Technology Overview

Biomass power is a technology that generates electricity using organic materials such as agricultural residues, wood, biological waste, or processed biomass fuels.

In principle, this technology is similar to conventional thermal power plants, using the Rankine cycle to produce steam and drive steam turbines. However, the key difference lies in fuel characteristics, which typically have lower energy density, higher moisture content, and more dispersed availability. Common configurations include direct combustion, co-firing with coal, and biomass gasification, with direct combustion being the most widely deployed.

Technical Characteristics

The net electrical efficiency of biomass power is approximately 32%, lower than fossil fuel-based thermal power due to fuel quality and smaller plant scale. The capacity factor can reach moderate to high levels if fuel supply is stable, but in practice depends heavily on supply chains and seasonal availability.

A notable advantage is that overall energy efficiency can be significantly improved when integrated with CHP systems, allowing waste heat to be utilized for industrial purposes.

Investment costs are approximately 2.23 million USD/MW, reflecting smaller plant scale and the need for complex fuel handling systems. In the energy transition, biomass power plays a complementary role by providing stable renewable electricity and utilizing waste resources, with potential emission reductions if managed sustainably.

Application in Vietnam

In Vietnam, biomass power has been deployed in sectors such as sugar production and wood processing, although overall scale remains limited.