Results and Implications of Eleven Site Specific Biomass Feasibility Studies

Beginning in 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) sponsored eleven site-specific feasibility studies that examined integrated systems for producing energy from biomass. Feedstocks included in these studies ranged from bagasse to alfalfa to wood chips and switchgrass.Biomass combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis technology was examined in systems ranging from biomass co-firing with coal in existing boilers to advanced integrated gasification combined cycle systems. These studies not only brought together entities that have, in several cases, formed on-going project teams, but helped reduce the uncertainty in cost estimates for a variety of promisingbiomass technologies. This paper will summarize the significant results of these eleven studies and discuss their implications for biomass power generation technologies domestically and in the international market.