Biomass-based power shows many potential benefits

                                                         

·         Distributed generation – Because biomass is available in almost all places, and especially in rural areas, and more important, as gasification based power production can be done on small scales (as low as 20 kW), this process can be used for distributed generation of power as against the centralized power production method followed today.

·         Base load power – Many renewable energy sources such as solar and wind cannot be used for base load power generation due to their intermittency and variability. Biomass based power generation, on the other hand, can be used for base load power generation.

·         Suited for rural areas – Biomass based power is well suited to remote villages with no access to grid but access to significant amounts of biomass

·         Ability to have small, kW scale power production – Biomass gasification based power production can be done at small scales – as small as 20 kW – unlike other sources of power (say, nuclear) that require much larger scales. This will ideally suit small villages that have only a few households.

·         Rural economic upliftment - Also the possibility of increasing the prosperity of rural areas especially if dedicated energy crops become common for biomass based power production – Currently, most biomass based power production uses waste biomass such as agro waste and waste from agro processing units. However a trend is emerging in which companies are exploring the use of dedicated energy crops for biomass power production. This has the twin benefits of a more reliable biomass supply chain and at the same time providing the much needed employment for the rural masses. Given that a 1 MW biomass based power generation could require biomass growth in over 150 hectares, the opportunities for rural employment are indeed significant.

·         Carbon neutral - Biomass power results in no new net GHG emissions as it is part of the carbon cycle. Unlike coal and other forms of fossil fuel which have been buried millions of years ago and burning them adds to carbon in the atmosphere, whereas biomass energy generation results in no new carbon emission or pollution

 

·         Efficient utilization of renewable biological sources - Biomass power is an efficient process which results in the use of mostly animal and crop wastes which would be converted into carbon dioxide anyway.

·         Large variety of feedstock – Biomass power can use a large variety of feedstock such as wood pellets, rice husk, bagasse etc.

·         Reduces methane, a major GHG gas – Decomposition of organic matter releases methane. Capturing this methane yields energy while protecting the atmosphere. The animal industry and landfills produce significant amounts of methane.

·         Low Cost Resource – Biomass power can be produced economically, at costs competitive to grid power, if there is a good availability of feedstock.