Energetic Performance and Profitability of Energy Systems Fed by Vegetable Oils

In this paper, energetic and economic analyses of vegetable oil fed energy systems are presented. The paper focuses on the process from oil to energy, while the economic costs of the transformation process of the biomass from field to oil is assumed embodied in the cost of the oils. Five different oils are taken into account (sunflower, colza, soybean, palm and waste fried oil) as fuels for cogenerative Internal Combustion Engines. Energetic analyses allow the evaluation of the installed power, of the produced energies, and of the primary energy saving index for different yearly oil mass values. The results of the economic analyses as a function of yearly oil mass are presented. The cost sources are highlighted in order to point out the major contributors. Moreover, analyses of the limit value of incentive and oil price in order to guarantee plant profitability are carried out.