A model for the optimal dimensioning of biomass-fuelled electric power plants

Strategic, agricultural and/or environmental considerations have revived the idea of utilizing biomass for power generation. This poses the problem of defining the optimal size for plants to convert the woody and cellulosic biomass into electric energy. A model has been developed to determine the optimal electric power and corresponding number of plants to install in a given agricultural/forest area, based on the distribution of the biomass available in the area, the technical and operational parameters and the economic objectives associated with the proposed investment. The model is applied to the Italian situation, where there is a net biomass availability of 17 Mt/yr d.m. and the possibility, during the first eight years of the biomass power plant operation, to sell the produced electricity at a price of 141 ECU/MWh. Results show the possibility of installing 170 plants, with a unit power of 14MW each, for a total electric power of 2,400 MW. (C) 1997 Silsoe Research Institute.