DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW CONCEPT HYBRID SOLAR-BIOMASS COGENERATION SYSTEM

A new concept of a system for the cogeneration of heat and electrical power from the hybrid use of two renewable energy sources: direct solar (thermodynamic solar) and biomass (indirect solar energy). The biomass combustion process is conducted using a fluidized bed combustor. A Stirling engine is adopted to convert heat into electricity. The second innovation proposed is to integrate, in the same system, a second source of energy, given by the direct irradiation of the bed with a concentrated solar radiation. A Scheffler type mirror is adopted to allow the irradiation of the system in a fixed focal point. Advantages of the proposed solution are illustrated and some preliminary results on the performance of the system, obtained with a simple model, are presented.