The moderating role of biomass availability in biopower co-firing — A sensitivity analysis

Of the various types of renewable energy technologies being promoted in response to concerns about climate change and energy security, co-firing biomass for electricity is one that is potentially feasible in many states and regions of the USA. This study contributes to our understanding of the factors that influence the economic feasibility of this technology. Using a recently developed spatial evaluation tool we perform sensitivity analyses to investigate how the cost of co-firing biomass is affected by power plant scale, level of biomass used as feedstock, local feedstock availability, transportation costs, and resource and harvesting costs. Specifically, we demonstrate the use of this tool by exploring the cost of co-firing biomass in existing qualified coal-fired power plants in Missouri.