Etablering av småskaliga biogasansläggningar i utvecklingsländer - kriterier för framgång

Abstract

A clean and affordable energy source for cooking is deficient in developing countries. People rely on fuels that contribute to environmental, social and health problems.Biogas is an alternative energy source and an increased investment in small-scale biogas production can in several developing countries be found. Several projects have started to use the technology in developing countries because of the benefits with biogas. Some cases in the establishment of biogas plants have succeeded and some have not. The study is a literature review supplemented by two field studies. Factors have been identified, collected and analyzed from three different perspectives; technical, economic and social. These factors are central for the success of the establishment of small-scale biogas production in developing countries. Factors that are important for the establishment and operation of biogas plants in developing countries have been compiled. A biogas plant should be constructed with the local resources and its condition in mind. Knowledge regarding the biogas plant and its construction is important to avoid technical problems. To be able to reach a large group of households, the investment cost should not be too high and subsidies should be used to minimize the cost. With the availability of loans more households have the opportunity to invest in a biogas plant. The study presents two more factors that are significant for the establishment of biogas plants. The first one is the relationship between the organization, masons and households and the second one is the way the marketing is performed.