Clarke Energy’s operation in India are pleased to have become the latest member of the Indian Biogas Association (IBA). The IBA is the first nationwide and professional biogas association of operators, manufacturers, and planners of biogas plants, representatives from public policy, science and research in India, and all other stakeholders of biogas ecosystem. The motto of the association is ”propagating biogas in a sustainable way”.
The IBA has members from across the biogas community and related fields of biogas. Members represent industry, academia, institutes, governmental and non-governmental organizations. The association has received the Global Green Award for its holistic contribution.
Furthermore, IBA has strong formal alliance with German Biogas Association. In 2016, the Indian Biogas Association and the German Biogas Association (Fachverband Biogas e.V.) entered a partnership (The Indo-German Biogas partnership, BIG-P) to foster development of the biogas industry in India. They also have formal collaboration with ENAMA, Italy (Ente Nazionale Meccanizzazione Agricola) to enhance technical cooperation among the organization and connected companies and farms. Through this cooperation, its intended to have an extensive exchange of information and sharing of knowledge, promotion of research and development, agro-business development, including development and adaptation to certification and standards as a tool to improve efficiency and quality.
Anant Kankanwadi, Director Sales and Marketing of Clarke Energy’s Indian operations on joining Indian Biogas Association said,
“In India, biogas has emerged as a promising renewable technology to convert agricultural, animal, industrial and municipal waste into sustainable energy.
Clarke Energy’s Indian operations supplying INNIO’s Jenbacher gas engine products installed the first biogas to power installation at a standalone molasses based distillery back in Ankleshwar, Gujarat in 1997.
Although many industries have installed facilities for generation of biogas and conversion to power, there are significant opportunities to expand the deployment of this technology in India for greater impact.
Unlike cogeneration power plants at sugar factories, this promising sector has been lacking the necessary policy and fiscal support. Anaerobic digestion has benefits over simply generation of renewable electricity alone. These include sustainable waste treatment, low carbon fertiliser production along with dispatchable renewable electricity and renewable heating or cooling. This contrasts to the intermittent electricity from other renewable sources such as solar, hydro and wind which are cheaper than anaerobic digestion based power generation technology due to the government support in the form of fixed feed-in-tariff and renewable power obligations.
Also, municipal corporations in India need to evaluate bio-methanation technology in their waste-to-energy projects for treating municipal solid waste, wherein biogas produced can be directly used for household purpose, bioCNG and/or for power generation. With the membership of Indian Biogas Association, in addition to we, Clarke Energy India being exposed to industry trends, I think, we have found the right platform to voice our opinion, all in the interest of the Indian biogas industry.”
Biogas-fuelled trigeneration plant installed at Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Embio Ltd.
Clarke Energy’s membership of the IBA complements its wider global involvement in the World Biogas Association.
