Agricultural residue gasification for low-cost, low-carbon decentralized power: An empirical case study in Cambodia

John L. Field; Paul Tanger; Simon J. Shackley; Stephan M. Haefele

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.05.100

Agricultural residue gasification for low-cost, low-carbon decentralized power: An empirical case study in Cambodia

John L. Field, Paul Tanger, Simon J. Shackley, Stephan M. Haefele

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Small-scale distributed gasification can provide energy access for low-carbon sustainable development, though current understanding of the economic and environmental performance of the technology relies mostly on assumption-heavy modeling studies. Here we report a detailed empirical assessment and uncertainty estimation for four real-world gasification power systems operating at rice mills in rural Cambodia. System inputs and outputs were characterized while operating in both diesel and dual-fuel modes and synthesized into a model of carbon and energy balance, economic performance, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Our results confirm that the best-performing systems reduce diesel fuel use by up to 83%, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and recouping the initial system capital investment within one year. However, we observe a significant performance disparity across the systems observed leading to a wide range of economic outcomes. We also highlight related critical sustainability challenges around the management of byproducts that should be addressed before more widespread implementation of the technology.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	612-624
Number of pages	13
Journal	Applied Energy
Volume	177
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.05.100
State	Published - Sep 1 2016
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This work was made possible through funding from the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research via the BIOCHARM project; the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI); the Colorado State University (CSU) Sustainable Biofuel Development Center; the CSU Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Bioenergy NSF-IGERT program; the Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE-BER) under Contract No. DE-FG02- 08ER64629; and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Linkage Grant DRPC2011-42. The authors would like to thank Dr. Priya Karve of the Appropriate Rural Technology Institute and Sarah Carter of the University of Edinburgh for their leadership of the BIOCHARM project; Drs. Bryan Willson, Morgan DeFoort, and Jan E. Leach of CSU and Engrs. Martin Gummert and Paterno Borlagdan of IRRI for their guidance and technical advice; Jessica Tryner for her manuscript review and technical critique; Tony Knowles, Roeurn Un, and Dana Leuk of SME Renewable Energy; and system owners K.M., Y.P., E.S., C.K., Y.L., and C.M. for their participation and generous hospitality.

Keywords

Biochar
Gasification
Lifecycle assessment
Rice husk
Rural electricity enterprise
Sustainable development

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10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.05.100

Cite this

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abstract = "Small-scale distributed gasification can provide energy access for low-carbon sustainable development, though current understanding of the economic and environmental performance of the technology relies mostly on assumption-heavy modeling studies. Here we report a detailed empirical assessment and uncertainty estimation for four real-world gasification power systems operating at rice mills in rural Cambodia. System inputs and outputs were characterized while operating in both diesel and dual-fuel modes and synthesized into a model of carbon and energy balance, economic performance, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Our results confirm that the best-performing systems reduce diesel fuel use by up to 83%, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and recouping the initial system capital investment within one year. However, we observe a significant performance disparity across the systems observed leading to a wide range of economic outcomes. We also highlight related critical sustainability challenges around the management of byproducts that should be addressed before more widespread implementation of the technology.",

keywords = "Biochar, Gasification, Lifecycle assessment, Rice husk, Rural electricity enterprise, Sustainable development",

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AU - Tanger, Paul

AU - Shackley, Simon J.

AU - Haefele, Stephan M.

PY - 2016/9/1

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Agricultural residue gasification for low-cost, low-carbon decentralized power: An empirical case study in Cambodia

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

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