Biogas Project Overview


     

Community--based renewable energy systems are a powerful, sustainable approach to rural electrification and development. We decided
to focus on a rural community in the impov-erished dry zone of Sri Lanka.

The Biogas project is a joint effort by the Energy Forum and Empower to pilot test the feasibility of a biogas electricity generation system. As part of a technology transfer from Bangalore, India, the constructed system runs on waste paddy straw and a range of plant matter (known as biomass). Biogas is produced through the decomposition of plant matter by bacteria in a water-sealed chamber. A key output of the process is a nitrate-rich fertiliser.

The project was based in Kirigalpotha, a rural village situated in the southern district of Badulla in Sri Lanka. The village lacked access to electricity and had not been a bene-
ficiary to any aid and development initiatives apart from receiving rainwater tanks over a decade prior to our project. The village is divided into three hamlets and we decided to pilot est the technology in one of these hamlets (ten households in total) before looking towards further replication.


A common downfall of such off-grid systems is that the community is inadequately involved in project design and implementation. We add-
ressed this by ensuring that the community was engaged through discussions and a work-
shop which allowed households to

 conduct the preliminary surveys themselves. Communities also facilitated the supply of raw materials and labour towards construction and were trained on how to feed and maintain the digester.


To ensure further sustainability, the community maintains their own association to manage their power supply, charging themselves a self-determined rental fee that collects in a community fund for maintenance and community development. This association is connected to a support network of similar associations formed through the Energy Forum's other projects across the island (more than 10,000 households) – the Federation of Consumer Electricity Societies (FECS).
 

 

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Construction of the biogas digester for the first hamlet was completed in July 2009, its output allowing for 6-8 hours of electricity a day for up to ten households. The technology is being carefully monitored in order to assess its suitability for replication.  


Social and Environmental Deliverables:

 
» Electricity access for up to 10 households 

» A carbon-neutral, sustainable, and affordable
    supply of electricity

» Cost-savings for families as kerosene fuel is
    no longer needed for lighting

» Increased work productivity and improved
    study conditions for children due to lighting

» Access to media and news through television
    and radio

» Creation of a community fund for
    maintenance and future investment

» Up-skilling the community and promoting
    self-reliance by encouraging a community
    ownership model

» Increased opportunities for the community to
    develop small business enterprises that will
    improve income generation

 
 
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