BIOMASS FOR ENERGY USES – EXPLORING PRODUCTION POTENTIAL AND THE PRODUCTION COSTS FOR AUSTRIA

The expansion of renewable energy sources is an EU strategy to reduce the dependency onfossil fuels and to curb carbon dioxide emission. According to studies estimating technicalpotentials, significant land resources can be mobilised for the production of energy crops. Weestimate the costs of a policy aiming at a stimulation of biomass and bioenergy production inAustria using a model that integrates the production of food, feed, agricultural and forestbiomass as well as bioenergy products. The results show that an expansion of domesticbiomass and bioenergy production is costly and it diminishes the production of food and feed.