Biomass fuel cell power plant project

Specialized scientific consulting

Efesto received a request for consultancy in the context of a project for the construction of a fuel cell power plant to be proposed to the province of Trento.

The idea behind the project is to use fuel cell technology to convert the province’s forest waste into energy, avoiding any type of harmful emissions that would occur with combustion processes.

Efesto has provided the project with specialist advice on fuel cell technology and how it can be used.

Targets of the project

Target 1

Assess if the technology is indeed applicable in this field

Target 2

Estimate of investment and return

Target 3

Technical evaluations related to the type of biomass used

Fuel cell technology has been compared with other similar technologies that can serve the same purpose. In this evaluation, the conversion efficiency, the polluting emissions and obviously the technical feasibility in relation to other projects already in place elsewhere were taken into account.

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) studies were examined to assess the overall environmental impact of this type of plant.

Operational indications were drawn regarding the structure of the plant, the technologies to be used during its construction, offering various choices if the road was not unique.

The cost of construction and commissioning of a plant of this type, sized for power around 5 MW, has been estimated on the basis of the most reliable information found.

An estimate of the economic return was also provided based on different electricity cost scenarios for the coming years.

The different types of biomass available in the plant territory were evaluated to determine how suitable they are for fuel cell powering the plant. This takes into account the fraction of water, energy and potentially polluting substances they contain.

In this way it was possible to make an estimate of the reasonable power that the plant should have, in relation to the quantity of biomass that is produced in the neighboring areas.

  • Target 1

    Feasibility study

    Fuel cell technology has been compared with other similar technologies that can serve the same purpose. In this evaluation, the conversion efficiency, the polluting emissions and obviously the technical feasibility in relation to other projects already in place elsewhere were taken into account.

    LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) studies were examined to assess the overall environmental impact of this type of plant.

    Operational indications were drawn regarding the structure of the plant, the technologies to be used during its construction, offering various choices if the road was not unique.

  • Target 2

    Economic assessment

    The cost of construction and commissioning of a plant of this type, sized for power around 5 MW, has been estimated on the basis of the most reliable information found.

    An estimate of the economic return was also provided based on different electricity cost scenarios for the coming years.

  • Target 3

    Type of fuel

    The different types of biomass available in the plant territory were evaluated to determine how suitable they are for fuel cell powering the plant. This takes into account the fraction of water, energy and potentially polluting substances they contain.

    In this way it was possible to make an estimate of the reasonable power that the plant should have, in relation to the quantity of biomass that is produced in the neighboring areas.

Result

All the indications that emerged in this study first converged in a report by Efesto, and then in a technical report that was sent to the local authorities in order to promote the finalization of the project.

A plant of this type would bring great added value, both in terms of technological know-how that can be exported to the rest of the world, and from an environmental point of view due to the very evident advantages compared to any other method of biomass disposal.

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