Energetic density of different forest species of energy crops in Cantabria (Spain)

This article is the result of an analysis into the behavior of several forest species that could be used as energy crops in Cantabria. The species studied belong to several botanical genera. The study was conducted in several stages: firstly, the species was introduced to explore growth data and discard those species of slower growth. Once the genus maximising the biomass production was determined, several species of it were studied from the energy perspective. This combination of both allows the energy density for each species to be obtained, therefore making it possible to determine how big a cultivation area is required for a specific thermal power plant. Thus, for a power plant of 10 MWe, between 15,451 and 24,578 ha of Eucalyptus would be necessary, depending on the species chosen, at an approximate age of 4 years. ► In northern Spain, the genus that has generated more biomass in short cutting down periods corresponds to the Eucalyptus. ► It is the Eucalyptus nitens which generates a greater quantity of biomass in Cantabria, reaching values of 46 t ha -1. ► It is possible to conclude that the leaves are the part that have the largest GCV. ► The leaves of the E. smithii reached values of 23,130 kJ kg -1, followed by E. nitens with 22,731 kJ kg -1 minimum moisture. ► The Eucalyptus nitens species achieves energy densities per hectare around 716 million megajoules at 7 years of age