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Economic and Environmental Assessment of Biomass Power Plants in Southern Italy

Author

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  • Giada La Scalia

    (Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Bld 8, 90128 Palermo, Italy)

  • Luca Adelfio

    (Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Bld 8, 90128 Palermo, Italy)

  • Concetta Manuela La Fata

    (Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Bld 8, 90128 Palermo, Italy)

  • Rosa Micale

    (Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contrada di Dio, 98166 Messina, Italy)

Abstract

In 2019, Europe adopted the New Green Deal as a strategic plan to become a competitive, resource-efficient, and driven economy by reducing its gas emissions and carbon footprint. Due the COVID-19 pandemic, this strategic plan was recently updated to expedite the green transition of European industries. Therefore, the present paper deals with the problem of deciding an appropriate size for a biomass plant that directly produces electric energy by means of two different conversion processes: combustion and gasification. After an initial estimation of the energy potential in western Sicily, GIS data of biomass growth were used to identify the appropriate size for the power plants under investigation. The economic feasibility of biomass utilization was evaluated over a capacity range of 10 to 30 MW, considering total capital investments, revenues from energy sales, and total operating costs. Moreover, the effect of variations on incentive prices was analyzed by means of a sensitivity analysis. Comparing the different plant solutions considered, the environmental sustainability was also analyzed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The results showed that the combustion solution had a higher profitability and a lower environmental impact for each plant size. The obtained results also demonstrated that providing power from residual biomass in small agricultural communities would significantly reduce their environmental impacts while improving the economic feasibility of their waste management practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Giada La Scalia & Luca Adelfio & Concetta Manuela La Fata & Rosa Micale, 2022. "Economic and Environmental Assessment of Biomass Power Plants in Southern Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:15:p:9676-:d:881484
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Flavio Scrucca & Grazia Barberio & Laura Cutaia & Caterina Rinaldi, 2023. "Woodchips from Forest Residues as a Sustainable and Circular Biofuel for Electricity Production: Evidence from an Environmental Life Cycle Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-16, December.

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