Biomass Power Development for the Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines has abundant supplies of biomass resources, offering much potential for energy generation particularly from rice hulls and municipal solid waste. At present, the amount of usable power and other usable energy forms being produced from biomass is very small relative to the biomass resources available for this use. Biomass-toenergy projects, if developed and managed properly can create sustainable enterprises, protect the environment, and reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for the rural poor. An integrated project has been conducted to assess technological readiness, financing, capacity building, and Philippine national policy affecting biomass power development at selected sites. Key accomplishments include: (1) the creation of enabling policies and a favorable institutional environment for sustainable biomass resource use and development. (2) The development of a replicable training model to educate, build local capacity, create incentives, and structure the rural communities’ own biomass projects. (3) The identification and selection of a rice mill that has established a strong collaboration and agreements with its community, local, regional, and national government and power distributors, technology suppliers, system developers, operators, local industries for maintenance and repair, transportation and other infrastructural activities, biomass fuel suppliers, and generators, and local and international research and development institutions, financiers, and others.