The second day of the 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Bio-energy and Technologies (IBET) concluded with an engaging series of sessions that brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers to discuss the future of bio-energy, green hydrogen, and ethanol production. The day was marked by insightful debates, technological updates, and strategies aimed at accelerating India’s transition towards sustainable energy.
The session on Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), titled “Technical and Commercial Expectations & Performance Management”, was chaired by Dr G. Sridhar, Director General of the Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy (SSS-NIBE). The panel featured distinguished speakers, including Dr Suneel Pandey, Director of Circular Economy & Waste Management Division, TERI; Dr Tushar Patil, Assistant Vice President Corporate Strategy, Praj Industries; Sunil K M, Director, KIS Group; Varun Karad, Co-Founder & CEO, REnergy Dynamics; Som Narayan, Director, Carbon Masters; Mohit Dhawan, CEO, HPCL Renewables & Green Energy Ltd.; and Salil Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer, EverEnviro Resource Management Pvt. Ltd., with moderation by Sumedh Bapat, Founder.
Patil emphasised the need for a technology-agnostic policy framework to reduce risk and accelerate financing for bio-energy projects. He noted that standards across gas quality, process performance and end-product specifications are critical, particularly guarantees on methane content and technology performance. Varun Karad stressed that unrealistic financial models remain a major cause of project failures. Entrepreneurs must respect the biological nuances of CBG production, carefully plan each stage of the plant — from pretreatment to gasification — and avoid cost inflation. According to him, India’s market for bio-CBG is significant, but success hinges on accurate modelling, proper execution and realistic expectations rather than hype.
Sunil K M pointed out that bank officials, though critical in financing, often struggle due to a lack of technical understanding. He advocated for clear guidance on technology, feedstock quality, and supply chains, stressing that robust preprocessing and accurate feedstock assessment are essential for project success.
Som Narayan highlighted the importance of gas purity for operational efficiency. While high-purity gas (96–97 per cent) ensures seamless customer experience comparable to CNG, lower purities (60–65 per cent) caused inefficiencies and even 88–90 per cent was suboptimal. He called for sector-wide standardisation to prevent defects and slippage and to effectively reduce emissions.
Salil Gupta underscored the need for KPI-based contracts for industrial organic waste supply, noting that these contracts not only define quality parameters such as moisture, plastic contamination, and segregation but also make both parties accountable for planning, scheduling, and cost management, thereby reducing operational risks.
The session on “Sugar to Ethanol” was chaired by Aswani Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Sugar), Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. Speakers included Deepak Ballani, Director General, ISMA; Sameer Sinha, CEO, Sugar Business, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd.; Roshan Lal Tamak, ED & CEO, DCM Shriram Ltd.; B.B. Thombare, CMD, Natural Sugar & Allied Industries Ltd.; Atul Mulay, Chairman, Bio-energy Committee of IFGE and President, Bioenergy, Praj Industries; and Dilip Patil, Co-Chairperson, IFGE Sugar Bio-energy Forum, with moderation by Ravi Gupta, Chairman, IFGE Sugar Bio-energy Forum and Executive Director, Shree Renuka Sugars.
The discussion centred on leveraging sugarcane and related feedstocks for ethanol production while addressing challenges in scalability, feedstock pricing, and sustainability. Speakers highlighted opportunities in policy support, technology adoption, and industry collaboration to boost ethanol yields and align with national bio-fuel targets.
The green hydrogen session was chaired by Dr Prasad Arvind Chaphekar, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. Panelists included Ms. Bhagyashri Ghongade, CEO, Nextabio Energy Private Limited; Dr Sonal K Thengane, Associate Professor, Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, IIT Roorkee; Dr D.K. Ragaranjan Reddy, Director (R&D, Business Operations), Canex Techno Pvt. Ltd.; Braj Nandan Singh, Business Development, Waaree Clean Energy Solution; and Pankaj Bindlish, Head Bidding & Commercial, Hydrogen, ReNew, with moderation by Dr Sanjukta Subudhi, Associate Director & Senior Fellow, TERI.
Dr Reddy presented a novel, electrode-free technology for hydrogen production using a minimal amount of light, highlighting its sustainability potential. Ms. Ghongade discussed scalable biomass-to-hydrogen pathways, including hydrothermal and high-temperature gasification, noting that 35 kg of biomass produces 1 kg of hydrogen and 3.5 kg of biochar, while methane plasmolysis yields 1 kg of hydrogen and 3 kg of carbon black with zero CO2 emissions. These byproducts reduce the levelised cost of hydrogen to Rs 270–300 per kg, making decentralised biomass-based hydrogen plants a viable and commercially attractive option.
Bindlish highlighted the challenges of low-carbon hydrogen, which currently accounts for less than 1 per cent of global production. Green hydrogen via electrolysis is power-intensive, requiring around 55 units of electricity per kilogram, but improvements in efficiency, cost reductions, and access to competitive renewable energy could support projected demand of 20 million tonnes by 2030. Singh emphasised the growing commercial applications of green hydrogen, from fuel-cell three-wheelers and hydrogen-powered trains to steelmaking, where the process produces oxygen as a valuable byproduct.
The day also featured the “Grain to Ethanol: Next Step, Challenges & Opportunities and Emerging Pathways” session, chaired by Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, and “Killing the Workforce in Bioenergy Space” (SBE/AG/12), chaired by Prof. (Dr) N.S. Kalsi, IAS (Retd). These sessions continued the discussions on sustainable bioenergy pathways and workforce challenges, complementing the insights shared in the earlier panels.