‘Biomass energy can rescue slump in industrial growth’

The Hindu , Sunday, December 14, 2008
Correspondent : Ignatius Pereira
KOLLAM: As the nation observes National Energy Conservation Day on Sunday (December 14), it is high time some serious energy-saving measures are adopted to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to protect the environment, energy conservation campaigner S. Ratnakumar has said.

Talking to The Hindu here on Saturday, he said that a switch over to use of biomass energy could work wonders in rescuing the country from the slump in industrial growth since it could reduce cost of production. Industries need both electrical and thermal energy, mostly diesel.

While electricity was purchased from the electricity boards, thermal power was generated by utilising fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Experts predicted that oil and gas would last for only about another 60 years. Uses of fossil fuels had an adverse impact on the environment too.

Mr. Ratnakumar, who had won the State government’s Energy Conservation Award in 1997 for pioneering the concept of energy conservation clubs in the country, said that while biomass energy at present contributed to only 14 per cent of the world’s energy supply, in India its use was very negligible.

He said India being a tropical country, had tremendous scope for energy generation through biomass and its residues. Biomass energy could be used for power generation and thermal heating. The ash collected afterwards could be used as manure for agriculture. Biomass energy was also highly sustainable.

He said that biomass could play dual role in green house gas mitigation, both as an energy source to substitute fossil fuels and as a carbon sink. Using refuse as fuel avoided polluting landfill disposal.

The use of biomass significantly reduced the need to import oil and other fossil fuels and at the same time it increased the security of energy supply, he said.

Since biomass energy use contributed to the reduction of emissions that triggered climate change, it helped remaining in tune with the Kyoto Agreement.

Reduction in usage of diesel and furnace oil by adopting biomass-based heater resulted in accruing clean environment mechanism benefits. Mr. Ratnakumar said the Central government was providing incentives for setting up power generation projects based on biomass in the form of capital subsidy, accelerated depreciation, relief from taxes and term loans from the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency.

A target consisting of 500 MW of biomass power had been proposed during the Eleventh Plan period. A cumulative biomass power potential of about 18,000 MW from surplus agro residues had been estimated in the country as per a National Biomass Resource Atlas prepared by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, under a project sponsored by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Mr. Ratnakumar said some industries in the country had already started using biomass energy. Notable among them was the Morvi industrial belt in Gujarat.

The southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka hads also commissioned biomass power generation projects in the tune of 200 MW to 300 MW. But Kerala had not been able to start such a project. He said it was high time Kerala too went for one by taking a resolve during this year’s energy conservation day.

 
SOURCE : Sunday, 14 December 2008
 


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