The Indian economy is experiencing tremendous growth over the past several years. Energy, in all its forms, underpins both past and future growth. For the economy to continue this trajectory, India needs to address its energy challenges across all sectors.
India has abundant, untapped renewable energy resources including a large land mass that receives the highest solar irradiance of 5 trillion kWh/yr, a large coastline of 7500 Kms for realising on-shore & offshore wind potential, significant annual production of biomass, and numerous rivers and waterways having immense potential for developing hydropower.
The 5th Renewable Energy India 2011 Expo is a global platform to jointly address policy initiatives and innovative finance models to accelerate development of collaborative R&D and technology transfers to India in the field of renewables.
The event is expected to attract 650 exhibitors, 200 speakers, 2000 conference delegates and more than 20,000 trade visitors from across the globe. The event aims to bring together the world leaders in the field of renewable energy from governments, civil society, and private sector to provide an interactive forum to discuss and exchange their visions, experiences, and solutions for upscaling and mainstreaming renewable energy to achieve sustainable economic growth.
Various technologies including gasification, combustion and cogeneration are used for the conversion of biomass materials into electric power. Biomass is an important energy source contributing to more than 14% of the global energy supply. About 38% of such energy is consumed in developing countries, primarily in the rural and traditional sectors of the economy.
The strong demand for bio-fuel is in response not only to high crude petroleum prices, but also to the growing concerns about global climate change. Two major bio-fuels for the transportation sector, bio-ethanol and bio-diesel have gained worldwide acceptance.
Among various options available for bioenergy – biodiesel, bioethanol and biomass gasification are three major options, which have huge potential in India to develop as energy sources and where investments made would be economical.
Biomass could be described as an important source of energy in the Indian context, accounting for approximately a third of the total primarily fuel sources used in the country, which could be harnessed to produce electricity.
In India, biomass-based power generation has attracted investments worth USD 120 million and generated more than 5,000 million units of electricity, besides providing an employment to more than 10 million man-days in rural areas. India ranks second in the world in biogas utilisation.
India – Potential and cumulative achievements
Indian climatic conditions offer an ideal environment for biomass production. Bio-energy has remained critical to India’s energy mix. The current potential of surplus agro and forest residues to energy is estimated at 16,881 MW along with an additional “waste-to-energy” potential of 2,700 MW. With the setting up of new sugar mills and the modernization of existing ones, the potential of Bagasse cogeneration is estimated at 5,000 MW. The cumulative installed capacity, of grid-interactive biomass and Bagasse cogeneration power was 1,870.83 MW only, as on 30.6.2009.
Under the 11th Plan period ( 2007-12) the Government of India plans to add as much as 1700 MW through biomass and Bagasse cogeneration in various states.
India encourages ethanol as a fuel for automobiles and Regulations provide for the mandatory blending of 5% of ethanol with petrol (to be increased to 10%). The Government also plans to free the movement of ethanol across the country and eliminate local taxes thereby increasing its usage.
Advantage India
Close on the heels of the Kyoto protocol recommending a phased changeover to bio-diesel through blending, the Government of India has taken a number of initiatives to promote bio-fuels.
The availability of biomass in India is estimated at about 540 million tones per year covering residues from agriculture, forestry, and plantations. By using these surplus agriculture residues, more than 16,000 MW of grid quality power can be generated.
India has approximately 50 million hectares of degraded wasteland that lie outside the areas demarcated as national forests, and another 34 million hectares of protected forest area, in much of which tree cover is severely degraded.
In addition, about 5,000 MW of power can be produced from sugar mills residues. Thus the estimated biomass power potential is about 21,000 MW. India has approximately 50 million hectares of degraded wasteland that lie outside the areas demarcated as national forests, and another 34 million hectares of protected forest area, in much of which tree cover is severely degraded.
The Indian economy is experiencing tremendous growth over the past several years. Energy, in all its forms, underpins both past and future growth. For the economy to continue this trajectory, India needs to address its energy challenges across all sectors.
India has abundant, untapped renewable energy resources including a large land mass that receives the highest solar irradiance of 5 trillion kWh/yr, a large coastline of 7500 Kms for realising on-shore & offshore wind potential, significant annual production of biomass, and numerous rivers and waterways having immense potential for developing hydropower.
The 5th Renewable Energy India 2011 Expo is a global platform to jointly address policy initiatives and innovative finance models to accelerate development of collaborative R&D and technology transfers to India in the field of renewables.
The event is expected to attract 650 exhibitors, 200 speakers, 2000 conference delegates and more than 20,000 trade visitors from across the globe. The event aims to bring together the world leaders in the field of renewable energy from governments, civil society, and private sector to provide an interactive forum to discuss and exchange their visions, experiences, and solutions for upscaling and mainstreaming renewable energy to achieve sustainable economic growth.
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Various technologies including gasification, combustion and cogeneration are used for the conversion of biomass materials into electric power. Biomass is an important energy source contributing to more than 14% of the global energy supply. About 38% of such energy is consumed in developing countries, primarily in the rural and traditional sectors of the economy. The strong demand for bio-fuel is in response not only to high crude petroleum prices, but also to the growing concerns about global climate change. Two major bio-fuels for the transportation sector, bio-ethanol and bio-diesel have gained worldwide acceptance. |
Among various options available for bioenergy – biodiesel, bioethanol and biomass gasification are three major options, which have huge potential in India to develop as energy sources and where investments made would be economical.
Biomass could be described as an important source of energy in the Indian context, accounting for approximately a third of the total primarily fuel sources used in the country, which could be harnessed to produce electricity.
In India, biomass-based power generation has attracted investments worth USD 120 million and generated more than 5,000 million units of electricity, besides providing an employment to more than 10 million man-days in rural areas. India ranks second in the world in biogas utilisation.
India – Potential and cumulative achievements
Indian climatic conditions offer an ideal environment for biomass production. Bio-energy has remained critical to India’s energy mix. The current potential of surplus agro and forest residues to energy is estimated at 16,881 MW along with an additional “waste-to-energy” potential of 2,700 MW. With the setting up of new sugar mills and the modernization of existing ones, the potential of Bagasse cogeneration is estimated at 5,000 MW. The cumulative installed capacity, of grid-interactive biomass and Bagasse cogeneration power was 1,870.83 MW only, as on 30.6.2009.
Under the 11th Plan period ( 2007-12) the Government of India plans to add as much as 1700 MW through biomass and Bagasse cogeneration in various states.
India encourages ethanol as a fuel for automobiles and Regulations provide for the mandatory blending of 5% of ethanol with petrol (to be increased to 10%). The Government also plans to free the movement of ethanol across the country and eliminate local taxes thereby increasing its usage.
Advantage India
Close on the heels of the Kyoto protocol recommending a phased changeover to bio-diesel through blending, the Government of India has taken a number of initiatives to promote bio-fuels.
The availability of biomass in India is estimated at about 540 million tones per year covering residues from agriculture, forestry, and plantations. By using these surplus agriculture residues, more than 16,000 MW of grid quality power can be generated.
India has approximately 50 million hectares of degraded wasteland that lie outside the areas demarcated as national forests, and another 34 million hectares of protected forest area, in much of which tree cover is severely degraded.
In addition, about 5,000 MW of power can be produced from sugar mills residues. Thus the estimated biomass power potential is about 21,000 MW. India has approximately 50 million hectares of degraded wasteland that lie outside the areas demarcated as national forests, and another 34 million hectares of protected forest area, in much of which tree cover is severely degraded.
