Electricity from bamboo in Africa

Enea has released a comparative study of small-scale power generation technologies from wood biomass and its application to a project using bamboo in Rwanda and Burundi.

As part of its volunteering action, Enea helped INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rottin) to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of its project and to select the technology best adapted to the local context and to the objectives of the project.

This study includes a detailed analysis of combustion, gasification and pyrolysis systems and associated engines. For each case, the principles, advantages and disadvantages, degree of maturity, adaptation to low power, flexibility to biomass variations, economic aspects and environmental impacts are described and compared.

The integration of the unit into its environment and its electricity use patterns were also the subject of an in-depth analysis, supported by the calculation of the bamboo surfaces required to achieve the electricity supply objectives according to the chosen technology.