Waste Not Want Not
Cogeneration using wood and agro-industrial residues as fuel is a little like spinning straw into gold -- only it's not a fairy tale. The process enables wood and agro-industrial wastes to be converted into useful energy and churned back into their respective industries. In addition to enabling these industries to accrue energy savings, cogeneration using biomass recycles waste and is therefore kinder to the environment than many other forms of energy conversion.
The process is a boon to industries where waste disposal presents legal and environmental problems. The palm oil industry is plagued by a huge amount of process wastes. Sugar-milling also guzzles energy and creates waste disposal problems. The collection and disposal of wood residues in the produc-tion of medium-density fibre board pose similar problems. These industries which have traditionally taken a heavy toll on the environment can now be exonerated. The global concern for the ecological balance and increased environmental awareness within the industries have spurred interest and investment in clean technologies around the world.
An ASEAN Sub-committee on Non-Conventional Energy Research (SCNCER) project, the ASEAN-EC COGEN Programme is an outgrowth of this development. Coordinated by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok, the project is aimed at accelerating the implementation of technologies proven to generate heat and/or power from wood and agro-industrial residues through partnerships between European and ASEAN companies.
The funds made available under the COGEN Programme have enabled full-scale demonstration projects across ASEAN. For these projects the COGEN Programme provides investment assistance, training and independent monitoring. To date, over US$50 million worth of European or Euro-ASEAN biomass energy equipment have been installed as a result of the scheme.
The programme is of special significance in ASEAN where agro-based industries make a significance contribution to the economies of the region. Malaysia's world market share of the palm oil industry in 1995, for instance, amounted to 64 per cent while sugar is the fourth most important crop produced in the Philippines, (after rice, corn and coconut) providing employment for over one million people.
More importantly, cogeneration is a cleaner, greener alternative to conventional means for generating electricity. With pundits predicting that Asia's energy demands will double by 2005, given the region's demographic and economic growth, this is definitely good news.
Energy cooperation between Europe and ASEAN is geared towards strengthening the security of supplies, participating in each other's energy markets and cooperating to protect the global environment. In addition to esta-blishing an energy policy dialogue, the programme will also involve the private sector - an important source of funds.
Among its priorities are the modernisation of the electricity sector and the promotion of energy efficiency and clean technologies. It will also develop energy supplies in rural areas by the increased use of new/renewable sources of energy.
As part of its information services, the COGEN Programme scans and disseminates strategic business information in both ASEAN and Europe through regular newsletters, reports and surveys. It identifies and develops business opportunities and helps promote industrial cooperation through its network of local coordinators in ASEAN. The COGEN database is used to segment and analyse equipment suppliers, potential customers, joint venture partners and financing institutions.