Raw Material Management for Very Small Power Producer Biomass Power Plant: A case Study in Prachin Buri Province

Abstract

The objective of raw material management for very small power producer biomass power plant was to find the guidelines for gaining low cost and the most worthiness of agricultural fuel materials purchasing for power producer biomass plant leading to cost effectiveness. The research was conducted on the potential source of raw material in the area of a biomass power plant in Kabinburi District, Prachin Buri province, with the capacity of 10 megawatts. Materials used in this research were consisted of 6 types of materials e.g. cassava root, woodchip, wood husk, rice husk, bagasse husk and corncob. The source of these raw materials was 100 kilometers away from the project site. The obtained data were analyzed by using Linear Programming Model and considered under 3 constrain factors including types of derived power demand for monthly electrical production (MJ), and raw-material-gathering quantity within the vicinity of the power plant’s surrounding radius in order to process obtained data for finding types and quantity of raw material in each month with the lowest cost for generating power from biomass materials.
The research findings on the purchasing of the raw material based on Linear Programming Model during January - December revealed that raw material with the highest cost effectiveness was the wood husk. When considering the provision of wood husk, it could be compiled by brokers within the 25 km-radius surrounding the power plant’s site. The quantity of procurement was ranged from 5,545-6,139 tons/month with the total purchasing cost of 29,636,930.61 baht. Moreover, in order to achieve sustainable management, it was advised to setting up raw material’s stock record and putting up wood chopping house within the power plant’s proximity. Not only that, but it also includes creating contracting farm deals with pertinent farmers to prevent marketing competition on purchasing raw material from other traders in the future.