Development of practice oriented guidelines for the preparation of feasibility studies on the production of RENewable Energy from organic Waste and biomass by biogas plants and biomass combustion plants, with an applied example for Phu Quoc/S.R. Vietnam

Overview

Today the overall application of renewable energy from biomass is still limited in Vietnam. Although there are thousands of small biogas plants, which generate gas for direct use (e.g. cooking), larger plants for electricity generation rarely exist. Biomass combustion plants have been installed in Vietnam, but need to be improved towards best practices. The typical constraints to optimal use of renewable energy in Vietnam as well as other ASEAN countries are legal and institutional barriers as well as lack of information and technology transfer. Systematic data are still inadequate for biomass planning and for developing energy policies on supply and demand. Thus there is a demand for demonstration plants for renewable energy generation which will show technical and economic feasibility as well as resulting benefits. The facilities for energy production on Phu Quoc are old and need replacement. They also do not meet the growing energy demand. Therefore the regional authority is currently in the process to tackle the energy supply problem. They will need to decide upon a solution and consider a grid-connection to the mainland, on the one hand, or decentralised applications on the other hand. Due to the prevailing framework conditions on the island of Phu Quoc, renewable energy production from organic waste and biomass can be regarded as a very promising option for a future sustainable development of the island. The specific objective of this project is to develop practice oriented guidelines for the preparation of integrated feasibility studies on the generation of renewable energy in ASEAN countries. Technical, economical, environmental, social and legislative aspects will be considered. The development of the guidelines will be supported by the exemplary development of a feasibility study for the island of Phu Quoc.