Współspalanie węgla i biomasy w energetyce - ceny koszty na przykładzie węgla brunatnego

Polska, jako członek Unii Europejskiej, przyjęła na siebie zobowiązania związane z wypracowaniem odpowiedniego systemu wspierania rozwoju odnawialnych źródeł energii. Powszechnie uważa się, że dominującym ilościowo nośnikiem wśród tzw. odnawialnych źródeł energii (OZE) w Polsce jest i będzie biomasa. Głównym powodem skłaniającym energetykę bazującą na węglu do sięgania po paliwa alternatywne, takie jak biomasa, jest konieczność sprostania wymaganiom posiadania w puli paliw wykorzystywanych do wytwarzania energii pewnej ilości energii pierwotnej pochodzącej ze źródeł odnawialnych.

Every power generating company, which intend to operate on Polish energy market, has to produce the renewable energy in adequate proportion. Polish power industry, being traditionally coal-based, is forced now to increase usage of alternative fuels, such as biomass. The obligatory of minimal share of renewable energy generation in total generated energy is controlled by the orders of Minister of Economy and imposes conditions on energy distributing companies. It is generally accepted, that in Poland the dominant source of renewable energy is, and shall be a biomass. The condition of the energy-effective and environmentally-friendly process of fuel combustion in conventional coal combustion furnaces is to maintain the proper rate biomass/coal. Presently, in Poland, there is about 20 operating power generation installations, in which biomass is co-burned with basic fuels. The cofiringinstallations have been implemented in all Polish lignite fired power plants. Biggest power plants use large quantities of forest biomass that results in increase of price of this kind of biomass, and negatively impacts on paper, furniture and building branches. Power sector "sucked out" almost all available biomass from the market. Because of that smaller CHP and heating plants, which could take advantage of local biomass potential, refrain from undertaking activities to adjust these plants to co-firing. In global scale, biomass burning as well as biomass conversion to biofuels, arouse increasing protests because it is treated as wastage of crops (especially corn) while so many people on the Earth die of starvation. There is no certainty that international society and policy-makers give in to these arguments in the future and generation of "green energy" will not be promoted or - at least - will not be subsidized. Biomass should be utilized first of all in "dispersed" generation, that is in many small systems of big efficiency. The so-called tri-generation systems become more and more popular. The system can work all year long producing electricity and - depending on the season - the heat or the cool.