Biomass-based hydrogen in Nepal : opportunities and challenges | |
| Author | Ghimire, Jaya |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.SE-22-07 |
| Subject(s) | Biomass--Nepal Wood--Residues |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Sustainable Energy Transition |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The research aims on estimating the potential of wood residue in Nepal available for hydrogen manufacturing and investigate the barriers to producing biomass-based hydrogen in Nepal. In the case of any wood fuel production, it is essential to analyze whether the raw material comes from a sustainable source or not. With sustainability as the main criteria, two models are used to estimate possible and available forest biomass residue in hydrogen conversion. Out of the two methods used the first method is based on harvest increment using sustainable managed forest (SFM) practices. In the present scenario, it is found that terai forest of Nepal is only generating 17% of its potential harvest due to the lack of forest management. So with the calculation model total harvest from the sustainably managed forest is estimated and after subtracting the total demand for wood as the primary energy source the surplus is calculated. Terai forest of Nepal can generate 41 million kilogram to 65 million kilogram of hydrogen annually in the year 2050 with this approach but as the wood surplus is only possible in the year 2050 this approach is not suitable if the hydrogen production analysis is to be done before 2050. The second approach conceptualizes using waste of forests like logging waste, sawmill wastage, and trimming wastage. Through the harvest models, the future harvest and wood waste are calculated. The residue generated by this approach is accessible for hydrogen production by 2025 itself. As in this case, it only uses the forest waste the residue, the yearly estimation hydrogen production is much lower generating by this method i.e. 22 million kilogram of hydrogen per year by 2030. With the help of a Likert scale-based interview, the main barriers in Nepal are analyzed in this study. The analysis is conducted as per the different criteria of barriers and the enquiry of most impactful barrier criteria in Nepal. Likert score ranks the economic and institutional barriers to be the most problematic area for biomass-based hydrogen production in Nepal. To implement biomass to hydrogen initiations in the future the nation needs to tackle the economic barriers related like its association with the high investment costs, lack of financial institutions to invest, and low government subsidies. Along with it, the institutional backbone must be made stronger with more stakeholder involvement and research increment in the field of biofuel. |
| Year | 2022 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Sustainable Energy Transition (SE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salam, P. Abdul |
| Examination Committee(s) | Singh, Jai Govind;Dhakal, Shobhakar |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2022 |