Levelized cost of energy and financial evaluation for biobutanol, algal biodiesel and biohydrogen during commercial development

Abstract

This study applies engineering economic analysis with modifications that concern profit rate, opportunity cost, price inflation, financial leverage, risk premium, learning curve effect, the effect of nth-generation chemical plants effect, interest rate and full commercializatioguren to capture realistic conditions to evaluate the economic feasibility of biohydrogen, biobutanol and algal biodiesel plants in a future bioeconomy. Analytical results reveal that biohydrogen and biobutanol can replace fossil fuels with high economic feasibility. Biohydrogen has the most flexibility under variation in the production cost of biomass feedstock. Algae biodiesel is less financially competitive than biohydrogen and biobutanol. Three bioenergies are cost-competitive with fossil fuels under ideal conditions. Sensitivity analysis reveals that biomass feedstock cost more strongly affects the financial performance of bioenergy than does operating and Maintenance (O&M) cost. Interest rate has the greatest impact on levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and is followed in that respect by price inflation, economic incentives and the two-tier learning curve effect. The factors that are related of bioenergy should be paid considerable attention to maintain the stability of biomass feedstock supply to make bioenergy competitive with fossil fuels. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.