Influence of latitude on raw material consumption by biomass combined heat and power plants: Energy conservation study of 50 cities and counties in the cold region of China

In the context of the mismatch between the potential in biomass energy and energy demand, proper space allocation and energy flow are necessary to improve the utilization rate of biomass energy, but the spatial distribution of heating demand has not been fully studied. This paper takes 50 cities/counties in the UTC+0800 time zone of the centralized winter heating zone in China and investigates the effects of geographical latitude on the per-capita raw material consumption by biomass combined heat and power plants (biomass CHP plants). Per-capita energy consumption is determined by electricity and heating consumption. The per-capita raw material consumption by biomass CHP plants during heating and non-heating periods is calculated by combining the average calorific value of each province with thermal efficiency. A regression model was constructed for latitude and per-capita raw material consumption by biomass CHP plants. The resulting curve exhibited an inverse S-shape during the heating period, with a positive correlation, but an insignificant correlation during the non-heating period. The study area can be divided into a high-impact area (regions to the south of 37°N and north of 45°N) and a low-impact area (regions between 37°N and 45°N). The initial investment process for the high-impact area should use scale and the heat-to-power ratio for planning biomass CHP plants according to geographical area and the design energy flow based on latitude to improve the self-sufficiency and energy efficiency of the area.