Production and use of biomass from short-rotation plantations in Andalusia, southern Spain: limitations and opportunities

Woody energy crops from short-rotation plantations (SRP) present a high potential for development in Spain. In this paper a PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) analysis combined with AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was conducted based on expert knowledge to identify the main factors conditioning the production and use of SRP biomass in Andalusia, South of Spain. According to the findings, a strategic plan to further develop the SRP sector should focus on reducing the uncertainty associated with its economic viability, developing the market and designing institutional innovations in the form of specific public norms. It is also necessary to take advantage of the opportunities faced by the sector such as the increasing importance of renewable energies in energy plans, the potential market for biomass and the climate-change abatement attributes of biomass.