Application of geospatial technology for assessment of agricultural residue based renewable energy potential in Punjab, India

Abstract

The study proposes a novel methodological framework based on integrated statistical and geospatial modelling to estimate the pixel-level theoretical, technical, and environmental bioenergy potential from rice residues in five districts of Punjab. Previous attempts to estimate the bioenergy potential from rice residue relied heavily on agricultural statistical data and lacked geospatial distribution of available biomass. This study incorporates the net primary productivity based estimation for theoretical biomass potential and restricting factors like soil organic carbon content and soil erodibility to estimate the maximum available biomass potential. Results indicate that theoretical, technical, and environmental biomass potential is 18.81 Mt, 13.93 Mt, and 7.37 Mt, respectively. 39.18 % of theoretical biomass was environmentally collectable annually. The maximum available bioenergy potential of rice residues is about 113.50 PJ per year. Spatially differentiated maps of available biomass provide the visibility and ease of locating a potential resource for stakeholders.