Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/58280 
more recent Version: 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
Kiel Working Paper No. 1767
Publisher: 
Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Kiel
Abstract: 
The Renewable Energy Source Act (EEG) promotes German biogas production in order to substitute fossil fuels, protect the environment, and prevent climate change. As a consequence, green maize production has increased significantly over the last years, causing negative environmental effects on soil, water and biodiversity. In this paper we quantitatively analyse the EEG-reform in 2012 by applying the simulation tool ReSI-M (Regionalised Location Information System - Maize). Comparing the EEG 2012 with a former version of the legislation, results imply that the reform contributes to an expansion of biogas electricity generation compared to former versions, and thus to substitution of fossil fuels. Furthermore, given a restriction in the share of green maize input, its production is reduced and the crop-mix is diversified. However, since maize provides the highest energy output per area, total land requirement for biogas production increases. An alternative analysis shows that an EEG with tariffs independent from plant-types would provide the highest subsidy-efficiency, but slightly lower land efficiency compared to the EEG 2012.
Subjects: 
bioenergy
biogas
land use
policy analysis
simulation model
JEL: 
C61
Q16
Q42
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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