A web-based tool for biomass production systems

A web-based tool is presented for the estimation of biomass production and transportation costs with regard to input requirements, internal processes, and output. The tool relates to the production, harvest and out-of-field transport of biomass in multiple-crop production systems of bioenergy crops, including perennial biomass crops and short-rotation coppice, and focuses on details of the individual production units such as distance from associated facilities, soil conditions, machinery system, and labour types. By testing various alternatives, the tool can support decisions for biomass production systems on a strategic level (e.g., number and dimensioning of machines, machine capacity, crop selection, and labour requirements), tactical level (e.g., fertiliser/chemical application plans and labour budgets), and operational level (operation specifications). This work was part of the collaborative Intelligent Energy Europe Programme project, BioEnergy Farm and the web tool can be accessed on-line at www.bioresource4energy.eu or through www.bioenergyfarm.eu.