Determination of the biomass energy content in cogeneration plants

Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 720229 Universitatii 13, Suceava, Romania

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Published online: 11 June 2026

Abstract

The energy performance of a cogeneration plant is influenced by the correct determination of the energy flows entering and leaving the energy contour. The rigorous determination of the energy content of solid biomass is a critical element in evaluating the performance of cogeneration systems. The intrinsic variability of the moisture and chemical composition of biomass directly influences the primary energy introduced into the system and conditions the values of the thermal and electrical efficiencies. In the absence of a correct quantification of the fuel energy, energy balances, efficiency indicators and economic analyses can be affected by systematic errors, compromising the comparability and validity of the reported results. This study presents a procedure for determining the energy content of solid biomass in the case of cogeneration plants, highlighting the factors that can introduce significant errors in energy balances