Biomass Combustion
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The biopower model is a performance- and cost-modeling tool for assessing the biomass power resource of a location. SAM can model biopower plants that use crop and wood residues as a feedstock. It can also model a supplementary coal feedstock for a co-fired plant, or completely coal-fed power plant for comparison with a biopower option. You can also specify custom feedstocks.

You specify the basic mass and energy balances for the plant's combustor and steam turbine.

SAM generates performance :doc:`metrics <../results/summary>` such as heat rate, thermal efficiency, and capacity factor. It also generates :doc:`financial metrics <../financial-metrics/mtf_overview>` such as the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), net present value (NPV), and payback period.

Dedicated biomass power facilities are generally on the order of 1 – 60 MW, but SAM can evaluate plants of any size.

For a technical description of the biopower model, see Jorgenson, J.; Gilman, P.; Dobos, A. (2011). Technical Manual for the SAM Biomass Power Generation Model. 40 pp.; NREL Report No. TP-6A20-52688. https://docs.nlr.gov/docs/fy11osti/52688.pdf