Grasslands have a potential for energy production as solid biomass heating fuels. Whether grasslands are specifically cultivated for this purpose, or the grass mown from permanent and semi-natural meadows is used, grass can be burnt in co-fired plants for heat generation. In many cases, the use of grass bales for heating is a feasible alternative to regular biomass-based resources such as woodchips. Unused biomass resources resulting from semi-natural grassland management in some nature protection areas are left in the field and “wasted”.
The “Viva Grass BioEnergy” module is a tool for assessing grass-based energy resources (area, production, calorific potential for district heating) and informing relevant planners/ stakeholders about areas with the highest potential for grass for energy. By including socio-economic information (number of inhabitants in block houses, location of district heating plants) it also enables the assessment of possible demand for energy (district heating).
The “Viva Grass BioEnergy” module uses additional, context data sources of information, for example the 10 semi-natural grassland classes are updated with information about the Natura 2000 habitat type they belong to. The tool is able to provide detailed information to the user about the average biomass production and average grass calorific power per semi-natural grassland type.
The “Viva Grass BioEnergy” module is accessible for everybody without registration and allows to select and summarise bioenergy potential from several grasslands. Additionally, it provides information on the current management status of the selected grasslands, as well as information about the presence of reed encroachment and recommended grazing pressures per habitat type.
Go to the „Viva Grass BioEnergy“The following step-by-step video presents the functionalities of this module.
More information, how practically this module can be used, you can find in the self-learning platform.