FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A HYBRID MICRO-CHP SYSTEM UTILIZING BIOMASS GASIFICATION AND AN EVACUATED TUBE COLLECTOR WITH PARABOLIC CONCENTRATORS FOR OFF-GRID COMMUNITIES IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study investigates the financial feasibility of a hybrid micro scaled combined heat and power system. The hybrid system comprises of a solar thermal module in the form an evacuated tube collector with parabolic concentrators and a combustion module in the form of a biomass gasifier. This hybrid setup has been developed for off-grid areas in Pakistan as an answer to all their energy needs. The system offers both electrical and heat outputs since it offers cogeneration. The electrical load is extracted from a gas generator and the heating load is extracted as hot water. RetScreen4 has been used to evaluate payback period for the system. The analysis encompasses payback simulations for a variety of financial parameters such as inflation rate, biomass fuel cost, initial costs and O&M costs. This characterization hopes to shed light on the changes in the feasibility of the system if during its lifespan there is a change in the financial setting of the end user.