: • current ag production land • closed canopy forest • already developed
– Remainder: • • • •
hay, permanent pasture, CRP old fields, under-utilized land non-forested wetlands (open space: parks, golf courses, back yards!)
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Lands considered – NOT: • current ag production land • closed canopy forest • already developed
– Remainder: • • • •
hay, permanent pasture, CRP old fields, under-utilized land non-forested wetlands (open space: parks, golf courses, back yards!)
Marginal Land for Bioenergy Crops • Lands considered - another analysis – current ag production land • that could be considered marginal • NRCS definition of “highly erodible land” • row crop land that might be better suited for permanent cover
– 1.55 million acres statewide!
5) Guidelines for Bioenergy Crop Production on Marginal Land • Safe and sustainable production – where appropriate – science-based guidelines / BMPs / standards
• Parallel to standards for woody biomass
Guidelines for Bioenergy Crop Production on Marginal Land • Inter-agency effort • Definitions – Multiple dimensions - biotic, social, economic – Multi-scalar - farm to regional
• Principles – Sustainability – Resiliency – Suitability
Guidelines for Bioenergy Crop Production on Marginal Land
• Best practices • Tiered standards • Multiple dimensions
– Soil and crop management – Ecosystem services – Feasibility and sustainability
QUESTIONS?
Steve Ventura 262-6416 sventura@wisc.edu