Techno-Economic Assessment of Bioenergy in India

Energy, especially from fossil fuels, is a key ingredient for all sectors of a modern economy and plays a fundamental role in improving the quality of life in less developed economies. In 2001, India was ranked sixth in the world in terms of energy demand; accounting for 3.5% of total energy consumed, and is expected to grow at 4.8% in the future. India imports 70% of the oil it uses, and the country has been hit hard by the increasing price of oil, uncertainty and environmental hazards that are concerned with the consumption of fossil fuels. In such context, bioenergy constitute a suitable alternative source of energy for India, as large amounts of raw material are available to be harnessed. Among various options available for bioenergy, biodiesel, bioethanol and biomass gasification are three major options, which have huge potential in India to develop as energy sources and where investments made would be economical. India has approximately 50 million hectares of degraded wasteland that lie outside the areas demarcated as national forests, and another 34 million hectares of protected forest area, in much of which tree cover is severely degraded. A massive programme is needed to develop energy plantations consisting of oil seed species for biodiesel production and fast-growing tree crops for a national network of small, decentralized biomass gasifiers power plants. The irrigated cropped area could be used for sugarcane growing for bioethanol production. The present book reviews the status of technology in terms of cost and performance for biodiesel, bioethanol and biomass gasification in India and abroad. It also highlights barriers and constraints and technology interventions required for the development of these bioenergy options. It suggests policy interventions and action plan for the development and promotion of bioenergy in India