INTRODUCTION

Bioenergy refers to energy derived from all land and water based vegetation as well as organic wastes which meet the energy needs of people at large. Bioenergy is available in plenty in nature and at relatively lesser cost than fossil fuels and is also free from pollution.

The different sources of bioenergy are as follows

1. Biomass

2. Biodegradable waste

3. Biofuels

4. Others
    

BIOMASS

Biomass is produced by green plants through photosynthesis using sunlight. Biomass contains organic matter which can be converted to energy and replenished by human effort. Biomass can be broadly classified into three categories, namely

1. Field level residues ( Paddy straw, stalks of various crops etc. )
   
   
2. Plantation crop residues ( coconut residues like fronts, stems,
   palmyrah tree residues etc.)
    
3. Agro industry residues ( Rice husk, coconut shell, groundnut shell etc. )
   
   

Biomass today accounts for over one-third of all energy used in the developing countries. The estimated power generation potential from biomass in India is about 19000 MW. Energy can be produced from biomass through gasification as well as combustion route. In combustion route, biomass is burnt to produce steam which in turn is used for power generation through turbines. In gasification process, biomass is converted into producer gas which is used for thermal or electrical application.

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