Development of Indicators for the Energy Assessment of Biomass Integration into Electrical Grids in Colombia

The increasing need for flexible and decentralized electricity systems in Colombia has renewed interest in biomass as a complementary renewable energy source beyond conventional large-scale applications. Rather than focusing on specific conversion technologies, this study develops an indicator-based framework aimed at qualifying the energetic suitability of diverse biomass resources for integration into electrical microgrids and distributed generation schemes. The research follows a documentary and comparative methodological design structured around sequential analytical stages, including the systematization of biomass resources, their physicochemical and energetic characterization based on reported data, conceptual analysis of the biomass-to-electricity pathway, and the formulation of quantitative energy indicators. These indicators are subsequently transformed into qualitative categories through a discretization procedure that enables relative comparison across resource types. Agricultural residues, livestock by-products, urban pruning waste, and residues from dedicated energy crops were considered within a unified analytical framework. The resulting indicator set captures resource availability, energy content, and conversion-relevant attributes, allowing biomass alternatives to be assessed in a consistent and comparable manner without relying on site-specific technological assumptions. By translating quantitative parameters into qualitative energy profiles, the proposed approach supports early-stage planning and decision-making for decentralized power systems. The framework provides a systematic basis for identifying biomass resources with favorable energetic characteristics and contributes to the broader discussion on sustainable and diversified electricity generation in Colombia.