Potential for Energy Production from Farm Wastes Using Anaerobic Digestion in the UK: An Economic Comparison of Different Size Plants

Gabriel D. Oreggioni, Baboo Lesh Gowreesunker, Savvas A. Tassou, Giuseppe Bianchi, Matthew Reilly, Marie E. Kirby, Trisha A. Toop and Mike K. Theodorou
Additional contact information
Gabriel D. Oreggioni: RCUK National Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains, Institute of Energy Futures, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK
Baboo Lesh Gowreesunker: RCUK National Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains, Institute of Energy Futures, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK
Savvas A. Tassou: RCUK National Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains, Institute of Energy Futures, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK
Giuseppe Bianchi: RCUK National Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains, Institute of Energy Futures, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK
Matthew Reilly: Agricultural Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Department of Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinarian Sciences, Harper Adams University, New Port TF10 8NB, UK
Marie E. Kirby: Agricultural Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Department of Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinarian Sciences, Harper Adams University, New Port TF10 8NB, UK
Trisha A. Toop: Agricultural Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Department of Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinarian Sciences, Harper Adams University, New Port TF10 8NB, UK
Mike K. Theodorou: Agricultural Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Department of Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinarian Sciences, Harper Adams University, New Port TF10 8NB, UK

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants enable renewable fuel, heat, and electricity production, with their efficiency and capital cost strongly dependent on their installed capacity. In this work, the technical and economic feasibility of different scale AD combined heat and power (CHP) plants was analyzed. Process configurations involving the use of waste produced in different farms as feedstock for a centralized AD plant were assessed too. The results show that the levelized cost of electricity are lower for large-scale plants due to the use of more efficient conversion devices and their lower capital cost per unit of electricity produced. The levelized cost of electricity was estimated to be 4.3 p/kWh e for AD plants processing the waste of 125 dairy cow sized herds compared to 1.9 p/kWh e for AD plants processing waste of 1000 dairy cow sized herds. The techno-economic feasibility of the installation of CO 2 capture units in centralized AD-CHP plants was also undertaken. The conducted research demonstrated that negative CO 2 emission AD power generation plants could be economically viable with currently paid feed-in tariffs in the UK.

Keywords: levelized cost of electricity; power generation in AD plants; biogas fueled gas engines; organic Rankine cycles; CO 2 capture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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