District wise agriculture biomass resource assessment for power generation: A case study from an Indian state, Punjab

Being an agriculture rich state, Punjab has huge potential of biomass resource availability in the form of crop residues. Around 40.142 Mt y−1 of the total crop residue is generated from various major and minor crops, of which around 71% is consumed in various forms, resulting in 29% as a net surplus available for power generation. Basic surplus and net surplus crop residues for power generation potential were estimated in each district. Sangrur, Ferozpur, Amritsar, Patiala and Ludhiana are the major surplus biomass potential districts, while Rupnagar, Nawashahar, Hoshiarpur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot and Kapurthalla are least surplus biomass potential districts within the state. It has been estimated that around 1.510 GW and 1.464 GW of power in the state can be generated through basic surplus and net surplus biomass respectively. Besides, the seasonal availability, present usage pattern and costing of important crop residues are also estimated in each district of the state.