The New Nation - Internet Edition

M A Gofran

India started working on Biogas Technology in 1900, when they built the first biogas plant in Homeless Leper Asylum at Matunga, Bombay. The plant did not work up to expectation and could neither attract the researchers nor the common people. In 1937, the scientists of Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) could collect biogas from the sewerage line at Dadar, Bombay. The gas was used to rum trucks and the slurry was used as organic fertilizer. Dr. Desai of IARI constructed a biogas plant there using cow dung as raw material. But the output was not satisfactory. In 1951 Jashabhai Patel developed a new design for biogas digester and constructed a few plants there. He named the model as 'Gram Lakshmi'. This was the first successful attempt in the field of biogas technology in India. Following the model about 200 more plants have been constructed. Initially, the plants worked well, but after few years have gone out of order due to leakage and other technical problems.

In 1961, Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) included the technology in their program and created an organization named Directorate of Gobar Gas for the extension of biogas technology. Their main focus was on domestic household biogas plant, but they built a few large size plants also (100 m3 to 300 m3). At Ajit Male Gobar Gas Research Institute (GGRI) was established to further intensify the development of the technology. Until 1976 a good number of biogas plants have been constructed in India and all are of floating dome model. The lower part of the plant is made of bricks and works as digester. The upper part is made of steel and works as gas holder. The mixed slurry is pushed into the digester through a small inlet tank. When the gas is produced, the gas holder moves up and it is used, it goes down. As the model has been developed and widely used in India, it is called 'Indian Model'.

KVIC model has its limitations, particularly its cost. The gas holder alone accounts for 40% of the total cost. As the dome is made of steel, within 3-4 years due to corrosion it becomes unserviceable. These considerations led to the emergence of fixed-dome plants. In 1976 GGRI developed a new model following recent designs developed in China. They gave its name 'Janata Model' (people's model). It is a mixture of fixed dome and floating dome model. This model is 30% cheaper than the floating type and which has the added advantage of using locally available building materials. Systematic practical training of masons on construction techniques is crucial for successful dissemination of this model. If such training was not provided, quality diminished, resulting in a fairly widespread failure of plants. However, the model worked successfully and became popular within a few years. By 1980, KVIC constructed about one hundred thousand biogas plants following Janata Model.

In 1980, government decided to promote and support 20 viable and proven technologies. Subsequently, this was included in the Prime Minister's 20 point program. Recognizing the need and high potential of renewable sources of energy and seeing the success of KVIC, they included biogas technology in their program. India established Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE) in 1981 with the objectives to develop and demonstrate Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) and launched a large scale project named National Project on Biogas Development (NPBD) in 1981. The program got further momentum, when the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES) was created in 1982.

One of the key barriers in promoting RETs is high initial cost and high perceived risk associated with financing new technologies. In order to overcome these, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) was established on 11th March, 1987 as a Public limited Government Company under the Companies Act, 1956. The main objectives of IREDA are to promote, develop and extend financial assistance for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency/Conservation Projects. Indian government has given highest priority to this newly born organization and allocated good amount of money. Concomitantly, this was accompanied by financial and technical assistance from the World Bank, UNDP, ADB, Global Environment Facility (GEF) etc. They adopted a decentralized, multi-agency and multi-model implementation strategy for this nation-wide initiative. At the state level, the program is being implemented through a nodal agency responsible for achieving installation targets, managing finances, monitoring, etc. Other agencies involved at the district level and below are several government bodies such as the District Rural Development Agency, the Block Development Office, local private sector entrepreneurs, local government (gram panchyats), dairy cooperatives and rural non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

In addition, the nationalized banks are also involved in the program through the provision of soft loans to beneficiaries to partially meet construction costs. IREDA provides support up to 80% of project cost and 75% of equipment cost. Their rate of interest is 5% to 12%, moratorium up to 3 Years and repayment period is 12 years. By 2005 IREDA approved 1736 projects with loan commitment of Rs.6945 million and disbursed Rs.3715 million.

In 1992 the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES) was upgraded to the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES). MNES is headed by a Secretary and the activities of the Ministry are divided into different groups, on the basis of end use applications and activities. These groups are headed by Advisers and/or joint Secretaries. They launched a program namely National Biogas and Manure Management Program (NBMMP). With the creation of new ministry, all activities on renewable energy including the IREDA have been placed under the control and supervision of MNES.

Action for Food Production (AFPRO), a NGO established in early 1980s decided to go for wide scale dissemination of biogas technology and gave a proposal to Canadian Hunger Foundation to scale up the promotion of family size biogas plants by involving local NGOs. Based on the proposal Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) sent a consultant to New Delhi to give final shape to the proposal in 1983 and launched a biogas extension program for 17 years through two distinct phases (Phase I 1983-89; and Phase II 1990-99. Under the project about one hundred thousand family size biogas plants have been built in the country.

From the beginning, NGO participation has been an integral feature of the national program. During the Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997) the NGO sector was assigned 25% of the total national target to be implemented with the feelings that, NGOs have close contact with the farmers and their involvement will accelerate the pace of dissemination.

Gradually, a network of NGOs was established to ensure coordination, avoid overlapping and duplication. Phase I was initially launched with 20 NGOs which, with the addition of approximately 20 new members per year, gradually grew to about 60 organizations.

Thirty five of these NGO partners, which came to be known as Program Implementing Partners (PIPs) decided to continue their partnership into Phase II. In addition, new NGOs have also joined the network which at its peak reached 72 members operating more than 90 Biogas Extension Centers (BEC) in 17 states of India. The network, now called the Indian Rural Energy Network (IRENet) is moving forward to take on the challenge of transferring a variety of other renewable energy technologies (RETs).

To farther reduce cost by giving spherical shape to minimize surface area for a certain volume and improve efficiency AFPRO developed a fixed dome model biogas plant named Deenbandhu model, which is one of the most successful biogas plant models throughout India. At present there are more than three hundred thousand plants in India following this model. The model is now being used in other Asian and African countries also.

The availability and consumption of energy is an index of prosperity of a country. The energy consumption per person in India is very low and is about 610 kwh/year whereas China is 1400, Germany 6900 and USA 13000 with world average of 2400 kwh/ year. The Government of India has set up an agenda of electrifying all villages by 2007 and providing power to all by 2012. Fourteen states have so far announced policies for purchase, wheeling and banking of electrical energy generated from various RE sources. Power generation through renewable in India is considered to be more useful for sustainable development and the estimated potential is about 80,000 MW. The renewable energy based power generation capacity presently constitutes about 7,100 MW i.e. 5.9 % of the total installed capacity from all sources. Government has set target to achieve share of renewable energy up to 10% by 2012. They are now using biogas technology to produce electricity. From a single dairy farm in Punjab they are generating 1 MW power.

Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of India gave high priority to the promotion of rural energy. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on 13 August 1975 passed hours together with the scientists to find means and ways to explore new renewable for meeting energy crisis. All the state leaders without any exception provided all necessary support for the promotion of renewable sources of energy. Declaring renewable energy policy, creation of KVIC, CASE, DNES, MNES, IREDA, provision of bank support are the examples of their commitment. The President in his address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day 2005 set an aim for developing an economy that would be largely driven by renewable energy, especially in the light of uncertainties in global oil prices. Energy security and energy independence have taken centre stage in the planning process. The country is developing alternate fuels considering the aforesaid concerns.

Consequently, new and renewable sources of energy have emerged as a development imperative. The Indian scientific establishment has been working on the development of various renewable energy systems. As a result India has become one of the largest producers of renewable energy. They are now planning to see an India with 100% renewable at the end of this century, when conventional sources will have no existence.

Due to commitment of the state leaders, policy interventions and institutional reforms a cumulative total of over 4.45 million plants have been set up in the country against a theoretical potential of about 14.34 million plants up till December 2005. In addition, 3952 nos. of community/institutional/night soil based biogas plants also installed.

Total Family Type Biogas Plants: 1981-82 to 2005-6 along with some important states

No of plants Estimated potential Cumulative achievement % Achieved

Total 12,339,000 3834,080 31

Arunachal Pradesh 7,500 2,210 29

Assam 307,000 58,667 19

Himachal Pradesh 125,000 44,866 36

Jharkhand 100,000 2,083 1

Manipur 38,000 2,128 5

Meghalaya 24,000 4,226 17

Mizoram 5,000 3,470 69

Nagaland 6,700 2,617 39

Orissa 605,000 224,373 37

Uttaranchal 83,000 6,603 7

West Bengal 695,000 263,587 38

Andamand &Nicobar Island 2,200 137 6

Total 14,337,400 4,449,047

(The writer is biogas consultant, Grameen Shakti, Grameen Bank Bhaban, Dhaka.)

Source: MNES-India