Village Electrification using 100% Rice-husk powered Gasifier System

Vill Tamakuha, Distt West Champaran, Bihar

 A Non-Govt Organization registered in 2007 under the Societies Registration Act 21, 1860 Based in Patna, Bihar

Funded by NRIs as well as local residents

Mission Empowerment of remote and neglected rural areas of Bihar through spread of Energy and smart Agricultural practices Goal for the project To provide clean electric lighting to the households in Tamkuha at a rate cheaper than their current expenditure

Site Selection

UP on 3 sides and the erratic Great Gandak on the fourth

Site Selection
Population approx. 1200 excluding migrants + a thriving marketplace with over 50 shops No. of households approx. 350

Distance from distt. Headquarter - ~150 km

Distance from electrical substation 82 km

Distance from nearest railhead 47 km

Paddy production of over 1200 tonnes/year

Technology
Has to be non-conventional Solar energy is expensive Approx. Rs. 400 / W for installation

Wind energy is not amply available

Hydel power is not feasible High cost of establishment Approx. 7 km from the nearest river Biomass energy is practically the only available option

Technology Biomass Gasifier

Technology Biomass Gasifier

Technology Biomass Gasifier

Dual Fuel Mode - Very Commonly Used

Single Fuel Mode we are the first using rice-husk

A Short Movie

Cost of Establishment
Piping etc Civil Work Transportation Electric Cable Gasifier Site visits etc

Generator

Total Cost Rs 10,00,000 *

*We teamed up with new suppliers for the gasifier and the generator with govt approved suppliers the cost is over Rs 25,00,000 our system is cheaper even without the govt subsidy

Operating Expenses
Approx. 50 kg Rice-husk / hour One LPG cylinder per 4 starts 3 personnel Misc. expenses on maintenance of the system

Power Distribution

Power Distribution
Power supply for 6 hrs in the evening Pre-paid power at the rate of Rs. 30 per 15-20 W CFL for households and Rs. 40 per 15-20 W CFL for businesses
Only CFL allowed for lighting

Total 300 connections Avg. less than 2 CFL per connection

Approx. Rs. 50 per connection

Approx. 65 A electricity usage at 210-220V (As read at the plant)

Approx. 15% distribution loss

Power Distribution - Economics

BIG PROBLEM

Power Distribution - Economics

Rice husk at ~90p per kg
Rs. 0.9 * 50 * 6 * 30 per month Had planned it at 50p per kg

LPG cylinders are expensive

Cant procure enough from the LPG dealers at the controlled prices Rs 500 per cylinder in the black market
Rs. 500 * 10 per month

Power Distribution - Economics

Expenditure
Incidentals / maintenance + Land Rent Rice husk

Human Resources

LPG cylinders

Total expenditure ~ Rs 22,000 per month

Collection of only Rs. 15,000 per month

Power Distribution Economics Solution

Generate own rice-husk Remove the LPG

Power Distribution Economics

Generating Rice-husk
Setup a mini Rice mill in partnership with a local at the plant
Milling capacity of ~400 kg paddy per hour using approx. 15 A / phase Milling at zero cost to attract consumers
Operation and depreciation cost to be recovered by sale of the bran Approx. Rs 10,000 per month (Rs. 4000 organizations share)

Operate the dehusker and polisher alternatively

Possible to operate in parallel with the electricity supply to users

Generation of ~300 kg rice-husk per day

Daily consumption is approximately the same More than 40% rice-husk generated assuming 6 months operation of the rice mill

Cost of setting up the rice mill ~ Rs. 70,000

Organizations share Rs 35,000

Power Distribution - Economics

Total Investment ~Rs. 10,35,000
Incidentals / maintenance + Land Rent

Expenditure
Rice husk

Human Resources

LPG cylinders

Total Expense ~Rs. 17500 per month

Power Distribution Economics

Removing the need for LPG
Store the Producer Gas for usage during the next start
Storage at ~200 psi Less than 10% leakage in 24 hours

Adds Rs 10,000 to the cost

Power Distribution - Economics

Total Investment ~Rs. 10,45,000
Expenditure
Incidentals / maintenance + Land Rent Rice husk

Human Resources

Total Expense ~Rs. 12500 per month

Power Distribution - Monitoring

Fuses with every connection to check extreme theft of power
Not aware of any efficient circuit breakers for 20 W power range

5-volunteer Gramin Urja Niyantran Samiti formed to check the power theft as well as the regular fulfillment of operators responsibilities Entire village divided in 4 sectors and 2-volunteer teams formed to assist in timely collection of advance dues
Not an easy task Need to generate more revenue to keep the operations fairly independent of collections from the users

Power Distribution Further Improvements

approx. 30 A current in one phase still remaining
Run a 3 hp water pump for irrigation
Compare Rs 30 per hour vs Rs 80 per hour for 5 hp pump sets
Approx. Rs 3000 per month for 5 months

Adds Rs 15,000 to total investment

Working to add a wheat grinder to the rice-mill

Possible because only the dehusker or the polisher of the ricemill run at one time Would add Rs. 15,000 to total investment (7.5K in partnership Would add approx. Rs. 5000 per month in earning (Rs 2500 being the organizations share

Winter Economics
Total Expense Rs. 12,500 pm Collection from the users Rs 15,000 pm Income generation from subsidiary activities ~ Rs. 7000 pm (very very conservative projection ) Net saving of approx. Rs. 9,000 pm

Daytime operation expected to commence in january

Primarily for irrigation and operation of the rice-mill / wheat grinder May expect an additional income of approx. Rs. 9000 pm

For the Summer

Expect the demand to grow 100%
Rice-mill wouldnt operate Revenue of Rs. 30,000 from evening operations

Expect at least as much load as winters during the day

Revenue of approx. Rs. 15,000

Opportunity for catering power to threshers Operations cost approx. Rs 25,000 pm

A saving of over Rs. 20,000

Need to store husk for the rainy days

Ample space (over 4000 sq feet) land for stocking Ample husk in the area currently
We have verbal contracts with over 6 rice-mills in the area for 100% of their rice-husk

Timeline
June July Aug Sep Decision to go for bio-mass gasification Order placement Euipment Delivery Commencement of Operations Connections Rice-mill Elimination of LPG Irrigation Wheat Grinder Oct Nov Dec Jan

So Far
Total Investment of ~11,00,000
Including Rs. 25,000 in maintaining operations in the initial months

Conservatively projected savings of Rs. 15,000 pm averaged over a year Carbon credit cash from European Agencies worth approx. Rs. 50,000

Return of more than 20% p.a.

System pays itself off in 5 years only

Future
Extend the concept to at least 25 villages in the rice-rich region in next 2-3 years

Roadblocks
Political boundaries
Has to pass through UP to reach this unfortunate region of Bihar from Bihar We dont know of a legal way to transport goods through the Bihar UP and UP Bihar border

Need funds a lot of it

Seeking help from banks, investors and donors

Acknowledgements
Mr. S.K. Singh, PSO, MNRE, Patna M/s Ganesh Engg. Works, Buxar (Gasifier supplier ) M/s Prakash Diesels, Agra (Generator supplier ) Our Family and Friends for constantly doubting and/or encouraging us