Efficient and Low-Carbon Energy Solution through Polygeneration with Biomass

Abstract

The logistics of the conversion chain of biomass to the utility production of the energy system should be efficient from the viewpoint of economic, environmental and social performance. With more social acceptance and better environmental and economic performance, biomass based polygeneration is a possible sustainable energy solution. Different polygeneration system designs and their analysis are also studied in this chapter. Depending on the availability of biomass supply, logistics will be designed along with the energy system design. The details of logistics are discussed in this chapter. For a biomass-based polygeneration system, the input energy may be biomass only or it may be a hybrid energy system. In a hybrid biomass-based energy system, input energy of biomass is hybridized with another source of energy. Techno-economic analysis shows the economic viability of a polygeneration system, while socio-economic analysis shows the social acceptability of the polygeneration system. The carbon footprint of biomass-based polygeneration is significantly smaller than fossil fuel-based plants.