AID approach : using agricultural and forestry wastes for the production of energy in support of rural development

In 1979, A.I.D. began to explore the possibility of tapping biomass resources for energy production in the service of rural development. Building on this experience, the Biomass Energy Systems and Technology project (BEST) seeks to integrate natural resources, private sector expertise, and financial support in order to convert biomass into marketable energy products at existing agro-processing facilities. This report documents BEST"s approach to biomass promotion and includes sections on: (1) the rationale for the project"s commodity focus (sugar cane, rice, and wood); (2) the relevant U.S. biomass experience with rice, cane, and wood residues, etc.) which BEST draws upon; (3) A.I.D."s experience in the field application of rice, wood, and cane residue bioenergy systems; (4) economic analyses of biomass systems (using examples from Indonesia and Costa Rica); (5) research initiatives to develop off-season fuels for sugar mills, advanced biomass conversion systems, and energy efficiency in sugar factories; and (6) the environmental aspects of biomass (including its ability to be used without increasing global warming). The report notes that although biomass systems can be a powerful and cost-effective spur to rural development, they have still not, some 15 years after the first energy crisis, been either accepted or commercially disseminated to the degree originally anticipated.