Abstract:
Thailand has a high potential in biomass energy development both in terms of resource and technology. Agricultural wastes from farm and agro-industrial production is a type of biomass resource that can be used to produce an energy. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the costs and benefits of biomass energy generation from agricultural waste. There are three case studies in this study ; Fixed Dome biogas technology, Slow Channel Digester and Upflow Anaerobic Sludeg Blanket Reactor (UASB) and Biomass cogeneration technology. This study analyses the financial and social feasibility study, the distribution of costs and benefits within the economy and society and suitable public regulation for biomass energy development in Thailand.The result of financial analysis and found that in biogas energy production, it is important that other benefits apart from energy generation and selling by-product have to be included in the decision process in order to make the investment financially feasible. But biomass electricity generation, only the energy and selling by product benefits can enough make the investment financially feasible. In term of economic analysis, it found that, all biomass energy technology are economically feasible. The distribution of costs and benefits analysis found that, the development in biomass energy will decrease the amount of investment in energy sector 2,323.25 million bath, increase GDP by 1,311.72 million bath, reduce imported goods and service by 2,708.74 million bath and increase the employment by 77,858.98 person a year. To support the biomass development in this country, investment subsidy, buy-back price subsidy, buy-back guarantee and price guarantee are very essential. All these measures have to be developed and worked co-operatively.