As a follow-up on the previous report on biomass gasification in the Lao PDR, LIRE carried out two field studies to get more detailed field data on the feasibility of biomass gasification.

In the first report, rice mills were approached in Khammouane and Bolikamxay province to determine the viability of using rice husk as feedstock for an industrial sized biomass gasifier for local electricity needs. The study revealed that only one large mill already connected to the national grid could provide enough rice husks to supply a 200kW gasifier, and off-grid mills are typically much smaller. The conclusion from this field report is that alternative feedstock should be considered in a subsequent study, such as fast-growing trees or gasification in combination with biomass processing facilities (e.g. bamboo).

The second report is a field study in Lairthong and Nyotphaire villages, Phoukoud district, Xiengkouang province, to assess the current and future electricity supply and demand and the potential for other energy sources, such as biomass. The villages shows an increasing electricity demand, which is inadequately met at present by inconsistent power supply from pico-hydro, and people there are willing to pay for additional electricity in any terms such as cash, kind (land for plantation) and human resource (work labour). As such, there is an opportunity for a hybrid village grid powered with hydropower as well as other energy sources, including biomass.

The results of these two field studies strengthen LIRE’s lobby for increased public-private efforts to work on decentralized rural electrification models that benefit the poor people in off-grid areas in the Lao PDR. The reports are available in the download section.

On the 16^th of May, the Lao Institute for Renewable Energy and the Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) signed a cooperation agreement in the town of Yogyakarta in Indonesia. The two organizations have agreed to cooperate on two pilot projects aimed at determining the potential for two renewable energy technologies application in the Lao PDR. LIRE has thus entered BORDA’s Basic Needs Services network and is now implementing two research projects, namely Decentralized Water Supply (DEWASS) and Decentralized Renewable Energy Supply (DERES). The objective of DEWASS is to determine the potential for the implementation of a solar powered water purification system capable of producing clean drinking water in rural areas of the Lao PDR without access to electricity. DERES aims at establishing a concept demonstration to improve pico-hydro turbine efficiency in Lao villages and to provide a framework for efficient and safe use of this popular renewable energy technology. More details about DEWASS and DERES will be available soon...

As part of a new project promoting decentralized safe drinking water production and marketing in remote mountain villages of Laos, LIRE is welcoming a visit from BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Agency) in order to conduct a health impact assessment (HIA) study.

LIRE and BORDA have recently initiated a cooperation programme aimed at enhancing sustainable management of natural resources in the Lao PDR. This programme will include water purification through solar-powered filtering systems as well as improving existing pico-hydro electricity-generating systems (0.1-5 kW) in villages and will be carried out over the next three years.

This week, a Health and Hygiene expert from BORDA was invited to create a HIA questionnaire for villagers in order to assess health and hygiene conditions in two villages. This study will serve as a reference to monitor the project’s results during and after implementation.

The study: “Biomass gasification in Lao PDR: A feasibility study on biomass gasification at potential sites in Bokeo and Xiengkouang province” is now available for downloading at our homepage. The report is financed by Phitrust Partenaires and supported by ETC Energy.