Preliminary design of biomass fuel storage on a thermoelectric based biomass-electric energy conversion

Rural electrification in an archipelago country like Indonesia is a challenge. Indonesian government has stated that basic need of electricity is 60 kWh, however it is not easy to fulfill it. Fortunately, Indonesia is rich in biomass potency. Therefore, converting biomass energy to electricity might be a solution to the country electricity problem. A simple thermal energy harvesting system comprised of biomass burner and thermoelectric generator was investigated. Hot water storage was introduced to provide steady temperature. This paper specifically reported about the fuel storage mechanism of the proposed system. Two fuel storage mechanisms are investigated: integrated and bulk storage types. Integrated storage is a fuel storage facility that is included on energy harvesting device which useful in short-term operation, while bulk storage is located external of energy harvesting device which normally used for long-term operation. Based on the specification of pellet type, which is referred to EN 14961-1 standard, calculation shown that the largest volume of integrated fuel storage type for 168 hours of operation is 0.345 m3, while the bulk fuel storage type is 4.728 m3 for 6 months of operation.