information regarding a study from Finnish researchers studying the viability of brush chips for energy production in Namibia:
Biomass power plants cannot profit from the power generation in Namibia based on brushwood chips without investment support and profits from emissions trading. This is the conclusion of a study carried out by the Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT) in cooperation with Namibian specialists.
In order for the production of electricity from brushwood chips to be commercially profitable for 10 and 20 megawatt (MW) power plants, investment aid of 35% and 15 euros per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted in quota emissions trading are necessary. If this logic is followed, the plant will become profitable after a period of seven to ten years.
The country's capital, Windhoek, however, has a coal-fired power station. According to Finnish and Namibian researchers, converting one of its four boilers into biomass would be beneficial, even without any help. By reaching a capacity of 20 MW, the investment would be repaid in seven years.
Many parts of southern Africa are overgrown with scrub: 1000-10000 bushes per hectare grow in the most affected region, around 10 million hectares in the northern parts of central and eastern Namibia, or the equivalent of a biomass of 5 to 25 tonnes per hectare. This dense growth makes raising livestock (the country's main source of income) rather difficult. Indeed, it prevents movement in these regions as well as the growth of pasture.
The present study suggests trimming the brush and leaving only 200 to 300 of the larger plants in the savannah. By obtaining an average quantity of 10 tonnes per hectare, the affected estates would produce a total of 125 million tonnes of biomass and, therefore, approximately 500 terawatt hours (TWh).
However, in 1999, total energy consumption in Namibia was only 12,6 TWh, the researchers note. Thus, using brush chips for power generation will not only facilitate livestock rearing, but will also contribute to Namibia's energy self-sufficiency. Indeed, at present, it imports most of its energy from South Africa.
Brush chips are already used as firewood in Namibia. They are also the raw material for the production of charcoal and sinter.
To know more:
1. See the origin of this information.
2. Access the website of the Technical Research Center of Finland.
