Brazil promotes biomass power generation

The Brazilian state government of Sao Paulo has announced plans to build a new biomass power plant, which is expected to open in 2023. Biomass energy has the characteristics of green, low carbon, clean, renewable and so on. In recent years, it has been widely used in the fields of heat supply, power generation and transportation, among which power generation using sugarcane residue is one of them. Brazil is one of the world's largest producers of sugarcane and has been actively using it to generate electricity. Brazil legislated in 2017 to approve the national Biofuel Policy, which aims to increase the use of biofuels, including sugarcane, throughout the country, improve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2020, Brazil generated 2.26 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from sugarcane, accounting for 82% of the country's total biomass energy generation. Brazil's sugarcane industry association believes the country's biomass power generation capacity will grow by more than 55 per cent by 2030. Sugar cane produces a lot of solid residue when it is processed into products such as sucrose or ethanol, and is often used as fertilizer. The new plant in Sao Paulo state uses biodigesters to turn some of the organic matter in the solid residue into biogas, and in the process produces methane that can be used to generate electricity. Power plants can use the technology to generate electricity all year round -- the distilled residue is not easy to store and can be used to generate electricity during the harvest season; The solid residue can be stored and used without seasonal restrictions. Sao Paulo state is Brazil's leading sugarcane producer, producing about 54% of the country's sugarcane. Biomass now accounts for 25 percent of the state's household electricity, according to a report by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation. Experts believe that if sugarcane residue can be used more efficiently in the power generation process, this proportion will be greatly increased. The Sao Paulo state government has long been committed to promoting the use of biomass energy through a number of initiatives. In 2012, Sao Paulo state launched the Paulista Biogas Project, emphasizing the use of the local sugarcane industry to promote biogas and biomethanes. In 2017, the state passed legislation to inject biomethane into public natural gas transit pipelines, requiring at least 0.5 percent of biomethane to be added to the pipeline and increasing the proportion over time. With the continued support of the government, the local research institute has published an interactive map of biogas, biomethanes and electricity in Sao Paulo State, providing clear data for policy makers and investors to better develop and utilize biomass energy.

2021

07-26