Resource assessment for hybrid solar-biomass power plant and its thermodynamic evaluation in India

Hybrid solar-biomass thermal power generation systems are important for continuous power generation installations which supplement each other seasonally in India. In this paper, several aspects associated with hybrid biomass-solar power generation installations such as state wise availability of biomass resources, solar direct normal irradiance (DNI) has been discussed. Month wise daily average DNI is considered as 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% and remaining heat is taken from biomass resource in the proposed hybrid plant. The thermodynamic evaluation (i.e. Energy and Exergy) of hybrid solar-biomass power plant have also been investigated. The total input energy of the proposed hybrid system is taken from the heat transfer fluid through parabolic trough collector (PTC) as per availability of solar resource and remaining from biomass to maintain the steam at superheated state of 500 °C and 60 bar and supplied to turbine at steam mass flow rate of 5 kg/s. The energy and exergy analyses of 5 MW hybrid system with series mode was carried out to identify the effects of various operating parameters like DNI, condenser pressure, turbine inlet temperatures, boiler pressure on net power output energy and exergy efficiencies.