Biomass as fuel 295Biomass projects in rural areas in the developing world
In much of the developing world, most of the popu-
lation live in areas where there is little or no access
to electricity or modern energy services. There is
large potential for creating local biomass projects
to provide such services. The use of sugar cane as
biomass provides one example of what is beginning
to be provided; three other examples are given of
pilot projects in different countries,^35 all of which
could be replicated many times.
Sugar cane as biomass
A sugar cane factory produces many different
byproducts that can be efficiently employed as
sources of energy – either for biofuels or for elec-
tricity production.
Sugar cane production yields two kinds of
biomass fuel suitable for gasification (Figure
11.10), known as bagasse and barbojo. Bagasse is
the residue from crushing the cane and is thus avail-
able during the milling season; barbojo consists of
the topsand leaves of the cane plant,which could be
stored for use after the milling season. It has been es-
timated that, using these sugar cane sources, within
thirty years or so, the eighty sugar-cane-producing
countries in the developing world could generate
two-thirds of their current electricity needs at a price
competitive with fossil fuel energy sources.^36
Rural power production, India
Decentralised Energy Systems India Private Lim-
ited are piloting the first independent power projects
of around100 kW capacity in rural India owned and
operated by village community co-operatives. An
example is a small co-operative in Baharwari, Bi-
har State, where a biomass gasification power plant
is used as a source of electricity for local enter-
prises, for instance for pumping water in the dry sea-
son. Local income is thereby generated that enables
villagers to expand their micro-industries and
create more jobs – all of which in turn increases the
ability of people to pay for improved energy ser-
vices. A ‘mutuality of interest’ is created between
biomass fuel suppliers, electricity users and plant
operators.
Integrated biogas systems, Yunnan, China
The South-North Institute for Sustainable Devel-
opment has introduced a novel integrated biogas
system in the Baima Snow Mountains Nature Re-
serve, Yunnan Province. The system links a biogas
digester, pigsty, toilet and greenhouse. The biogas
generated is used for cooking and replaces the burn-
ing of natural firewood, the ‘greenhouse’ pigsty in-
creases the efficiency of pig-raising, the toilet im-
proves rural environmental hygiene, and vegetables
and fruits planted in the greenhouse increase the in-
come of local inhabitants. Manure and other organic
waste from the pigsty and toiletare used as the raw
material for biogas generation that delivers about
10 kWh per day of useful energy. The operation of
fifty such systems has considerably reduced local
firewood consumption.
Biomass power generation and coconut
oil pressing, the Philippines
The Community Power Corporation (CPC) has
developed a modular biopower unit that can run
on waste residue or biomass crops and can en-
able village-level production of coconut oil. CPC
and local partners are using the modular biopower
unit fuelled by the waste coconut shells to pro-
vide electricity to a low-cost mini-coconut-oil-mill
(developed by the Philippines Coconut Authority
and the University of Philippines), sixteen of which
are now operating in various Philippine villages.
Furthermore, the biopower unit generates waste
heat which is essential to drying the coconuts prior
to pressing.