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INTRODUCTION
Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human
and natural activities.
It is derived from numerous sources, including the by-products from the timber industry,
agricultural crops, raw material from the forest, major parts of household waste and wood.
Biomass has always been an important energy source for India considering the benefits it offers
for power generation, cooking gas production and other valuable recycled products. It is
renewable, widely available, carbon-neutral and has the potential to provide significant
employment in the rural areas. Biomass is also capable of providing firm energy. About 32%
of the total primary energy use in the country is still derived from biomass and more than 70%
of the country’s population depends upon it for its energy needs. Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy has initiated a number of programmes for promotion of efficient
technologies for its use in various sectors of the economy to ensure derivation of maximum.
Biomass Management mentioned that while funding for equipment and in-situ and ex-situ
utilisation of crop-residue are needed to avert episodic Delhi’s air pollution, a massive change
in the mindset of farmers is absolutely essential.
The following are the recommendations that he touched upon:
There is a renewed interest in biomass power plants, which can not only generate electricity
but also help dispose of — in a carbon-neutral manner — agriculture waste, burning of which
in Punjab and Haryana is partly blamed for the alarming levels of pollution Delhi is
experiencing.
Punjab is predominantly rich in agriculture and contributes the major share to the grain basket
of India. It has surplus production of major crops. It produces 25% of country’s cotton, 22% of
wheat and 55% of rice, even though it has only 1.5% of total country cultivable area. Punjab
has been meeting its electrical power requirements primarily through conventional thermal and
hydro power generation. Hydro power generation has a tendency to fluctuate depending on the
availability of water. Thermal power generation has to depend on coal which has to be
transported from eastern part of India involving large distances. Cost of generation from coal
continuous to escalate and moreover it is polluting.
Biomass Power project has the following inherent advantages over thermal power generation:
It is environmentally friendly because of relatively lower CO2 and particulate
emissions
It displaces fossil fuels such as coal
It is a decentralised, load based means of generation, because it is produced and
consumed locally, losses associated with transmission and distribution are reduced
It offers employment opportunities to locals
It has a low gestation period and low capital investment
It helps in local revenue generation and upliftment of the rural population
It is an established and commercially viable technology option.
Punjab has substantial availability of Biomass / Agrowaste in the state is sufficient to
produce about 1000 MW of electricity. PEDA has planned to develop some of the
available potential talukas / tehsils with the aim to promote and install biomass / agro
waste based projects. PEDA has so far allocated 30 sites / tehsils for setting up of total
332.5 MW capacity Biomass / Agrowaste based power projects under three phases.