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Biomass for Power Production and Cogeneration

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Forest Bioenergy

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

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Abstract

Despite intensive efforts to decarbonise the power sector and the growing contribution of renewables to global electricity generation, fossil fuels, especially coal, continue to dominate as the most commonly used energy sources in this sector. The power industry accounts for a substantial portion of the world total energy supply and remains the largest contributor to CO2 emissions. In 2020, renewable energy sources accounted for 28% of the electricity generation, with only 2% of the electricity produced derived from biofuels. Despite this relatively small share, the role of bioenergy in the power sector holds the potential to contribute to grid stability, a critical factor as the share of intermittent renewables in the energy mix increases. Additionally, co-combustion of biomass in coal power plants offers a cost-effective means of reducing carbon emissions, particularly in regions heavily reliant on coal. Several commercial technologies are available for converting biomass into electricity. While the efficiency of dedicated biomass-to-electricity plants is relatively low, combined heat and power systems that utilise waste heat achieve significantly higher overall efficiencies. The choice of technology depends on factors like capacity, efficiency and economic viability. This chapter provides an overview of commonly used conversion technologies for power generation from solid biomass.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that these figures exclude the energy own use by the electricity plants. They correspond to energy lost during conversion of primary energy products into electricity.

  2. 2.

    Note that these figures exclude the energy own use by the CHP plants. They correspond to energy lost during conversion of primary energy products into electricity and heat (for the latter, fuel inputs for the production of heat consumed within the autoproducer's establishment are excluded and accounted in the final consumption of fuels).

  3. 3.

    Reciprocating internal combustion engines are commonly referred to as internal combustion engines. Technically, an internal combustion engine is one in which combustion takes place inside the engine itself, with the working fluids being the reactants and combustion products [11]. According to this definition, directly fired gas turbines and others engines fall into the category of internal combustion engines. However, the term “internal combustion engine” is widely used when referring to spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines. In this book, the acronym “ICE” is used when referring to reciprocating internal combustion engines, because of its widespread usage.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, through IDMEC, under LAETA [project UIDB/50022/2020].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IDMEC, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Mecatrónica, Universidade de Évora, Rua Romão Ramalho 59, 7000-671, Évora, Portugal

    Isabel Malico

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  1. Isabel Malico
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Correspondence to Isabel Malico .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. MED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, Departamento de Engenharia Rural, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

    Ana Cristina Gonçalves

  2. IDMEC, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Mecatrónica, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal

    Isabel Malico

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Malico, I. (2024). Biomass for Power Production and Cogeneration. In: Gonçalves, A.C., Malico, I. (eds) Forest Bioenergy. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48224-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48224-3_10

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