Biomass power plants
Authors: Milovanović Zdravko , Јаničić Мilоvаnоvić Vаlеntinа 
Published: April 2024

Historically, the use of wood-based biomass as the primary and almost the only source of energy preceded the beginning of the use of fossil fuels. Developing countries still have biomass as a source of thermal energy, with the big question of its sustainability. Unlike countries in transition, developed countries produce a significant amount of thermal energy from biomass based on the principles of sustainable development and responsible use of energy resources. In the wood industry, modern bioenergy plants are used for the production of electricity and heat, as well as technological steam necessary for production chains in wood industry plants. Also, in households of regional centralized heating, cogeneration and trigeneration, more and more plants and equipment with high technological achievements are being installed. The advantage of using biomass compared to other types of renewable energy sources is the possibility of building power plants with stable energy production (heat and electricity) in places suitable for consumption, unlike other forms of renewable energy sources that require construction at the place of energy. The number of operating hours expected depending on the technologies for simultaneous operation of all plants in GWh for solid biomass power plants is 6500, while for biogas power plants the number of operating hours reaches 8000. Based on the applied technology, agricultural solid biomass is it is possible to produce heat and electricity, as well as derivatives from which the final (useful) forms of energy are obtained. The most common examples of agricultural biomass derivatives are briquettes, pellets, biogas, and biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel). Direct combustion of biomass, most often realized on a grate furnace, is a wellestablished technology for the transformation of biomass into heat on a commercial level. In this way, it is possible to mix biomass as a fuel and controlled air supply for its complete combustion. is biodegradable. Intensive development of cogeneration processes in the last thirty years has resulted in the emergence of available new plants and equipment on the commercial market. Cogeneration plants for simultaneous production of heat and electricity are the most important and optimal way of producing electricity from biomass. The heat obtained by burning biomass is used in two ways – to obtain thework of gas on the turbine and useful heat. In addition to independent biomass power plant systems, cogeneration plants with an electricity capacity of more than 1,200 MW are in use within European power companies. The latest development trends in refrigeration technology highlight absorption systems based on thermal energy, which, unlike conventional compressor refrigeration systems, in addition to thermal energy, also require electricity to drive the compressor. In such systems, the compressor is replaced with a thermal system consisting of a steam generator, an absorber, a heat exchanger, a control valve and working fluid pumps. As many industrial plants and facilities in the service sector have a need to cool their premises, the use of new absorption cooling systems consumes significantly less electricity, which contributes to meeting the need for cooling energy, while respecting all the benefits of using renewable sources energy, given the heat source based on biomass combustion. Hybrid energy systems are designed to produce electricity and heat. They are mostly independent, used in remote areas, and can be connected to grid systems for electricity distribution. They usually contain components based on renewable sources such as small wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, micro-hydro turbines, as well as other components such as fossil fuel generators, fuel cells and the like. In addition, stand-alone hybrid systems contain batteries for energy storage, as well as appropriate electronic devices that ensure the functionality and safety of the system. The concept of a hybrid system integrates various energy sources into a single system, with the aim of increasing energy availability, whereby the hybrid system, in addition to biomass, contains at least one other different energy source, as well as a storage (storage) of energy. In order for the construction of a hybrid system to be justified, it must have satisfactory efficiency, continuous availability of electricity, low emissions and an acceptable price. The components of the system are selected according to the availability of renewable sources and the possibility of meeting the basic requirements set before them. In the case of centralized supply of a larger area with heat (cooling) and electricity, as well as supply of industrial plants with electricity and heat (and technological steam) In addition to biomass, various combinations of primary fuels can be used on the basis of renewable (solar energy, wind energy, water energy, geothermal energy, etc.) and non-renewable (coal, oil and oil derivatives, natural gas) energy resources, as and new resources to be used in the future (nuclear fusion, etc.). Biofuels today represent a relatively new form of renewable energy sources obtained on the basis of biomass. In recent years, the production and consumption of biofuels is growing and increasingly replacing fossil fuels. They are moreenvironmentally friendly than fossil fuels. Their most intensive production is in Brazil from sugar cane, in the USA from corn, and in Europe from oilseed rape. Rapeseed oil (82.8%) and sunflower oil (12.5%) are mostly used for biodiesel production in the EU, while soybean oil is used the most in the United States, while palm oil is also used in Asian countries. The use of biomass for energy purposes exists through the use of degraded and unused land for the cultivation of lignocellulosic raw materials, as well as the cultivation of aquatic organisms (algae). According to the February 2016 Report on the current situation and potential in BiH for the construction of biomass cogeneration plants and power plants, prepared by USAID BiH, the biomass potential in BiH is limited to biomass obtained from wood processing (residues and waste) and agricultural sector (livestock residues and crop residues). The goal of future activities is to increase the use of available biomass, increase the share of renewable sources in electricity production and to provide additional income for companies. Revenues are provided through the sale of produced electricity at feed-in tariffs set by the entity regulatory agencies (FERK and RERS).