A key motivation for the energetic and/or material use of renewable resources is their potential in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Though, the GHG balance is an important, but not the only indicator that should be considered to assess the eligibility of funding renewable resources. Other relevant criteria include "security of supply" or "technology development".

The aim of this project is to identify the main factors and framework conditions that determine the GHG balance of renewable resources. The main focus is on studies regarding the nitrous oxide emissions due to crop cultivation and the change of carbon storage in vegetation and soil. Existing uncertainties and possibilities to improve the data basis and the methodology are shown, as well as hints for the preferable renewable resources and utilization strategies are given.

The project is funded by the Ministry of the Environment (UM) of Baden-Württemberg and is conducted in close cooperation with the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The final report serves to prepare a workshop where the results will be discussed with representatives of the UM and other experts. The report is also meant for contributing to the public discussion.

The work on this project was completed in June 2010. The final report - published as KIT scientific report 7556 - is (only in German) available as follows.

Bibliographic data:
Butterbach-Bahl, K.; Leible, L.; Kälber, S.; Kappler, G.; Kiese, R.:
Treibhausgasbilanz nachwachsender Rohstoffe - eine wissenschaftliche Kurzdarstellung. KIT Scientific Reports, 7556. Karlsruhe: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, 2010, 45 Seiten
Volltext / pdf  Inhaltsverzeichnis / htm  Zusammenfassung / htm