Biomass feedstock costs vary widely over distance, season, geographical location, type, and availability. Additionally, feedstock cost is traditionally a very substantial cost of every kilowatt-hour generated from biopower. The defaults are averages of several recent costs but may not be appropriate for your analysis.

Note. The default cost values that appear when you create a file or case are intended to illustrate SAM's use. The cost data are meant to be realistic, but not to represent actual costs for a specific project. For more information and a list of online resources for cost data, see the SAM website.

Transportation Costs

Transporting biomass differs from transporting fossil fuels in two ways. First of all, biomass has a significantly lower energy density and generally higher moisture contents. Additionally, biomass feedstocks are more distributed than fossil fuels, which are largely collected from extraction points such as mines or wells. Since long-distance biomass transportation is currently unfeasible, most biomass is delivered via diesel trucks. At larger distances, railway transport may become more cost effective.

Distance-fixed delivery cost

A distance-fixed delivery cost includes expenses incurred that are not dependent on the distance traveled. For example, this category may include the expense associated with the vehicle itself, as well as loading and unloading costs.

Distance-variable delivery cost

The distance-variable delivery cost is expressed in terms of $/ton-mi which directly reports the cost of hauling a ton of biomass as harvested for one mile. This could include vehicle maintenance costs and fuel expenditures which directly correlate to miles traveled.

Feedstock Price ($/dry ton)

The feedstock price is the cost of one ton of dry biomass. Note, the transportation cost is separate.

Fuel Escalation Rate (%/year)

The anticipated fuel price escalation rate can be specified separately for both biomass and coal feedstocks.