Abstract
This paper presents a techno-economic feasibility study of a polygeneration plant proposed for an association of dairy farmers in Bolivia. The systems have been designed in an integrated approach and are based on the resource recovery utilizing available cow dung. The production of biogas is proposed using “low cost” tubular digesters. The biogas is used for the production of electricity and heat in a 40 kWel internal combustion engine. Heat from the exhaust gas is recovered to drive an absorption cooling system for milk refrigeration and for a bio-slurry drying system. The final services are biogas, electricity, cooling and fertilizers. The techno-economic analysis focuses on determining the levelized cost of the services and compare them with the subsidized and non-subsidized prices of other competitive services in the market. Sensitivity analyses for the services prices are carried out to see the influence of the feedstock handling cost and the subsidies on investment capital. Once the selling prices of the services are defined, the payback period of investment capital is determined. The results show that the biogas and electricity costs were found lower than the subsidized prices of similar services in the market while the cost of cooling was found slightly higher. From the sensitivity analysis we have that the feedstock handling cost can be increased from 10 to 18 USD/ton while maintaining the biogas price below the subsidized LPG price, and applying subsidies to the investment capital allows reducing the rest of the services costs. The payback period is around 3.5 years when a subsidy of 15% is applied in the investment capital and the services are sold at the subsidized prices of the conventional services. Our study has shown that under the conditions of the Bolivian market it is feasible the installation of a polygeneration plant. On the other hand, a market without or with reduced subsidies for the conventional services makes the proposed system more feasible and competitive.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Cabraal RA, Barnes DF, Agarwal SG (2005) Productive uses of energy for rural development. Annu Rev Environ Resour 30:117–144
Constituent Assembly of Bolivia, “Plurinational state of Bolivia’ s constitution of 2009 (translated from spanish),” 2009. . https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Bolivia_2009.pdf
Wu DW, Wang RZ (2006) Combined cooling, heating and power: a review. Prog Energy Combust Sci 32(5–6):459–495
United Nations (2015) Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development
Romero Padilla C (2007) Competitividad económica-ambiental para la cadena de lácteos de Bolivia. KIPUS, Cochabamba
Pell AN Manure and microbes: public and animal health problem? J Dairy Sci 80(10):2673–2681
Mainali B, Emran SB, Silveira S (2017) Greenhouse gas mitigation using poultry litter management techniques in Bangladesh. Energy 127:155–166
Holly MA, Larson RA, Powell JM, Ruark MD, Aguirre-villegas H (2017) Agriculture, ecosystems and environment greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from digested and separated dairy manure during storage and after land application. Agric Ecosyst Environ 239:410–419
Gomez CDC (2013) Biogas as an energy option: an overview. In: The biogas handbook. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780857094988500014
AE-Bolivia (2017) Anuario Estadístico 2016-Autoridad de Fiscalización y Control Social de Electricidad Bolivia. AE-Bolivia, La Paz
Coady D, El-Said M, Gillingham R, Kpodar K, Medas P a, Newhouse DL (2006) The magnitude and distribution of fuel subsidies: evidence from Bolivia, Ghana, Jordan, Mali, and Sri Lanka, IMF Work Paper, vol 06. International Monetary Fund, Washington, p 39
Arze del Granado FJ, Coady D, Gillingham R (2012) The unequal benefits of fuel subsidies: a review of evidence for developing countries. World Dev 40(11):2234–2248
SENAMHI (2018) Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología-Bolivia. http://senamhi.gob.bo/index.php/inicio. Accessed 11 Jul 2018
Martí-Herrero J, Ceron M, Garcia R, Pracejus L, Alvarez R, Cipriano X (2015) The influence of users’ behavior on biogas production from low cost tubular digesters: a technical and socio-cultural field analysis. Energy Sustain Dev 27:73–83
Khan EU, Mainali B, Martin A, Silveira S (2014) Techno-economic analysis of small scale biogas based polygeneration systems: Bangladesh case study. Sustain Energy Technol Assess 7:68–78
Shenzhen Puxin Technology (2018) Industrial biogas plant-Shenzhen Puxin Technology Co. Ltd. http://en.puxintech.com/portablemediuandlarge. Accessed 11 Jul 2018
Pink GmbH (2017) Absorption Chiller PC 19 Data Sheet. http://www.pink.co.at/inc.download.php?dlf=325. Accessed 21 Nov 2017
General Electric Company (2016) More innovation, power & efficiency. https://www.ge.com/content/dam/gepower-pgdp/global/en_US/documents/product/ReciprocatingEngines/Jenbacher/Type6/GE_J920FleXtra_Brochure_US_2016_rz.pdf
Caterpillar (2018) Gas Engines|Caterpillar. https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/power-systems/industrial/gas-engines/. Accessed 10 Jul 2018
J. Martí-herrero (2015) Transfer of low-cost plastic biodigester technology at household level in Bolivia Experiencia de transferencia tecnológica de biodigestores familiares en Bolivia transfer of low—cost plastic biodigester technology at household level in Bolivia abstract
Martí J (2015) Desarrollo, difusión e implementación de tecnologías en el área rural: Biodigestores en Bolivia, vol 1. EnDev-Bolivia GIZ y CIMNE, La Paz
E. Group (2016) Digesters in cold climate and high altitude: history, state of the art and challenges, no. 1987
Mainali B, Silveira S (2013) Alternative pathways for providing access to electricity in developing countries. Renew Energy 57:299–310
Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos—Bolivia (2017) Precios Finales al Consumidor Octubre de 2017. http://www.anh.gob.bo/index.php?N=dre. Accessed 11 Oct 2017
Troncoso K, Soares da Silva A (2017) LPG fuel subsidies in Latin America and the use of solid fuels to cook. Energy Policy 107:188–196
Salinas San Martin L (2011) Determinación del precio de Gas Natural para el Sector Eléctrico Boliviano y su efecto en las tarifas a consumidor final. Investig Desarro 11:136–147
Herbas MT (2013) Determinación de un adecuado precio del gas natural para el sector eléctrico boliviano. Scielo 19:99–123
Diario Pagina Siete (2017) YPFB venderá GLP a Paraguay a $us 470 la tn durante invierno. http://www.paginasiete.bo/economia/2017/7/4/ypfb-vendera-paraguay-durante-invierno-143325.html. Accessed 28 Jun 2018
CAMBIO-Periódico del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (2017) Bolivia será el exportador nato de GLP en la región desde 2018. http://www.cambio.bo/?q=node/37046. Accessed Jun 28 2018
Acknowledgement
This study has been carried out as a part of SIDA’s research cooperation with Universidad Mayor de San Simon. The strategic research project STandUP for Energy has contributed to supervision of the work. The association and federation of dairy farmers (APL and FEPROLEC) from Bolivia have contributed with valuable data collected in fieldwork and interviews.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Villarroel-Schneider, J., Mainali, B., Martí-Herrero, J., Malmquist, A., Martin, A., Alejo, L. (2020). Techno-Economic Study of a Biogas-Based Polygeneration Plant for Small Dairy Farms in Central Bolivia. In: Sayigh, A. (eds) Renewable Energy and Sustainable Buildings. Innovative Renewable Energy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18488-9_54
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18488-9_54
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-18487-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-18488-9
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)