Techno-economic assessment of sustainable local biomass supply chains for greenhouses heating: case study in Province of Napoli

A key factor influencing the farmer's cultivation choices in the greenhouses sector is the thermal energy demand. In particular, the high cost for heating is one of the major restrictive factor for greenhouse cultivation. Thus the potential access to low-cost heat supply could drive farmer's choices towards more profitable crops even if with stringent cultivation requirements. In this paper a techno-economic assessment is proposed to evaluate the competitiveness of local sustainable biomass supply pathways to serve greenhouses heat demand and thus propose alternative and more profitable cultivation options to farmers. In the first part of the paper the biomass supply chain is assessed, investigating a number of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) cultivars, on field chipping, logistics of transport and seasonal storage, in order to derive wood chips supply cost at the premises of a greenhouse. In the second part, starting from input data from a direct survey, a number of thermal energy demand patterns are estimated for a typical greenhouse considering three different type of crops (low-medium-high thermal energy demand). In the third section, the thermal energy supply costs are calculated, assuming the innovative business model of a biomass-ESCO in charge of the biofuel production, biomass plant operation and thermal energy supply to the greenhouse. The results of the study allow comparing the total energy costs of different cultivation scenarios and biomass supply chains with the maximum values compatible with the farmer's profitability and derive relevant considerations about the heating costs and crops selection for greenhouses farmers.