Converting waste rice husks in to 20MW of power, India
Context
The agricultural sector is particularly important in India, with well over half of the population generating an income from agriculture. The country has some 195 million hectares of land under cultivation, and it is the world’s second largest producer of rice, accounting for 22.5% of overall world rice production. Rice production is a particularly important source of income for rural populations, such as those in Chhattisgarh, a state located in East-Central India.
At the same time, India’s energy needs are rising fast, with growth in electricity demand and other energy uses among the highest in the world. Currently rural India largely relies on coal power plants, which not only emit CO2 but also contaminate local water sources and cause long term health issues for employees.
Biomass power is considered a ‘bridging solution’ – allowing waste products to be used to generate power as an alternative to high-emitting fossil fuels, whilst we scale up capacity for solar, wind and other types of renewables to accommodate our global energy needs. It is important to note that only biomass projects utilising waste products can be categorised as renewable energy projects. The EU recently made their position on this clear, stating that, “Apart from certain exemptions, woody biomass would no longer be considered as renewable energy and would therefore no longer be eligible for incentives meant to promote renewables.” Biomass grown specifically for the purpose of being burned to create energy is not a renewable energy solution, and certainly not something Ecologi would support, as it usually leads to monocultures being grown which are detrimental to biodiversity, and means investment is being diverted from truly renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.
Project
This project develops a new biomass power plant in Siltara, Raipur, in the state of Chhattisgarh. The power plant makes use of rice husk waste as the energy source for a 20 MW steam turbine.
Rice husks are the hard protective covering of grains of rice that are discarded when rice is harvested. The rice husks from a 50km radius from the project site are collected and combusted in a boiler. This produces high pressure steam which is used to turn a turbine, which drives a generator and generates electricity.
This renewable, carbon neutral electricity is then fed into the grid, displacing electricity that would otherwise be generated by fossil fuels. The project therefore leads to greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 107,509 tonnes of CO2e each year.
The project activity also leads to generation of direct and indirect employment in the local area, for example in collecting and transporting biomass to the power plants. It also adds income to the farmers by providing added economic value to the rice that they produce.
Additionally, some of the money from the sale of carbon credits is used to fund community projects within the local area. These include; a new health clinic in the village of Kachhe AariDongri; the provision of scholarships and school trips; the funding of new teachers for the schools; provision of training centres for girls and women; the installation of a new water pump in the village of Tada; and the provision of tankers of water for local communities during summer droughts.
Verification
This project is verified by the Gold Standard. You can view it on the Gold Standard registry here.
Climate solution #34
Biomass Power
Biomass feedstock can replace fossil fuels for generating heat and electricity. Only perennial biomass is advisable, offering a “bridge” solution to clean, renewable production.
Carbon-rich biomass can be harvested to produce heat, create steam for electricity production, or be processed into oil or gas. Doing so trades in carbon that is already in circulation, cycling from atmosphere to plants and back again. Grow plants and sequester carbon. Process and burn biomass. Emit carbon. Repeat. It produces net zero new emissions, so long as use and replenishment remain in balance.
By 2050, biomass power could avoid 2.5-3.6 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions.