Optimizing the production and distribution system of bioenergy villages

In bioenergy villages, local bioenergy plants are installed to supply electricity, which is fed into the national grid, and to heat households through a local heat distribution network. In this paper, a linear mathematical model, which economically optimizes local bioenergy production and distribution systems based on a given set of system components, is presented. The model simultaneously determines the optimal capacity of the system, the objects that should be connected to the heating network and the course of the network. Additionally, a combined heat and power (CHP) biogas plant builds the production system. The problem is modeled as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) and is applied to a village with n potential heat customers. This model offers the possibility of economically assessing various scenarios concerning different planning situations and optimizing the capacity planning for the biogas plant and the course of the district heating network. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.