Power generation enhancement in a biomass-based combined cycle using solar energy: Thermodynamic and environmental analysis

Renewable energy sources are one of the promising solutions to deal with the problems and environmental issues arising from fossil fuels. Among the various types of thermodynamic cycles, combined systems are one of the most efficient power generation systems. In this regard, in the present work, a combined cycle is proposed based on new configuration of hybrid biomass-solar energies for production of 13.4 MW power in three sections (Biomass section, Solar section and Steam turbine section). Initially, the proposed cycle is extensively analyzed in energetic, exergetic, and environmental terms and LCOE costs are calculated to estimate the economy of the proposed cycle. Then, for having a clear insight on the effect of adding each of the solar and steam turbine sections to biomass section, the generated power and CO2 emission of each biomass, biomass/solar, and combined cycles are compared and examined. In the end, during the parametric study, the effect of prime thermodynamic parameters on the share of each of the cycle sections on the entire proposed cycle is studied and evaluated. The results showed that, adding the solar section to the biomass-based system brings about an increase of around 25% in power production and a reduction of about 31% in CO2 emission. Also, the amount of CO2 emissions from the proposed combined cycle is about 49% lower than that of the standalone biomass-based system.