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September 10, 2026International Journal of Green Energy

Eucalyptus plantations as bio-photovoltaic systems: An integrated energy conversion analysis

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Authors

SSStanley SchettinoUniversidade Federal de Minas Gerais

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Implication

Systems analysis reveals high operational energy return despite modest solar conversion efficiency in eucalyptus plantations, indicating strong potential for forest bioenergy storage.

Key Points

  • To evaluate eucalyptus plantations as bio-photovoltaic systems by quantifying energy flows across coupled biological solar capture and thermochemical charcoal conversion processes.
  • Developed a systems-based analytical framework integrating solar radiation input, forest biomass accumulation, and charcoal processing.
  • Quantified global energy conversion efficiencies and operational Energy Return on Investment (EROI) within a defined operational boundary.
  • Performed scenario and sensitivity analyses to evaluate the influence of silvicultural productivity, carbonization efficiency, and external operational energy inputs.
  • Solar-to-biomass conversion efficiency was approximately 0.55%, and biomass-to-charcoal efficiency was 63%, resulting in a global solar energy conversion efficiency of 0.35%.
  • Operational Energy Return on Investment (EROI) reached approximately 17.89 within the evaluated system boundary, indicating substantial net energy gain relative to external inputs.
  • Biomass productivity and carbonization efficiency primarily dictated solar energy conversion and storage, whereas operational energy inputs primarily governed overall energy return.

Cite This Study

Stanley Schettino (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa27ae958559d80afc73d6ehttps://doi.org/10.1080/15435075.2026.2723167
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