Self-produced biogas can lift millions out of poverty

Millions of people in rural parts of the world lack access to energy, and energy is key for development.
“Using residuals from crops in small biogas tanks is a suitable and cost-effective way to give people access to electricity and now we have identified the best places for the tanks,” says Rodrigo Lozano, at University of Gävle.

Great efforts have been made to advance access to energy for all in the world, but despite some progress, energy poverty remains a major problem in many parts of the worlds, especially in rural areas.

Now, the use of self-produced biogas to produce electricity and heat buildings is spreading. Local biogas production can therefore be the solution to the fact that many impoverished countries lack energy.

Your own waste becomes electricity

Residual biomass from corn crops and other crops ban be used to generate electricity.

“The fastest and cheapest way to give everybody access to energy is through small-scale energy solutions locally, so that the energy use is close to energy sources,” Rodrigo Lozano says.

In the last decades, the technology to generate electricity from residual biomass from several crops have been enhanced. However, few studies have concentrated on identifying suitable locations for small-scale gasifiers in rural areas.

The researchers have studied marginalised municipalities in Mexico with a high to very high poverty index to find suitable places for using residual biomass from locally produced grains. Now, they have identified good locations for these small gasifiers.

“Our results reveal that electricity production with the use of residual biomass can improve the welfare for almost 10 million people and integrate environmental and social dimensions of sustainability by reducing energy poverty,” Rodrigo Lozano says.