GIS-based suitability analysis and spatial optimization for Biomass-to-Liquid and Power-to-Liquid sustainable fuel production in Australia

To reduce energy consumption and mitigate climate change, the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives is crucial. Biomass-to-Liquid (BtL) and Power-to-Liquid (PtL) as well as their combinations (eBtL and PBtL) are promising pathways for large-scale sustainable fuel production. Selecting the location for such production facilities is key to determine production capacity, evaluate supply-chains, economics, and other local effects. This study applies the TUM CES-GIS-SAFAHP method to evaluate the suitability of fuel production sites in Australia. Considering selected suitability and exclusion criteria such as biomass and renewable energy potential, proximity to fresh water, conflicting land use, and other infrastructure data, pairwise comparisons and fuzzy normalization are used to prioritize and standardize criteria. The so-derived suitability maps allow the identification of most promising locations for BtL, PtL or e-/PBtL fuel production in Australia. Location–allocation analysis using road networks and biomass potentials to quantify biomass transportation distance, is used to select the most suited sites for BtL and e-/PBtL plants. All 20 identified optimal BtL plants could potentially produce about 1500 Ml of sustainable fuel annually at gasifier sizes of 130-465 MW_th. Adding renewable electricity (e-/PBtL), the production potential could be boosted to almost 4500 Ml/a or a share of more than 50% of Australia's annual aviation fuel consumption.