Potential of distributed wood-based biopower systems serving basic electricity needs in rural Uganda

Buchholz, Thomas; Silva, Izael Da

doi:10.1016/j.esd.2010.01.002

Cited by 48 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…It is assumed that each community has an average of 8 persons/household and 250 households in each community with an electricity need of 30 KWh/month. The electricity need for public centers such as schools and health posts in each community is estimated at 5,000 KWh/year and commercial centers such as grain mills, barber shops, metal workshops, cell phone chargers and other commercial users need an estimated 15,000 KWh/year (Buchholz and Da Silva 2010). Thus each community has an average electricity requirement of 110,000 KWh/ year.…”

Section: Savings For End Usersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy recovery from domestic and agro-waste streams in Uganda: a socioeconomic assessment

Gebrezgabher¹,

Amewu²,

Taron³

et al. 2016

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Resource Recovery and Reuse (RRR) is a subprogram of the CGIAR ResearchProgram on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) dedicated to applied research on the safe recovery of water, nutrients and energy from domestic and agro-industrial waste streams. This subprogram aims to create impact through different lines of action research, including (i) developing and testing scalable RRR business models, (ii) assessing and mitigating risks from RRR for public health and the environment, (iii) supporting public and private entities with innovative approaches for the safe reuse of wastewater and organic waste, and (iv) improving rural-urban linkages and resource allocations while minimizing the negative urban footprint on the peri-urban environment. This sub-program works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations University (UNU), and many national and international partners across the globe. The RRR series of documents present summaries and reviews of the sub-program's research and resulting application guidelines, targeting development experts and others in the research for development continuum.

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Section: Savings For End Usersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy recovery from domestic and agro-waste streams in Uganda: a socioeconomic assessment

Gebrezgabher¹,

Amewu²,

Taron³

et al. 2016

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“…Wood-fuelled gasifiers combust biomass in an oxygencontrolled environment, generating producer-gas containing 19 + 3% carbon monoxide, 10 + 3% carbon dioxide, 50% nitrogen, 18 + 2% hydrogen and less than 3% methane (Ankur Scientific India, 2012), which then fuels an internal combustion engine. Wood-based electricity production is characterised by low material and energy input (Heller et al, 2004; Pimentel et al, 2002; Zanchi et al, 2012) and can deliver electricity more cost efficiently than alternatives (Banerjee, 2006;Buchholz and Da Silva, 2010). However, implementation hurdles can be substantial (Ghosh et al, 2006) because of its complexity.…”

Section: Electricity From Small-scale Gasification In Ugandamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…56/kWh, respectively) for comparable scales. Gasification systems provide some additional logistical challenges in conjunction with the increased labour requirements (time and expertise) compared to alternative electricity production systems (Buchholz and Da Silva, 2010). However, labour costs played a minor role in the overall production costs.…”

Section: Status Of Case Studies In 2012mentioning

confidence: 99%

Power from wood gasifiers in Uganda: a 250 kW and 10 kW case study

Buchholz

Silva

Furtado

2012

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Energy

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Wood gasification systems have the potential to contribute to rural electrification in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper presents an operational and economic analysis of two wood-based gasification systems (250 kW and 10 kW) installed in Uganda in 2007. Both systems proved their potential to compete economically with diesel-generated electricity when operating close to the rated capacity. At an output of 150 kW running for approximately 12 h/day and 8 kW running for approximately 8 h/day, the systems produced electricity at US$0 . 18 and 0 . 34/kWh, respectively. A stable electricity demand close to the rated capacity proved to be a challenge for both systems. Fuelwood costs accounted for approximately US$0 . 03 kWh for both systems. Recovery of even a small fraction of the excess heat (22%) already resulted in substantial profitability gains for the 250 kW system. Results indicate that replicating successful wood gasification systems stipulates the integration of sustainable fuelwood supply and viable business models. Introduction Electricity access and human wellbeingElectricity access is crucial to attain the Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction and environmental sustainability (OECD/IEA, 2010). Of the 77% of Ugandans living in rural areas in 2008(FAO, 2011, fewer than 9% had access to electricity (IEA, 2011). Erratic electricity services force industries to spend approximately 34% of total investment into generator back-up systems (Eberhardt et al., 2005). Surprisingly, absent modern energy services are not necessarily caused by poverty. Many poor already pay more per unit of energy than the better off due to inefficient technology and corruption (DFID, 2002). Electricity from small-scale gasification in UgandaDespite encouraging biomass productivity conditions, modern bioenergy systems are scarce in Uganda. Established small-scale technology such as gasification can be locally operated providing cost-efficient energy (Buchholz and Volk, 2012;DFID, 2002). Wood-fuelled gasifiers combust biomass in an oxygencontrolled environment, generating producer-gas containing 19 + 3% carbon monoxide, 10 + 3% carbon dioxide, 50% nitrogen, 18 + 2% hydrogen and less than 3% methane (Ankur Scientific India, 2012), which then fuels an internal combustion engine. Wood-based electricity production is characterised by low material and energy input (Heller et al., 2004; Pimentel et al., 2002; Zanchi et al., 2012) and can deliver electricity more cost efficiently than alternatives (Banerjee, 2006;Buchholz and Da Silva, 2010). However, implementation hurdles can be substantial (Ghosh et al., 2006) because of its complexity. Systems from 10 kW to 50 MW are under investigation region wide (Buchholz and Volk, 2012;Buchholz et al., 2007aBuchholz et al., , 2007b Pamoja Cleantech AB, 2012), and frameworks to mitigate potential ecological and social risks of these systems are being developed (Buchholz et al., 2009 This study investigated the operational and financial implications of a 250 and 10 kW gasifier in Uganda. Visited i...

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“…Despite being economically competitive compared to other alternatives, biomass gasification is not yet widely used in Uganda. These studies emphasise the need to understand this low level of diffusion in terms of policy and business plans [16,43]. Thus, our case study of a foreign energy service company can help to shed light on the dissemination challenge.…”

Section: Overview Of the Energy Service Companymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies reveal that biomass is a high-potential source of energy for Uganda [16,43]. Modern bioenergy technologies have been introduced, but their diffusion remains limited.…”

Section: Overview Of the Energy Service Companymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mini-grids and renewable energy in rural Africa: How diffusion theory explains adoption of electricity in Uganda

Eder

Mutsaerts²,

Sriwannawit

2015

Energy Research & Social Science

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a b s t r a c tWith diffusion theory as the point of departure, this study analyses the factors that influence the adoption of renewable electricity from individual households' perspectives. The analysis is based on a case study provided by a Swedish energy service company operating in rural Uganda. The company distributes electricity to rural households via a mini-grid powered by a biomass gasification system. Three critical dimensions are identified to be crucial for adoption: technical, economic, and social. First, there is an emphasis on the relative advantages of the new technology. Second, there are economic requirements regarding a viable financial system for adopters, especially in such a low-income market. Third, the social dimension is critical, particularly the importance of foreign firms collaborating with local actors. We further suggest that a lack of understanding of local communities can lead foreign companies to fail in diffusion attempts. While we focus on Uganda, the results of our research are highly relevant for foreign actors who attempt to penetrate rural markets in developing countries in general.

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Potential of distributed wood-based biopower systems serving basic electricity needs in rural Uganda

Cited by 48 publications

References 19 publications

Energy recovery from domestic and agro-waste streams in Uganda: a socioeconomic assessment

Energy recovery from domestic and agro-waste streams in Uganda: a socioeconomic assessment

Power from wood gasifiers in Uganda: a 250 kW and 10 kW case study

Mini-grids and renewable energy in rural Africa: How diffusion theory explains adoption of electricity in Uganda

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