Environmental and social sustainability and supply chain efficiency in the production of biomass energy

The aim of the paper is to present a coordinated framework of the researches conducted by GESAAF – Department of the University of Florence, with a specific regard to the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of supply energy chains and local energy districts. The common feature of the researches is to provide a planning decision support able to considering the geographic variability of ecological, environmental and social characteristics of the territory. Modellisation of the analysed system was developed applying operational research based on multi-objective spatial analysis and optimization procedures. Conventional financial indicators and parameters to assess the best logistics of the chain were depicted in the evaluation. In addition, the researches introduced innovative performance indicators, such as the potential positive and/or negative impacts on ecosystem services, the trade-off between the production of residues for energy purposes and other wooded assortments and the analysis of acceptance of biomass plant by local stakeholders and the local community. Moreover, SensorWebEnergy technologies and computing platforms were developed not only to ensure the dissemination of technologies, results and technical and management experiences of supply chains, but also to ensure a constant monitoring of the production activities of the bioenergy chain. In other terms, Decision Support Systems, which are able to auto-calibrate in relation to the evolution of environmental, logistics and managerial parameters of the supply chains, were implemented.