6.4.12

Case Study: Rice Husks in Bihar

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Rice Husk Energy in Bihar, India

Bihar is one of the poorest states in India (a Newly Emerging Economy). Only 33% of people in Bihar have access to electricity. Since 2007, Bihar has used biomass (rice husks) to provide produce energy.

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How do rice husk power plants work?

  • Rice husk is the hard part of the rice plant that covers grains of rice.
  • It is a waste product from farming rice.
  • Small local rice husk plants turn the rice husk into a gas in a gasifier. This then turns a turbine, which rotates and generates electricity.
  • The electricity can then be distributed to local people's houses and local businesses.
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Benefits of rice husk plants

  • 30,000 people get power from the rice husk generators.
  • Households in Bihar who have no electricity get access to electricity for $2 per month.
  • Burning biomass is more renewable than burning fossil fuels.
  • Jobs are created for local people at the power plants. Each plant is small and employs 4 people on average.

Jump to other topics

1The Challenge of Natural Hazards

1.1Natural Hazards

1.2Tectonic Hazards

1.3Weather Hazards

1.4Climate Change

2The Living World

3Physical Landscapes in the UK

3.1The UK Physical Landscape

3.2Coastal Landscapes in the UK

3.3River Landscapes in the UK

3.4Glacial Landscapes in the UK

4Urban Issues & Challenges

5The Changing Economic World

6The Challenge of Resource Management

6.1Resource Management

6.2Food

6.3Water

6.4Energy

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