Bangladesh needs electrification through biogas

by Abdullah Al-Muyeed and A.M. Shadullah

Bangladesh still remains an agrarian country. Because of increasing population growth, the amount of per capita cultivable land is dwindling very fast.
In order to survive as a nation, and to prosper in the 21st century, Bangladesh will have to shift from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. Consequently, power generation will have to increase substantially to achieve that goal and measures to achieve countrywide transmission coverage should be initiated on a priority basis.

Electricity is an essential pre-requisite for technological progress and economic growth. Bangladesh has been facing a severe power crisis for about a decade. Currently, power generation in the country is almost entirely dependent on natural gas (i.e. 84.5 % of total electricity generation installed capacity).
At the current 10 % annual rate of growth of consumption, the proven reserve of natural gas may not last more than the next 10-15 years. Electrification of villages in remote areas usually requires large investment and leads to power losses associated with transmission and distribution networks.

One of the great promises of renewable energy technologies is the potential to provide electricity in areas not served by national power grids. The Renewable Energy Policy of Bangladesh, published in 2008, stated that renewable energy could play a vital role for off-grid electrification in the country.
The main renewable energy resources in Bangladesh are biomass, solar, wind and hydropower. The hydropower potential of Bangladesh is limited due to the relatively flat topography of the country. Most of the potential sites for wind power utilisation are situated in the coastal regions.

Wind power generation in Bangladesh has certain limitations due to the lack of reliable wind speed data and the remarkable seasonal variation of wind speed.
Another potential source is solar energy (utilising solar photovoltaic (PV) systems) but the high capital investment costof solar PV is a big barrier. Biomass is the major energy source in Bangladesh and biomass utilisation systems represent a proven option for small to medium-scale decentralised electricity generation.

Energy situation
Bangladesh's per capita energy consumption is very low, the lowest within the Indian subcontinent. The 2008 energy consumption value stands at about 250 kgOE which is quite low compared to 550 kgOE for India, 515 kgOE for Pakistan, 430 kgOE for Sri Lanka, 475 kgOE (average) for South Asia and far below the world average of 1,680 kgOE.
Total primary energy consumption in 2008 was 33.50 mm toe and the energy consumption mix was estimated as: indigenous biomass 62 %, indigenous natural gas 25 %, imported oil 12 % and imported coal and hydro combined about 1 %.

Two-thirds of the country's total population live in rural areas, meeting most of their energy needs (domestic, commercial and industrial) from traditional biomass fuels.
Various marketing companies under the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) distribute kerosene and diesel throughout the country at a uniform tariff rate set by the government. Around 32 % have access to electricity, while in rural areas the availability of electricity is only 22 %.

But the quality of service in rural areas is very poor: frequent outages, voltage fluctuations and unreliable and erratic supply. Only 34 % of households have natural gas connection for cooking purposes. Only about 23 % households use kerosene for cooking and the rest (over 90 %) depend on biomass.
Contribution of biomass in total primary energy consumption of Bangladesh is around 60 %. The major sources of traditional biomass are agricultural residues (45 %), wood and wood wastes (35 %) and animal dung (20 %). Industrial and commercial use of biomass accounts for 14 % of total energy consumption. Some 63 % of energy required in the industrial sector comes from biomass fuel.

Primarily biomass and kerosene are used by a majority of households. Natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity, kerosene and biomass fuels are mainly used for cooking. In areas without natural gas and electricity, biomass is used to meet household cooking needs.
A good amount of bio energy is used for parboiling and space heating. A recent urban household survey estimated that consumption of biomass fuel is 319 kg per capita per year.

Dr Abdullah Al-Muyeed and Dr A.M. Shadullah are faculty members of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Departments of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology.