Biomass power project mulled

The Cogen (Asian Institute of Technology) of Thailand and the Energy Development and Utilization Foundation Inc. (Edufi) are planning to undertake a major biomass power project by the end of this year or early next year.

Cogen executive director and technical adviser Ludovic Lacrosse said in an interview, the biomass development would be concentrated in the rice and sugar sectors, where bioenergy has its highest potential.

Bioenergy is derived from biomass – a term that generally refers to any plant or anila matter. Bioenergy in the form of heat or electricity that can be produced by using biomass directly as a fuel or by converting it to biogas or liquid biofuels.

The bioenergy projects can also be small enough to produce the lighting and cooking energy for a single household or village. At this level, one of the most common technologies to utilize bioenergy is cookstove.

Lacrosse said the partnership between Cogen and Edufi, has identified various projects already, most of which are located in the northern part of Luzon. – Donnabelle Gatdula