Spatial assessment of the distribution and potential of bioenergy resources in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is naturally rich in fossil fuels and its economy is strongly linked to oil and gas exports. Significant coal reserves have led to an energy mix that is dominated by aging and polluting thermal power plants. Yet Kazakhstan comprises mainly grassland steppe where agriculture and livestock...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAdvances in geosciences Vol. 45; pp. 217 - 225
Main Authors Koshim, Asima, Karatayev, Marat, Clarke, Michele L, Nock, William
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 28.08.2018
Copernicus Publications
Subjects
Ageing
Aging
Agricultural management
Agricultural wastes
Agriculture
Alternative energy sources
Analysis
Biomass energy
Distribution
Electric power generation
Energy research
Environmental management
Forestry
Forestry wastes
Fossil fuels
Grasslands
Livestock
Pastoralism
Policies
Power plants
Renewable energy
Renewable resources
Resource management
Spatial analysis
Spatial distribution
Thermal energy
Thermal power
Thermal power plants
Waste management
Kazakhstan
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Summary:Kazakhstan is naturally rich in fossil fuels and its economy is strongly linked to oil and gas exports. Significant coal reserves have led to an energy mix that is dominated by aging and polluting thermal power plants. Yet Kazakhstan comprises mainly grassland steppe where agriculture and livestock pastoralism dominate offering the potential for cleaner, renewable energy production from a range of agricultural and forestry wastes. Here we analyse the spatial distribution and bioenergy generation potential of different feedstocks using an ArcGIS platform and demonstrate a significant opportunity for a range of bioenergy technologies. We recommend a number of policy interventions to enable Kazakhstan to make a transition to cleaner, more accessible and locally generated supply which is also sustainable and provide a waste management solution.
ISSN:1680-7359
1680-7340
1680-7359
DOI:10.5194/adgeo-45-217-2018