India concentrates maximum on Rural Upliftment through Biomass Gasifiers and Renewable Energy Systems

India geared to increase Biomass Gasifier use by 88 folds in another 7 to 8 years


In India the realization for the use of Biomass Gasifier has increased tremendously and the Government is also offering very good initiatives through the combined efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Sources, both have geared up to boost the power generation from Biomass to 19000 MW (Mega Watt) approximately from the present level of just 220 MW , which is just an un-imaginable rise in the sector . The energy generated from biomass will be used to meet some major needs in the agriculture and rural sectors.
The National Biomass Resource Assessment Program has been assigned the task of preparing a national biomass resource atlas for the country. The ministry for Non-Conventional Energy Sources has assesses that nearly 500 million tons of biomass is generated every year from crop residue, bagasse, agro residue and forest sources. Out of this, only 170 million tons are used for power generation.

They say that so far bagasse-based cogeneration has achieved a capacity of 222 MW and about 332 MW capacity is under installation. Its approximate potential is assessed at 3500 MW while for biomass it is 17,000 MW. The Concerned Ministries and related centers has also approved a joint coordinated R&D project to be implemented by IIS( Indian Institute of Science) Bangalore, IIT Chennai, IICT Hyderabad and BHEL Triuchirapalli for the advancement of technology for generation of power from biomass. Gasifier action research projects are also being supported by IIT( Indian Institute of Technology) Delhi and Mumbai, IIS Bangalore, MKU Madurai and SPRERI( Sardar Patel Energy Research Institute} Vallabh Vidyanagar. Under the R&D program on biomass gasification, gasifier systems designed for a variety of biomass have been developed and have been integrated for different application packages. These packages are for rice mills, plywood, tea, coffee, coconut oil and groundnut oil industries.

The Government of India has extended to certain demonstration projects in cooperative and public sector sugar mills through the joint venture companies (JVCs) set up by the state governments or IPP mode projects. Four such JVCs from four states and four IPPs on first-come-first-served basis have already been initiated and a one time grant-in-aid of $ 76000 to $ 98000 per MW of aggregate exportable surplus power is being provided, depending upon the steam pressure configuration of 60 or above 80 bar. Under the National Biomass Gasifier Program in India 1,074 gasifier system aggregating 34.36 MW have been installed in different states for various modes of applications including mechanical, electrical, thermal heating, and cooking besides village electrification. Fifty-nine gasifier systems aggregating 9.565 MW have been sanctioned by the Government funding in the year : 2000 , as we learn from various sources...

A biomass gasification project of 5x100 KW capacity has been installed for electrification of two villages named Gausaba in Sunderbans in West Bengal, which is basically an Island under an Eastern State in India.. Another such project of 5x100 kW gasifier system for Chhotomullakhali Island in the same Eastern state of West Bengal is under commissioning. All This indicates that India, has indeed realized the great potential of this source of Energy / Electricity generations as it is preparing itself to become a great power by lifting the rural masses and also trying to save tremendous amount of Foreign Exchange which it drains the most for buying the Petroleum Products from Middle East Asian Countries and other few. THE UNDER DEVELOPED AND THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SHOULD TAKE A TREMENDOUS LESSEN FROM THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS ASIAN NATION.


Major Biomass Gasifier Projects in South India : some with World Bank’s ultimate funding

TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency), which has been implementing various pilot programmes in wind, solar, and bio-energy, has chalked out several projects with private participation. With the assistance of the World Bank, TEDA plans to supply solar photovoltaic pumps to farmers. It is also supporting biomass gasification projects in several parts of the state, which will generate 1020 kW thermal, and 1500 kW electrical energy. TEDA is promoting two biomethanation projects, one from poultry litter and another from starch waste from sago factories. With the technical assistance of TEDA 107 SPV (solar photovoltaic) pumps are to be installed in Tamil Nadu during the current year.


The Haryana cabinet has approved setting up of two biomass projects with generation capacity of 17.55 MW at Ambala and Karnal with a cost of Rs 52.60 crore for generation of power through non-conventional energy sources. The 12-MW power plant to be set up at Ambala at a cost of Rs 37.10 crore would generate power through rice straw, rice husk, wheat straw, bagasse, and cotton stalks. The second project of 5.5 MW being set up at Karnal at a cost of Rs 15.50 crore would generate power through cotton stalks, wheat straw, rice straw, and rice husk. These units would be established with indigenously available technology for producing power by the use of steam turbo generator of extraction-cum-condensing type (The Observer of Business and Politics, 26 June 2000).