A review of alternative biofuels for power generation and design of a cogeneration (CHP) power plant

Due to excessive use of fossil fuel/natural gases around the world and increasing global fuel demand for the industries & commercial purposes, renewable energies have become more important as an alternative source of fuel. The necessity of clean and environmental friendly power generation is leading the world to the use of various types’ biofuels and replacing conventional fuels by them. Increasingly heavy demands are expected for current power plants in terms of efficiency, impact on the environment, fuel flexibility, power production costs etc. And therefore, at these present scenarios, the use of biofuels in power generation is a situation demand. That’s why in recent years considerable attention has been paid to power generation from alternative fuels especially in small scale plants for flexibility in terms of operational point of view as well as to produce energy at higher efficiency with lowest possible emission effects. In this respect, the small-scale cogeneration system powered by bio-fuel is an attractive concept.The aim of the present work is to provide an extensive review of alternative biofuels for power generation and to provide a overview on small-scale cogeneration (CHP) plant from practical engineering perspective.