Piloting Renewable Energy Technologies

Turning Ideas Into Sustainable Businesses

Piloting Renewable Energy Technologies

Renewable Energy Business Incubator piloted Biomass Gasification technology in Uganda in 2012 and 2013. The 32kWe pilot biomass gasifier was installed in Tiribogo Village, Muduuma Sub-County, Mpigi District. REBi partnered with Pamoja Energy Limited to operate this plant. The biomass Power Plant generated electricity from maize cob. The power generated was used for household lighting and powering domestic appliances for homes and small businesses like bars, saloons, and telephone charging centres. A 5km grid was setup and it supplied power to over 100 households. REBi partnered with Husk Power System Pvt Ltd, India who were the suppliers of the biomass plants.
To ensure successful piloting of this technology, the project implemented a human resource exchange program aimed at building capacity of Ugandans to operate and maintain the biomass gasification power plants. The human resource exchange program funded by Fredskorpset Norway was between Uganda, Tanzania and India.

After the success of the pilot, three other plants were imported and installed. REBi signed agreements with three renewable energy companies to operate the plants; these companies were: GRS Commodities Ltd at Bugala Island Kalangala District, Mandulis Energy Limited at Olwyiyo Nwoya District and Chapter Ten Ltd at Palaro Gulu District.

Currently, the pilot unit at Muduuma is to be decommissioned because the community was connected to the national grid. The other three units where relocated to Sekanyoyi in Mityana District managed by Pamoja Limited, PaMin Olango in Nwoya District still managed by Mandulis Energy Limited,  and Kyaka II refugee Settlement in Kyegegwa District under the management of Adapt Plus Limited.

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Description of the technology

A gasifier is a system that converts dry solid biomass into a gaseous fuel in a controlled thermal environment with limited oxygen. In this system, dry Biomass fuel e.g. maize cobs is fed into a gasifier and it undergoes a series of thermal and chemical processes to produce a flammable gas known as producer gas or syngas. The syngas generated is cleaned through a series of scrubbers filters and fed into an Internal combustion Engine, the reciprocation engine motion is converted into a rotatory motion which drives an alternator to produce electricity. Maize cobs, wood shavings, rice husks, coffee husks and any other wooden biomass can be used as fuel for the gasifier. Gasifiers can be used for powering agriculture in off grid areas and bio char from the gasifier can be used to produce charcoal briquettes as an alternative to charcoal and as a soil conditioner.
  • Off-grid
    Power