You are here:
Integration of agricultural and energy system models for biofuel assessment
Citation:
Elobeid, A., S. Tokgoz, R. Dodder, T. Johnson, O. Kaplan, L. Kurkalova, AND S. Secchi. Integration of agricultural and energy system models for biofuel assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE. Elsevier Science, New York, NY, 48:1-16, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
This paper presents an integrated modeling framework that captures the interactions between agricultural and energy markets at the macro-level, and the assessment of production practices and environmental impacts at the micro (field)-level. The goal and purpose of this current article is to provide extensive detail on the emethodology. The integrated modeling framework will then be used to analyze the environmental impacts for a range of biofuels scenarios.
Description:
This paper presents a coupled modeling framework to capture the dynamic linkages between agricultural and energy markets that have been enhanced through the expansion of biofuel production, as well as the environmental impacts resulting from this expansion. The framework incorporates the interactions between agricultural and energy markets at the macro-level, and the assessment of production practices and environmental impacts at the micro (field)-level. For macro-level analysis, we use two existing modeling frameworks: the CARD U.S. agricultural markets model and the MARKAL energy systems model. The integrated modeling of agricultural and energy markets will be useful in analyzing a range of scenarios regarding the role of biomass feedstocks from the agricultural sector in an expanding market for biomass-based fuels and energy. Moreover, by linking the macro-level analysis to the micro-scale (field-level) analysis, we can represent shifts in farming practices, average productivity, and costs of production, as well as the environmental consequences of farmers’ decisions resulting from the expansion of biomass feedstock production.
