Identifying an economic power production system based on agricultural straw on regional basis in India

The utilization of biomass resources for power generation can reduce environmental emissions while fulfilling energy requirements in developing countries. But, the biomass conversion to electric power seems to be financially viable under optimized conditions (for some economic objectives). This paper presents a step-by-step methodology to determine the possibility of installation of straw based power plants in a region. Further, various issues regarding installation of power plants are discussed and reviewed. The study takes into consideration the average fuel distribution, the straw collection mechanism, the plant characteristics and the economic objectives. The methodology has been used for optimal sizing of the straw based plants in Punjab (a north Indian state) for minimum power cost and investment. The optimization models that can handle all possible restrictions for installation of the plants are applied and the results are analyzed under the influence of input parameters. The study indicates that the optimum capacity of plant is of the order of 20 MW, which can produce electricity at a cost of 5 Rs/kW h. Each plant requires a collection radius of 14 km for providing a continuous and sustainable fuel to the plant. The capital cost required for installation of the plant has been estimated to be 45,144 Rs/kW. In order to achieve these objectives, it is essential to integrate the power generation system with the biomass management system. The literature review shows that an efficient biomass recovery system is required to be developed for collection of agricultural straw (within the stipulated time) for implementation of power generation programme in the state. In overall, the study reveals that the efficient utilization of straw for electric power requires careful identification of different techno-economic parameters like biomass management cost, scale factor, fuel supply and thermal efficiency.