Agricultural waste from crop production as an energy resource

In recent years, crop waste has become a promising energy resource in many countries of the world. For Russia, the use of this type of waste for energy purposes is not only an opportunity to provide energy to the population, but also a solution to a number of environmental problems - reducing the risk of forest fires and CO2 emissions. The paper presents the results of an assessment of the energy potential of grain waste within the boundaries of the municipalities of the Rostov region. The gross and technical potential of grain waste (straw), calculated according to the author’s methods, are correlated with the needs of the population of the studied region in thermal energy. The results obtained 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 grain waste for the production of thermal energy. The paper also assessed the prospects for replacing traditional fuels such as coal, diesel fuel, natural gas and fuel oil with energy from straw. The possible environmental effect from the replacement of hydrocarbon fuel for the municipal districts of the Rostov region of the Russian Federation is calculated.