Distributed Power Generation Using a Pilot-Scale Downdraft Gasifier for Rural Application

India is a significant consumer in the World Energy Market. Electricity in India is majorly produced by non-renewable sources causing huge environmental pollution which in turn affects climate changes. With the increase in energy demand, there is a genuine need to switch towards renewable sources to protect our planet. Rural areas being rich in agricultural products are the good source of biomass resources. Hence, biomass gasification is a promising technology that can play a significant role in addressing both energy needs and environmental concerns. The present study is aimed at the performance study and the techno-economic analysis of a pilot-scale 10 kW fixed-bed downdraft gasifier integrated with a gas engine for distributed power generation in rural areas utilizing agriculture waste such as rice husk, wood chips, and dry leaves along with that comparison with diesel fuel engine as an alternative due rising fuel prices. A maximum overall gasification efficiency of 22.99% has been achieved with the current operating conditions which is reasonable for biomass-to-power application. The levelized unit cost of electricity (LUCE) of the biomass gasification-based power generation unit is found as 15.21 INR which is lower than the LUCE of a similar capacity diesel generator-based power generation system.