The Indian Biogas Association has recommended funding for compressed biogas facilities at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore

The Indian Biogas Association has recommended funding for compressed biogas facilities at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore

"Using agricultural residues like paddy straw for the manufacture of bioenergy as well as soil enrichment compared to burning provides dual benefits as it improves soil health as well as provides a renewable energy source," declared Gaurav Kedia, President of the Indian Biogas Association. Gives."

The Indian Biogas Association has recommended funding for compressed biogas facilities at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore.

In order to guarantee a decrease in 12 MMTA LNG imports, the Indian Biogas Association has advised investing Rs 30,000 crore on machinery and equipment needed for biomass supply to compressed biogas facilities. "Using agricultural residues like paddy straw for the manufacture of bioenergy as well as soil enrichment instead of burning supplies dual benefits as it enhances the condition of soil as well as provides a renewable energy source," said Gaurav Kedia, President of the Indian Biogas Association. Gives."

But he also noted that there are obstacles to procurement, such the unappealing economic climate that drives farmers to burn farm straw rather than sell it right away. He said, "Improving logistics is not a realistic option because to straw's low density, which raises the expenditures related with its collecting, storage, and transportation. A government program like "Subsidizing combine harvesters to make it possible them to efficiently collect straw" is required to promote the adoption of the required equipment.

According to Kedia, efficient transportation and storage will be made possible by the increased assistance for balers and storage units. He recommended that the government provide funding to purchase agricultural residue management equipment, establish specialized recruiting facilities, establish a crop residue/paddy straw supply chain, and raise public knowledge of crop residue management. Additionally, operational guidelines must to be released for.

In India, there are 198 million hectares of agricultural land and 775 million tonnes of total crop output. Of that, 230 million tonnes are produced and 754 million tonnes of total biomass are created, according to a research on the country's biomass potential conducted by the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI). Million Tonnes of Excessive Farm Waste. Farmers burn a large portion of this excess biomass because they lack the necessary tools and incentive to gather it. The states that produce the most biomass, namely Punjab (10.6 percent), Uttar Pradesh (9.8 percent), Gujarat (9.3 percent), Maharashtra (9.2 percent), Madhya Pradesh (8.8 percent), as well as Andhra Pradesh (7 percent), should get precedence from the government in the first phase.

To solve the issue in these states, an estimated Rs 30,000 crore worth of gear and equipment would be needed. By means of this expenditure, the government hopes to guarantee uninterrupted substrate supply to CBG facilities, which in turn would draw in investment of Rs 170,000 crore.is going to be.

By avoiding about 12 MMTA of LNG imports, he claimed, it would also be beneficial to the economy and assist the government in meeting its green energy ambitions. He said that despite the Union Budget 2024's notable advancements in the field of renewable energy, there are still a number of important roadblocks in the way.

According to him, the budget need to include long-term financing solutions to close the investment gap for significant renewable energy projects, even with increased funding. According to Kedia, further incentives are required to boost local production of necessary components and lessen reliance on imports, even with the PLI programs in place.

While there is currently no program for biofertilizers that is comparable to Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT), fermented organic manure from biogas plants is supported under the Market Development Support Scheme. The government offers Rs 1.5 per kilogram of fermented organic manure (FOM) as assistance under the MDA program.

He continued by saying that it is crucial to emphasize the green aspect of CBG at this crucial time, namely the marketable CBG certificates. During the interim budget presentation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned the upstream side, which is the compressed biogas (CBG) supply chain, and the downstream side, which is the gradually required mixing of CBG with natural gas used as car fuel. An announcement of financial help was made for domestic supply.

The declaration's goal is to facilitate the shift towards environmental sustainability and energy security, thereby fulfilling the objectives of the Panchamrit Initiative, which include reaching 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity, obtaining 50% of energy from renewable sources, and lowering emissions. By 2030, 1 billion tons of carbon emissions are expected, which would mean a 45% decrease in the economy's carbon footprint from 2005 levels and a net zero economy by 2070.