This document discusses integrated food-energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa using bioenergy from trees. It notes that worldwide bioenergy only contributes 10% of fuel sources while 60% of African energy comes from fuelwood and charcoal. Electrification rates are also very low across Africa. The document then discusses how the Gliricidia sepium tree can be used as a biomass source for small-scale power generation through gasification, providing energy for households and opportunities for rural employment. It provides Sri Lanka as a model where large and small Gliricidia plants provide cheaper fuel than fossil fuels. It argues for developing tree-based bioenergy projects across sub-Saharan Africa as an urgently needed energy

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2. Integrated Food – Energy Systems
Charles Jumbe
Oliver Johnson
Sid Mohan

3. Fact
World Oil and Gas production will decrease over the
next 30 years
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4. Fact
Worldwide, bioenergy contributes only ~10% of all fuel
sources
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5. Fact
~60% of energy in Africa is derived from fuelwood and
charcoal
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< Fuelwood
Charcoal >

6. Fact
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< Fuelwood
Charcoal >
Electrification rates are low across the continent

7. Fact
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< Fuelwood
Charcoal >
Most people do not have access to electricity

8. The current situation (World Energy Outlook 2014)
 GDP is rising, but almost half of a fast-growing
population lives in extreme poverty: energy is
vital to the prospects for development
 Region accounts for 13% of global population,
but only 4% of its energy demand
 Poor electricity infrastructure is a key
impediment to growth
 Large resource base, exploited only in part in
the case of oil, gas & coal, largely untouched
in renewables 8

9. The current situation
 2/3rds of SSA without electricity access
currently
 500 million people without access by 2040
 Average of 60% of SSA’s energy is imported
 Energy policy initiatives largely ignore trees
 Energy from biological sources only 10% of global
use, but 80% in Africa
 Trees provide multiple benefits - soil fertility,
water management, fruit production, fodder
production, fuelwood and timber 9

10. What is bioenergy?
 Conversion of biomass resources into useful energy
carriers including heat, electricity and fuels.
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11. Bioenergy
 Woody biomass primary energy source in rural
SSA
 Same biomass can be used in gasification
systems to drive machinery and generate
electricity
 Different scales possible – small household
units to large industrial scale
 Allied products include biofuels, both
biodiesel and ethanol
 Gaining traction in many parts of SSA 11

12. Will bioenergy compete with food?
 Valid concerns can be raised
 Bioenergy provides income and improved
livelihoods
 Trees fit well into integrated food-energy
systems
 Tree growing is scalable – from agroforestry
systems on farms to large scale woodlots
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13. In this session
 Charles Jumbe – Biofuels’ role in economic
security and development
 Oliver Johnson – Water, food, energy and
environment nexus
 Sid Mohan – Biomass power in Sri Lanka and
EverGreen Energy
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14. Introducing Gliricidia sepium
 Widely cultivated multi-
purpose tree
 Grows on wide range of
soils and rainfall zones
 Easy propagation
 Useful as green manure –
increases soil organic
matter and helps recycle
soil nutrients
 High protein supplement
for foraging animals
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15. Gliricidia in power generation
 Highly scalable
 Can be grown on farmer fields as intercrop or
plantation style
 Harvested as frequent as 6 – 8 months for
biomass
 Can be used in combination with other
biomass sources
 Source of rural employment – over 100,000
farmers involved in Sri Lanka in 2 plants alone
 Demonstrated reduction in CO2 levels 15

16. Gliricidia in power generation
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17. Gliricidia in Sri Lanka
 Cheaper fuel source than fossil fuels
 Various projects of various scales over the past
decade
 Heat generation for use in factories
 Small, off-grid plants for rural electrification
 Large electricity generation plants that feed into
the national grid
 Tokyo Cement (Power)
 2 major plants – 10 MW and 5 MW
 Investments upwards of $30 million
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18. Gliricidia as feed – biogas plant – 1+ HHs
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19. 3.5 kv gassifier – 10+ HHs
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20. 35 kv gassifier – small plant & 10+ HHs
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21. Industrial size gassifier – large plants
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22. A model for SSA – EverGreen Energy
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23. EverGreen Energy
 Gliricidia already widely distributed
 Major species in Malawi for increasing crop
yields in AFSP program
 Massive scaling-up programs in Malawi and
Zambia already in place
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24. Next
 What are the areas where such a project can
be planned for?
 What barriers or challenges do you foresee?
 Who are the major stakeholders who should
be involved in this?
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25. Next steps
 Review, quantify and publicize the potential of
tree-based bioenergy
 Put tree-based bioenergy into its proper place
in international and national energy policies
 Develop urgently-needed energy resources for
poor people
 Develop tree-based bioenergy for power
supply and electricity production for
development
 Promote and develop biofuel production 25

26. Thank you
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For more information:
Charles Jumbe - charlesjumbe@gmail.com
Oliver Johnson - oliver.johnson@sei-international.org
Sid Mohan – s.mohan@cigar.org