Cluster Analysis of Bioenergetic Potential in Regions of Ukraine

The research has its purpose to identify similar groups of regions most suitable for biofuel raw base development. The regions of Ukraine differ in level of economic development as well as natural and climatic conditions that are to define the possibility of growing particular crops. Thus, for evaluation of the regions bioenergetics potential the author has used cluster analysis as one of the object-features classification method. Normally, they are corn and rape that serve the raw materials for liquid biofuel production. Allowing for this fact, the crop capacity index for these two crops is taken as the basis while carrying out regions classification. In order to determine the most suitable region for growing bioenergetics crops the averaged economic indicators of Ukrainian regions have been used, namely net cost and price for sale of 1 centner of corn and rape grains. According to the results of the research done the most suitable regions for growing crops to be used as the bioenergetics raw are Volyn, Ternopil, Zhitomir, Khmelnitsk, Vinnitsa and Chernihiv since these regions are included among the comprehensive cluster according to every criterion the author used in carrying out cluster analysis.