DISTRIBUTED ELECTRICITY GENERATION FROM
BIOMASS GASIFICATION AS A SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY OPTION FOR RURAL MYANMAR
Keywords: biomass energy, cost analysis, distributed generation, electrification,
gasification, mini-grid, rural development
ABSTRACT
Myanmar is known for her natural diversity and abundance in agricultural and for-
estry products. Major biomass residues available include paddy husk, straw, fuel-
wood and bamboo. These renewable energy sources have great potential to be util-
ized for power generation, considering the fact that the country experiences short-
age in electricity supply, especially in rural areas. In this paper, a demonstration
project for sustainable development of biomass energy sources to fulfill energy
demand of remote villages in Myanmar is presented. A biomass gasifier, coupled
with an engine-generator system has been deployed to supply electricity to a local
community with a demand of about 100 kWh/day. An installed capacity of 50 kWe
is believed to be sufficient for current and future domestic use. The gasification and
electricity generation system, as well as line distribution and connection to house-
holds have been successfully demonstrated. The electricity cost has been estimated
to be in the range between $0.12-0.23/kWh (150-300 kyat/kWh) in comparison to
$0.60/kWh (800 kyat/kWh) from an existing diesel system.