[www.inewsguyana.com] – The move by a rice farmer to take up a challenge by government, to explore the use of alternative energy sources was welcomed President Donald Ramotar.
The president visited the Ramlakhan and Sons Rice Mill, located at Exmouth, Essequibo Coast, on March 21, for a firsthand look at rice miller Ramesh Ramlakhan’s operations. The miller has invested approximately $40 million in an effort to reduce the cost of fuel consumption at his mill. The plant which arrived late last year, has already undergone installation and successful testing.
The state -of -the- art unit works with the gases derived from the rice husk. The gases emitted are cleaned of solid particles, tar/carbon and water/moisture, and directed into the combustion chambers of a 250 kW power generation set, replacing 70 per cent of the diesel normally required.
According to Ramlakhan, the gasifier would greatly reduce his energy costs, improve his market viability and also allow him to keep paying a competitive price to farmers for their paddy, making sure they stay profitable.
Enhanced energy efficient technologies for design and profits of rice mills have been identified to improve energy efficiency, lower the industry’s dependence on fossil fuel, reduce the environmental impact, reduce carbon emissions and lower production costs.
During his state visit to India earlier this year, President Ramotar discussed the use of such technology to improve efficiency and reduce operations costs in various sectors using alternative energy sources such as the gasifier and bio-fuels. [Extracted and modified from GINA]
