An Energy Efficient Project: Cogeneration For Rice Husk In Guyana

Abstract

Guyana, a country that has an abundance of natural resources and fertile agricultural land, relies on rice production to supplement the diet of the Guyanese people as well as to earn foreign currency through its export. Guyana is the third largest exporter of rice in South America and therefore needs to be competitive on the international market. It has to maintain a high quality in addition to the quantity to upkeep its status. Frequent and sometimes unexpected power outages have affected the rice industry in recent times. This has caused reduced product quality and quantity and has increased operational and production costs. It has also led to equipment damage that has adversely affected the industry. To address these issues, this project analyzed the feasibility of applying cogeneration to increase efficiency and reduce cost. A cogeneration design was applied utilizing rice husk to power the mill and to dry the paddy.