Certificate in Biomass Power
Our comprehensive Introduction to the Business of Biomass Power: Biomass Resources, Conversion Technologies, Markets & Economics
28—29 June 2012, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Course objectives
- Quantify the scale, potential and practical limits to generating electric power from biomass
- Understand biomass power technologies and how they are evolving
- Demystify the huge range of biomass conversion processes and how power generation coexists with gas and liquid biofuel production
- Compare and contrast large and small-scale biomass power generation
- Discover why biomass may place a key role in future, large-scale clean power generation
- Analyse the economics of biomass power and its competitive context
- Hear about the challenges as well as the opportunities in an independent, hype-free environment
Who will gain most value from this course?
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Level & Style
Although the course includes scientific and technical information and terminology, we assume no prior technical knowledge. Our typical audience is composed of senior executives and business leaders, who need to understand the technology fundamentals, their economics, development and market applications; not the engineering practicalities of “hands-on” installation.
The course runs in a friendly, informal manner, encouraging discussions and questions to ensure that participants get the most out of their time.
Approximate Timings (include lunch plus morning and afternoon refreshment breaks):
Day 1: 09:00 - 17:00 // Day 2: 09:00 – 16.00
About your trainer
Dr John Massey is Green Power Academy's founder, Training Director, in-house renewables expert and lead trainer.
Combining a strong academic science background with over fifteen years commercial experience of industry research, analysis and training across a variety of “new technology “ industries (including conventional and renewable energy, telecoms and IT), Dr Massey is expert in demystifying the terminology and workings of new technologies, and presenting their commercial and business context.
He delivers training globally, to senior executives from a range of organisations from project development to finance and has also developed educational material for both live and distance learning courses.
He holds a 1st Class Honours degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, a PhD in Earth Sciences and a Diploma in Economics, Innovation and Sustainability.
“Very solid introduction from a very knowledgeable instructor”
“Rich in discussion”
“Good balance between theoretical and interactive”
Agenda Details
Feedstock Resources for Power
- The fundamentals of both fossil and biomass energy chemistry and sustainability
- Biomass as an energy store, including variations in source, density and energy content
- Biomass end-uses: liquid and gaseous fuels, heat and power
- The different “generations” and sources of biomass, including energy crops, wastes (solid & liquid), lignocellulosics and algae
- The scientific basics of biomass conversion processes: chemical, biological and thermal pathways
- Calculating the energy potential (and limits) of biomass
- What is the most efficient way of turning stored biomass energy into useful energy delivery?
Biomass Power Technologies
- Biomass pre-processing technologies, including pelletisation and torrefaction
- Navigating the maze of relevant terminology: pyrolysis, gasification, digestion, FT synthesis, W2E, etc.
- Biorefineries and multi-product concepts; and incremental market steps to create them
- Power vs. co-generation (CHP) and tri-generation (power, heating & cooling)
- The status of technologies: commercial or not?
- The challenges in scaling up bioenergy processes
- Examples of biomass power from around the world
- Challenges in scaling up biomass power
Biomass Power Markets, Policies & Economics
- The pros and cons of biomass as a fuel for power (and heat) generation
- Current biomass power markets and trends
- The competitive context of biopower
- Biopower policies and their impact on bioenergy supply and economics
- Supply chain factors
- Models and predictions of bioenergy’s role in future energy supply
- Understanding power markets and how electricity is priced
- Small or large-scale biopower: which makes most economic sense?
- The costs of biopower, including lifecycle costs relative to other sources, both fossil and renewable
Biomass Power Business Planning
- Current data on the costs of biomass power projects (and why it varies so much)
- Developing a cash flow sheet for a biomass project, and using it to analyse the sensitivity of projects to key factors:
- Capital and Operating Costs
- Feedstock Costs
- Financing Costs
- Expected returns
- Policy incentives
- The concept of “levelized cost of electricity” (LCOE):
- What is means and why it is used to compare power projects
- The levelised cost of biomass power compared to other renewable (and fossil) power generation