Hybrid biomass and natural gas combined cycles: Energy analysis and comparison between different plant configurations

•Different hybrid configurations fueled by biomass and natural gas were compared.•Biomass efficiency increases with an increasing biomass fraction.•The most suitable configuration and biomass feed rate were chosen.•Biomass efficiency is higher than conventional biomass-alone technologies.•The optimal system converts biomass with 41.8% efficiency and a 35.3% biomass ratio.