Cereals waste in the Krasnodar region as a local heat energy resource

Presents the results of the cereals waste energy potential assessment for the municipalities of the Krasnodar region. The gross and technical potential of cereals waste (straw), calculated according to the author’s methodology and correlated with the needs in thermal energy for the population of the studied region. The obtained results show a significant amount of technical heat potential for many municipalities of the region. The spatial distribution obtained with the help of geoinformation technologies makes it possible to determine the most promising areas for the use of cereals waste for the thermal energy production. Also assessed the prospects for replacing traditional fuels such as coal, diesel fuel, natural gas and heating oil with straw energy. The possible environmental effect from the replacement of hydrocarbon fuel for the municipal districts of the Krasnodar region was calculated.