Biomass Feasibility Project Final Report - Xcel Energy
Biomass Feasibility Project Final Report - Xcel Energy
Biomass Feasibility Project Final Report - Xcel Energy
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Capacity Factor = The amount of time in a given year, expressed as a percentage, that<br />
an electrical generator is expected to be available for operation. A capacity factor of<br />
85% was used for each potential bio-power feedstock.<br />
Comparing Theoretical, Technical and Economic Availability<br />
The green columns (technical potential) and pink columns (theoretical potential) show that<br />
some biomass categories are virtually 100% technically available, while others drop off<br />
dramatically. Crops, processing residues and animal processing residues are all 100% technically<br />
available. Woody materials are generally available, but almost half of hays, straws and stalks<br />
are technically unavailable because of technological and ecological factors mentioned earlier.<br />
Because beef and sheep manures are difficult to recover, only 63% of them are expected to be<br />
technically available<br />
900000<br />
800000<br />
700000<br />
600000<br />
Billion Btu<br />
500000<br />
400000<br />
300000<br />
200000<br />
100000<br />
0<br />
Theoretical<br />
Agricultural<br />
Residues<br />
Crops<br />
Agricultural<br />
Processing<br />
Residues<br />
Wood<br />
Manures<br />
Animal<br />
Processing<br />
Residues<br />
Human<br />
Wastes<br />
Technical<br />
Economic<br />
Figure III-12: Theoretical, Technical, and Economically Available <strong>Energy</strong><br />
Stepping down from technical availability to economic availability, the blue columns (economic<br />
availability), or lack thereof, show that crops, agricultural processing residues and animal<br />
processing residues are totally eliminated by economic criteria. Only a small portion of hays,<br />
straws and stalks are eliminated by restrictions on harvesting CRP lands. Assuming that logs are<br />
too expensive to use for fuel, woody materials drop off steeply. A significant portion of dairy and<br />
swine manures can’t be captured because only very large herds produce enough to make<br />
anaerobic digesters economically feasible.<br />
Figure III-12 shows that technical limitations on biomass availability are much less important than<br />
economic ones. The majority of the state’s biomass is unlikely to become bio-power feedstock<br />
because it is too expensive for base-load generation. This is ironic because unlike individual<br />
wind turbines, a biomass power plant could theoretically dispatch baseload power 24/7 if it<br />
were not too expensive. But with the appropriate gasification conversion technology biomass<br />
fuel someday may replace natural gas in peaking plants.<br />
Identifying Effective <strong>Biomass</strong> Strategies: Page 37<br />
Quantifying Minnesota’s Resources and Evaluating Future Opportunities
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