> Paper series: Small-scale Electricity Generation from Biomass GTZ-HERA has
looked more closely into the small-scale use of biomass for rural off-grid
electrification. Results are disillusioning.
Christa, Michael, Elmar,
Thank you for pointing us to these reports. There is some interesting
information in the gasification report but frankly the study is not much use
to either policy makers or engineers. I say this not because of its
conclusions but because if its content. Those of us who have been involved
in small scale gasification for more than 35 years have lived through the
litany of tears reported in the study. We will look with interest at the
documents and literature that are cited but I suspect that we could make
better use of these studies and come to more useful conclusions.
As an overview report it identifies a number of problems (toxic gases, tars,
pollutants) without clearly understanding or describing how these are
solved. It would be far more useful if it were written from an engineering
perspective that highlighted lessons learned, paths forward and
circumstances where gasification can work rather than concluding,
essentially, that small scale gasification has failed because it does not
meet the criteria of the European automobile industry. Even highly
productive systems were discounted because they didn't meet European
environmental health and safety standards. Reading the report one would not
know that there are affordable small scale systems that you can very safely
run in your backyard in Germany.
The report ignores developments in the last five years that are yielding
systems that solve many of the problems that are highlighted. It has ignored
some very important sources. It quotes unidentified sources ("independent
experts") and old data (Stassen's World Bank study). Literature is cited but
it does not look like very many of us who are involved in gasifier
development were contacted for this study. It assumes that students who
write theses correctly interpret what they observe. It incorrectly applies
problems associated with some gasifier designs to all gasifiers.
To be of any use to industry or policy makers this introductory, or overview
level, study should be followed up with a deeper study of how gasification
can be used successfully. (A follow up could be done in collaboration with
the IEA Task 33 on biomass gasification.) At best it will stimulate
interest in making better gasification systems. At worst it will erode
confidence (i.e. funding) at the policy level in the potential of small
scale gasification.
Kind regards,
Tom Miles
www.gasifiers.bioenergylists.org
Ref.
Small-scale Electricity Generation from Biomass
Part 1 - Biomass Gasification
http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/gtz2010-en-small-scale-electricity-generation
-from-biomass-part-I.pdf
Part 2 - Biogas
http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/gtz2010-en-small-scale-electricity-generation
-from-biomass-part-2.pdf
Part 3 of the paper series which will cover plant oil for power generation
will be available by the end of this year.
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