Harnessing Agricultural Biomass for Energy Sustainability in Southern Libya: A Techno-Economic Assessment and Resource Mapping Approach

الملخص

The southern region of Libya, encompassing the agricultural zones of Sebha, Kufra, and Murzuq, faces persistent energy insecurity despite abundant renewable resources. This manuscript examines the potential of biomass energy systems derived from agricultural residues, specifically date palm waste, cereal straws, and livestock manure, to provide decentralised power for irrigation and post-harvest processing. Integrating climatological data from the region (mean annual temperature: 24 –28°C; solar radiation: 6.5–7.2 kWh/m²/day; annual precipitation: <25 mm), we develop a MATLAB-based computational model for biomass resource quantification. Our analysis indicates that the southern agricultural zones generate approximately 247,000 million tonnes of dry agricultural residues annually, with a gross energy potential of 18.4 PJ. The manuscript presents detailed MATLAB code for feedstock estimation, seasonal availability forecasting, and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) calculations. Results suggest that small-scale (100–500 kW) biogas and gasification systems, coupled with solar thermal assistance, offer optimal solutions for off-grid agricultural communities in the region