Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

BIOFUELS in addressing the pollution issues cur- rently affecting India. With modern and innovative technologies, policymakers can focus on and incentivise companies who are willing to set up facilities to con- vert Biomass into chemicals and energy. and thereby delivering energy indepen- dence for India. There are multiple benefits of introduc - ing CBG in the transport sector, such as aiding waste management and reduc- ing carbon emissions. It will also create an additional revenue source for farm- ers by creating wealth from waste. It will also boost entrepreneurship in the rural economy, while generating employment opportunities. Also, the adoption of CBG as fuel will reduce the import of natural gas and crude oil, thus aiding to create a buffer against the price fluctuations of these petroleum products. If the true po- tential of CBG is exploited in the coun- try, India can produce an equivalent of approximately 62 MMT of CBG annually, which is sufficient to satiate the entire gas demand of the nation. Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s Minister of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel, has said that the country is well poised to achieve its renewable energy target of 450 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. That may well be true if India remains focused on developing a gas-based economy in an integrated manner, which includes encouraging the cleaner use of fossil fuels, greater reliance on domestically produced fuels like biogas, focusing on raising the adoption of electricity as a power source, moving into emerging fu- els like hydrogen and promoting digital innovation across all energy systems. Traditionally, Indians have used biofu- els like wood and cow dung in chulhas, especially in rural areas, to cook food and heat water. But these techniques were extremely inefficient and have been proven to be highly polluting as well. In fact, because of the smoke, lung diseases were rampant in many house- holds that used these stoves. This is where advanced technology can step in. Modern systems to extract fuel from biomass can reduce pollution dras- tically, and at the same time, be afford- able all thanks to their overall efficiency and reduction of losses throughout the process. How well India can embrace appropriate technology to make biofuels available to its citizens as well as its industries and business sectors will act as a significant force multiplier of social and economic growth in the country. The very fact that this energy is harnessed from raw ma- terials that would have otherwise been discarded, is invaluable and is the per- fect example of a waste-to-wealth ap- proach to energy sustainability. CBG is the solution for both organic waste as well as tackling the fuel deficit that India is grappling with. Indeed, this is ‘Aat- manirbharta’ (self-reliance) in its truest form. 55 energetica INDIA- May-June_2021