Agro Fossil Free - Integrated approach for provision of clean energy and water in rural Bangladesh

General Description

The ultimate goal of this paper is to explore ways to upgrade energy and water services in rural areas of Bangladesh while improving resource recovery. The study analyzes the potential of a poly-generation system using locally available biomass resources (cow dung and agriculture residue) for providing cooking energy, electricity, and drinking water to a rural community. A questionnaire survey was conducted in Pani Para village with 52 households to investigate demand patterns and estimate the resource potential and amount of biogas needed in the poly-generation system. A poly-generation system with 150 m3 biogas digester and a 10 kWe generator is required to meet cooking energy, electricity and water demand in the village. Co-digestion of available resources including cow dung and agriculture residues can provide 48,250 m3 biogas/year, which is sufficient to supply electricity and clean drinking water to all households in the village. In addition, around two thirds of the households can use biogas for cooking. The sensitivity analysis shows that if the amount of agriculture residues is increased by 15%, also cooking gas can be provided to all households. The results indicate that such integrated solutions are worth further exploration.