Cost and potential of carbon abatement from the UK perennial energy crop market
Cost and potential of carbon abatement from the UK perennial energy crop market
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DOI：
10.1111/gcbb.12148
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发表时间：
2014-03-01
影响因子：
5.6
通讯作者：
Smith, Pete
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Alexander, Peter;Moran, Dominic;Smith, Pete
多年生能源作物生产的生物质有望为英国的可再生能源目标做出贡献，降低能源生产的碳强度。英国政府针对农民和发电厂投资者制定了激励政策，以开发这一市场，但增长速度低于预期。市场扩张需要种植这些作物的农民与建设生物质发电厂或其他设施的相互作用来消耗它们。本研究使用一个基于主体的模型来调查英国能源作物市场的行为，并考察了市场可能提供的减排成本。该模型在各种政策情景下运行，试图回答以下问题：现有的多年生能源作物政策是否提供了一种具有成本效益的机制，以刺激市场实现减排？向农民或能源生产商提供激励措施的相对好处是什么？增加或减少补贴水平与市场吸收的速度和水平之间的权衡是什么，从而减少碳排放？结果表明，维持能源作物计划（为农民提供建立补助金）可以增加减排潜力和成本效益。最低碳当量减排成本见于能源生产的中等补贴水平。这表明存在一个最优水平，可以经济有效地刺激市场实现减排。
Biomass produced from perennial energy crops is expected to contribute to UK renewable energy targets, reducing the carbon intensity of energy production. The UK government has had incentive policies in place targeting both farmers and power plant investors to develop this market, but growth has been slower than anticipated. Market expansion requires the interaction of farmers growing these crops, with the construction of biomass power plants or other facilities to consume them. This study uses an agent-based model to investigate behaviour of the UK energy crop market and examines the cost of emission abatement that the market might provide. The model is run for various policy scenarios attempting to answer the following questions: Do existing policies for perennial energy crops provide a cost-effective mechanism in stimulating the market to achieve emissions abatement? What are the relative benefits of providing incentives to farmers or energy producers? What are the trade-offs between increased or decreased subsidy levels and the rate and level of market uptake, and hence carbon abatement? The results suggest that maintaining the energy crop scheme, which provides farmers' establishment grants, can increase both the emissions abatement potential and cost-effectiveness. A minimum carbon equivalent abatement cost is seen at intermediate subsidy levels for energy generation. This suggests that there is an optimum level that cost-effectively stimulates the market to achieve emissions reduction.