GIS-based biomass resource assessment with BRAVO

Abstract

The Biomass Resource Assessment Version One (BRAVO) system is a computer-based decision support system to assist the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in estimating the costs for supplying wood fuel to any one of its 12 coal-fired power plants. The task of estimating wood fuel costs is particularly challenging due to the fact that wood fuel is not an established commodity. In contrast to conventional fossil fuels, geographic proximity to supply is a main determinant in the cost of wood fuel at a power plant. As a consequence, BRAVO is being developed within a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. The GIS platform allows for the efficient analysis of transportation networks so that accurate estimates of hauling distances and costs can be determined. The system is designed to estimate the total purchase and transportation costs of three types of wood fuel under various levels of demand. This comprehensive system includes information on all possible wood fuel supply points, demand points and product movement costs. With this information, the system can estimate the total cost to supply a particular power plant with a desired quantity of wood fuel and can be used to evaluate “what if?” scenarios related to supply. An analysis of nine TVA plants revealed significant variation in biomass fuel resources within the region. This result suggests that a plant-based approach to biomass resource assessment is crucial to determining the economic feasibility of co-firing.