Why large-scale bioenergy production on marginal land is unfeasible: A conceptual partial equilibrium analysis

► Land-use in bioenergy scenarios analyzed with simple transparent equilibrium model. ► Critical parameters identified by a detailed characterization of the model. ► Critical issues for land-use competition are analyzed under distinct policy cases. ► Extensively produced crops are twice as much affected as intensively produced crops. ► Bioenergy is unlikely to ever be produced on a large scale on marginal land.