Optimizing Sustainable Bioenergy Production on Marginal Land through a Web-Based Platform

Bioenergy systems can play a central role in the transition towards sustainable, inclusive, resilient, low emissions and circular economies, while creating income opportunities, enhancing livelihood and access to energy for current and future generations, leaving no-one behind. However, the foundations of sustainable bioenergy systems need to be based on structured ex-ante analysis that considers specific contexts and assess possible trade-offs, either in terms of economic, environmental and social aspects.
In this framework, the optimization  of  Land-Energy-Water  nexus  takes on a key  significance to overcome context-specific  challenges taking into account the multiple competitive  uses  of  limited resources. Over the last decade, the use of marginal land has been emphasized as a valuable strategy for bioenergy systems to overcome the food vs fuel dilemma. Nevertheless, the cultivation of bioenergy crops on fragmented marginal areas in Italy can have significant trade-offs on the benefits derived from the establishment of local bioenergy systems, for instance on the energy balance or the final C-footprint of the value chain. The objective of this study is to perform an ex-ante assessment of the sustainability of bioenergy pathways in the Basilicata Region (Southern Italy), through a web-based platform, with a focus on local Land, Energy and Water nexus. The platform, developed in parallel with the Geographic Information System (GIS) maps, relies upon the methodologies of the Global Bioenergy Partnership Sustainability  Indicators. The  Web-GIS  land-energy-water nexus analysis  allows to compare and explore different and complex cropping scenarios and interlinkages that minimize input resources and optimize the nexus. The application  of  the  user-friendly  Web-GIS platform to the  case study demonstrates the effectiveness  and  the  usability  for  supporting  investors  and  stakeholders in the decision-making  process for new bioenergy investment projects that rely on biomass from underutilized and marginal lands.