Students should comprehend and be able to work with:
- How to interpret the concept of regional qualities and elaborate on it based on inquiries
- How to assess capabilities and conditions for the regional bio resources development
- How to elaborate on the capability planning and evaluate results of the capabilities development.
- How to analyse green energy clusters and the regional socio-technical transition to a bio-economy with the concept of strategic niche management.
- How to assess cost factors in the regional production and distribution of bio resources
- How to assess social costs and benefits of the bio resources production and consumption
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This course is an introduction to the sustainable use of bio resources in the regional context. Regions have different physical, cultural and organizational qualities. And they have different capabilities to achieve their sustainable objectives. Geography and natural environment influence the economic specialization of a region. The economic specialization is also influenced by the available human capital. Geography relates to market access and social and human capital relate with socio-economic institutions.
The student should be able to analyze positive and negative impacts of bio resources, assess necessary capabilities for the bio resources development, as well as assess the feasibility of this development and their societal impacts in the region.
The course consist of introductory literature, a number of lectures on the literature and student presentations on the papers.
The first paper the student or student group has to write takes a specific (bio)-region as a case. The assignment is to analyse the bio-energy potential of the chosen region and write a small report (3000 words). The analysis should elaborates on the concepts and issues discussed during the lecture (like a description of the characteristics of the region, the characteristics of the regional biomass stock and the biomass economy, the regional policy, the environmental and economic impacts in the bioregions, etc.).
The second paper is an individual topic chosen by the students
- A particular bio energy product and chain (and its economic impacts) that interests you
- A particular existing bio energy chain in a certain region (and its economic impacts) that interests the student
- The bio economy related to an academic discipline of the student(governance of bio economy, bio economy as an opportunity for business, ecological effects of biomass (quantified), product design, information streams, etc.);
- A particular problem the student sees with biomass or the bio energy economy, a certain weakness or aspect you dislike
- A particular opportunity, a certain strong point or aspect of the bio economy the student is interested in
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