An overview of agricultural biomass for decentralized rural energy in Ghana

Efforts to improve the quality of life in rural areas rely upon the provision of electrical energy services. Globally, the focus is on identifying and maintaining sustainable and environmentally friendly energy resources, by means of the clean development mechanism (CDM). Supplying electricity by extending the grid to rural domains is, in most cases, economically unproductive, taking into account other related factors that pertain, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, an unfolding energy crisis in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region intensifies the need for decentralized bioenergy applications using modern conversion techniques. Biomass energy produced in rural areas provides a sustainable alternative to grid electricity. This paper presents an overview of the potential of agricultural biomass-based resources for decentralized energy in rural areas of Ghana. It emphasizes the strategic importance of biomass energy, especially in areas where it is economically attractive because of the ready availability of resources. Assimilation of past and current research reported in the literature on biomass resources and bioenergy technologies in the country underpins this study. A more detailed evaluation of agricultural biomass-based potential was carried out and 2010 was chosen as the base period for the assessment. The result suggests that Ghana has a suitable potential of bioenergy resources and this holds considerable promise for future energy delivery in the country. The paper concludes with discussion of various promising decentralized bioenergy technologies for the exploitation of resources in Ghana. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.