Empowering Rural Communities with Organic Rankine Cycle-Based Biomass Energy from Agricultural Residue

Nowadays, fossil fuels are the main source of electricity generation, especially in the urban and industrial sectors. However, recognizing the pressing need for widespread rural electrification, our focus centers on biomass power generation as a viable solution. This study explores the possibilities of a biomass power plant based on the organic Rankine cycle that uses agricultural wastes to produce energy in rural areas. The research focuses on India's agriculturally rich states, namely Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, where we assess the calorific value of agricultural wastes. The research identifies five villages in Uttar Pradesh with the capability to supply raw materials to a 150 kW organic Rankine biomass plant. Additionally, toluene, benzene, ethyl benzene, and acetone have been investigated as working fluids in which toluene achieves maximum efficiency at 24.71%. The proposed system minimizes the environmental effects of open burning activities in addition to addressing electricity shortages in rural areas.