Session: Power Generation

Life Cycle Assessment of Dendrothermal Power Generation in Thailand including Economic Feasibility Analysis: A Case Study
Natanee Vorayos,^*   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 50200
Nat Vorayos,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 50200
Tanongkiat Kiatsiriroat,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 50200

The electricity generated from fuel-wood (dendrothermal electricity technology) has become one of the interesting alternatives to support Thailand national policy of which the ultimate goal is to reduce the degree of reliance on energy imports. The technology has been proposed due to the advantages such as its potential to substitute the conventional fossil fuel by the indigenous renewable energy resource, its relatively cheap cost and its benefit on labour employment in rural area. However, since environmental concern has extensively become another important factor for sustainable development during the last two decades, the consideration based on only the economic feasibility and its potential seems not to be adequate. In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the electricity generated from a pilot dendrothermal power plant using fast growing tree, i.e. acacia, as fuel-wood is carried out to investigate whether the application of dendrothermal technology or the conventional electricity generation system causes more environmental impact. The cost evaluation and the energy analysis during its life cycle are also determined. The result from LCA shows that the environmental impact of the electricity generated from the pilot plant is mainly caused by the greenhouse gas emission related to the fossil fuel and chemical substance consumption during fuel-wood plantation, transportation and steam production following by the impact caused by the other air pollutions. However, when the greenhouse gas emission is ignored due to the carbon dioxide absorbed by the photosynthesis of fuel-wood, the impact of the pilot plant becomes relatively low. Besides the advantage of environmental quality, the results from the cost and energy analysis during the life cycle also confirm that the dendrothermal power plant has high potential to be considered as one of the most suitable technologies for the sustainable development especially when the fuel-wood plantation and the transportation management have been taken into account.

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