Given its huge agro-economy and wealth of natural resources, India is sitting on a large reservoir of biomass, the world’s preferred source of renewable energy, that can generate an estimated 22,000MW of power
The US-China agreement on climate change that was inked recently has proposed ambitious cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. This has evoked widespread international appreciation, with some quarters even terming the development as ‘historic’.
As China joins the bandwagon to keep climate change and temperatures under check, India will be under intense pressure to quickly and responsibly rein in its own emissions. Till now, India has stayed away from committing to any reductions in emissions but this stance may now need to change, in the best interest of environmental conservation.
India’s over-dependence on fossil fuels, and a renewable energy portfolio that seems to be taking forever to materialise, is pushing emissions to alarming levels. Adding to this problem is India’s inability to increase the non-fossil fuel percentage in the energy mix. It is critical at this stage for India to rely on stable and renewable sources of energy that can fuel the country’s future without compromising on environment.
The current stable political environment, coupled with a steady economic condition, can be instrumental in developing a healthy agenda for renewable energy research, development and deployment.
Biomass is a promising source of energy and it has an auspicious future in the world’s supply of renewable energy. India, on its part, can initiate a renewed effort to capture the potential of this capable fuel. Biomass is based on biological material that can be used as an energy source, via combustion to produce heat. It can even be converted to various forms of bio-fuel.
Conversion of biomass to bio-fuel is usually achieved by thermal, chemical, and biochemical methods. REmap 2030, the global roadmap, developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency, to double the share of renewable energy in the world’s energy mix between 2010 and 2030, foresees a major role for modern, sustainable biomass technology.
Sustainability is a key requirement for a stable energy resource, and biomass can make a substantial contribution to meeting future energy demands in a maintainable way. It is presently the largest global contributor of renewable energy, and has significant potential to expand the production of heat, electricity and fuel for transport.
A carefully researched deployment of bio-energy can contribute to the country’s primary energy supply, besides assisting in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially other environmental benefits.
The Government must pull out all stops to improve energy security and trade balances, by substituting imported fossil fuels with domestic biomass. In urban settings, bio-energy is capable of powering commercial districts by providing heat for buildings and industry, thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Chhattisgarh has taken the lead in this regard. It has made commendable progress by commissioning biomass power and bagasse co-generation projects, with a cumulative capacity of 264.90MW during 2013-2014. The project strives to efficiently utilise biomass, such as agro residue in the form of stalks, stems and straw; agro-industrial residues such as shells, husks, de-oiled cakes and wood from dedicated energy plantations for power generation. The potential for power generation from agricultural and agro-industrial residues in India is estimated at about 17,000MW. Other States must emulate Chhattisgarh’s model to leverage the latent potential.
The Government must press for better technology-based sugar mills that comprise of higher steam temperature and pressure. This alone can enable generation of up to 5,000MW of surplus power. The total biomass power potential in the country today is 22,000MW with nine sugar-producing States, poised to contribute a major portion, provided the modification of plant and technology is done rapidly.
This initiative can promote efficient and economic use of surplus biomass for power generation, besides maximising surplus power from sugar mills using improved know-how. In addition, efforts can also be made to promote technologies of co-generation and biomass combustion for supplementing conventional power.
The shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy will not happen overnight but it is crucial for India to change its mindset that is hinged on fossil fuel usage. Once the mindset changes, the usage will change as well.
The Government must redefine the energy vision that can guide the nation to renewable sources of energy, especially those with outstanding potential such as biomass. Awareness generation, technology deployment and gradually increase in the percentage of non-fossil fuels in the energy mix are some of the effective tools to achieve this renewed vision.