Title:
Pathways to a Green Economy - Searching for Cleaner Energy Sources and Production in Angola
Author(s):
Cativa, F., Rodrigues, C., Costa, J., Fernando, A.L.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The search for cleaner energy sources in Angola has grown significantly due to the need to reduce the dependence on non-renewable resources to supply electricity, which, combined with the fossil fuels consumption in the transport and industrial sectors, puts the country on the path of those who have increased the greenhouse gas emissions over the last years. Moreover, despite the country's extensive resources of hydroelectric power and fossil fuels, only 30% of the population has access to electricity. Biomass accounts for 65% of the country's primary energy supply and 80% of the rural population depends on it to meet most of their energy needs. Huíla province has an area of 79,023 square kilometres (more than the area of the Netherlands and Belgium combined) and a population of 2,354,398 (2014 census). This province's agricultural residues include those generated from maize, sorghum and millet. A preliminary analysis of the data shows that circa 500 000 tons of agroforest biomass could be logistically collected and sorted, and circa 9 PJ could be produced. Yet, the logistics of the biomass being collected can be improved and is currently burned in poor-quality devices, making them inefficient and causing health issues for the users exposed to the combustion gases. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate options for a greener and more sustainable use of biomass to bioenergy. Results show that the use of biomass residues could replace up to 50% of the firewood usage in the Province of Huíla. The replacement of the three-stone fire by more efficient cooking stoves will reduce the amount of biomass needed and therefore, the residues from the province would suffice the demand to cook. The use of more efficient stoves will also allow a reduction of harmful emissions. However, changing the stoves to more efficient ones also result in an economic burden that may not be reached by most rural populations.
Keywords:
agricultural residues, bioenergy, sustainability, environmental impact, Angola
Topic:
Biomass, Bio-based Products and Bioenergy Integration
Subtopic:
Biomass integration into energy systems
Event:
32nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
3AV.6.9
Pages:
421 - 427
ISBN:
978-88-89407-24-0
Paper DOI:
10.5071/32ndEUBCE2024-3AV.6.9
Price:
FREE
