Sustainable Bioenergy
A.T. Biopower’s business model is sustainable bioenergy. The location of the power plant, its design and fuel type, was all selected with a long-term vision, to enable it to co-exist alongside, and help to enrich, members of the local community.
Sustainable Bioenergy – what is it and what makes it sustainable?
Bioenergy is a form of energy that is derived from recently living organic materials known as biomass, which can be used to produce fuels, heat, electricity, and products.
For bioenergy to be sustainable, the source and nature of the biomass fuel is critical. Biomass fuel may be primary (i.e., cultivated specifically to be used as fuel) or secondary (i.e., a waste or by-product following the primary use), which also has an important bearing on sustainability and the ‘green additionality’ credentials of the bioenergy consumer. Biomass needs to be replenished as quickly as it is used, and the biomass (whether trees, crops, or other plants) do not grow overnight. If the biomass fuel is ‘primary’, it can hog land, taking valuable space away from food crops or natural habitats.
If managed sustainably, bioenergy can support the decarbonisation of all energy sectors. Projected to account for 20% of total energy supply by 2050, bioenergy is expected to continue to play a key role in the clean energy transition away from fossil fuel and, with it, support decarbonization of the global economy. This is especially the case in Thailand, which has a rich agriculture heritage.
A.T. Biopower – Responsible Sourcing & Energy Generation
The fuel used by A.T. Biopower is rice husk, which is secondary biomass. The underlying crop (rice) is not grown for the rice husk, but to produce food (rice), for consumption in Thailand and for export overseas. Rice husk is waste material, the natural residue when rice is harvested and milled.
The fuel used by A.T. Biopower therefore does not change the primary land use and, so long as farmers continue to farm rice, rice husk waste will continue to be generated and there will be a need for this waste to be managed.
In the absence of a cost-effective outlet for this waste, rice husk may be allowed to degrade and/or be burned in the field.
The result is the release of harmful greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and potentially smokey air for the local community.
Our operation can reduce this.
Through removal and use of this waste, we not only help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality, but we also generate energy, in a sustainable manner, to help support the clean energy transition in Thailand.
At the same time, A.T. Biopower’s purchase of this waste delivers economic benefit to the rice farming and rice milling community, helping them to invest in sustainable farming methods and supporting Thailand’s aspirations to create a truly bio-circular-green (BCG) economy.
