Quantifying the impacts of biomass driven combined heat and power grids in northern rural and remote communities

Joe Coady and Jean Duquette

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2021, vol. 148, issue C

Abstract: Northern rural and remote communities face several energy system related concerns such as high heating and electricity rates, dependence on imported energy, and low levels of energy security and autonomy. Many of these issues can be addressed via the implementation of local community-based sustainable energy generation technologies such as biomass driven combined heat and power (CHP) plants. The current research investigates the technical, economic, socio-economic, and environmental impacts of implementing biomass driven CHP plants as the primary energy source in both remote (off-grid) and rural (grid-connected) community energy systems that comprise a district heating grid. The MoCreebec Eeyoud community located in Northern Ontario, Canada, is used as the case study in the analysis. Results show that biomass driven CHP grids are an economically attractive alternative for both remote and rural energy systems. Biomass driven CHP grids are shown to be up to 42% less costly than conventional diesel power generation systems in remote community settings. Similarly, remote biomass driven CHP grids are shown to be up to 66% less costly than rural energy systems when electrical transmission grid extension lengths exceed 100 km. Biomass driven CHP grids can also drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower carbon tax payments, generate local economic employment, and increase energy autonomy. Although the findings of this study are specific to the community under investigation, the research methodology and insights gained are generalizable to remote and rural communities located across Canada and abroad.

Keywords: Combined heat and power; Biomass; Remote and rural communities; District heating; Biomass gasification; Biomass organic rankine cycle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111296

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