“Converting waste agricultural biomass into energy” Resource Conservation and GHG Emission Reduction
CONTENTS
Chapter / Sub Chapter / Title / PageSummary / 5
1 / Energy from waste agricultural biomass / 6
1.1 / Introduction / 6
1.2 / Energy from Waste Agricultural Biomass / 6
2. / Assessment of Waste Agricultural Biomass in India / 8
2.1 / Energy potential of waste agricultural biomass / 8
2.2 / Generation of Waste Agricultural Biomass in India / 10
2.3 / Generation of waste agricultural biomass from various crops in India / 10
2.4 / Surplus waste agricultural biomass in India / 11
2.5 / State-wise Estimation of Surplus Waste Agricultural Biomass / 13
2.6 / Other references / 16
3 / Government Policy / 17
3.1 / The national scenario -- Biomass relatedPoliciesandProgrammes / 17
3.1.1 / Institutional framework – Ministry of New and Renewable Energy / 18
3.2 / Analysis of climate change related policies / 19
3.2.1 / National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) / 19
3.2.1.1 / Market based mechanism / 19
3.2.1.2 / Accelerated shift to energy efficient appliances / 20
3.2.1.3 / Mechanism to finance Demand Side Management (DSM) / 20
3.2.1.4 / Fiscal instruments to promote energy efficiency / 20
3.2.2 / Goals of National Action Plan on Climate Change / 21
3.3 / Analysis of renewable energy related policy development / 21
3.3.1 / EarlyPolicyPerspective / 21
3.3.2 / Multi-prongedapproach / 22
3.3.3 / ShiftinPolicyPerspective / 23
3.3.4 / Major programmes of MNES / 24
3.3.4.1 / National Biomass Cookstoves Programme / 24
3.3.4.2 / ProgrammesforBiomassbasedElectricPower / 24
3.3.4.3 / National biomass gasifier programme / 25
3.3.4.4 / Programmesfor building research institutions / 26
3.3.4.5 / ProgrammesforBiomassbasedEnergy in rural areas / 27
3.3.4.6 / Policies by state governments / 27
3.3.4.7 / Incentives for investing in Renewable Energy Technologies / 28
3.4 / Analysis of Foreign Investment Policy / 30
3.5 / Gaps/inadequacies in current policy framework / 31
3.5.1 / Uncertain economic viability of biomass to energy projects / 31
3.5.2 / Irrational incentive schemes for biomass to energy projects / 32
3.5.3 / Preference to large size biomass to energy projects / 32
3.5.4 / Application of same environmental and land use related regulations / 32
3.5.5 / Lack of emphasis on technology research and development / 33
3.5.6 / Location of biomass to energy plants / 33
3.6 / Policy drivers to promote enhanced conversion of waste agricultural biomass into energy / 33
3.7 / Challenges for enhancing conversion of waste agricultural biomass into energy / 34
4 / Proposed National Strategy for enhancing conversion of waste agricultural biomass into energy / 37
4.1 / Vision / 37
4.2 / Objectives / 37
4.3 / Targets / 38
4.3.1 / Scope and Timing / 38
4.4 / Relation to other strategies / 38
4.5 / Specific elements of the strategy / 38
4.5.1 / Comprehensive data base on availability of waste agricultural biomass / 38
4.5.2 / Enable sustainable and affordable supply of waste agricultural biomass to points of application / 39
4.5.3 / Technology modernisation / 39
4.5.4 / Price regulation of waste agricultural biomass / 40
4.5.5 / Fiscal Incentives / 41
4.5.6 / Financial subsidies / 41
4.5.7 / Awareness raising / 42
4.5.8 / Capacity building / 42
4.6 / Implementation and delivery mechanism / 44
5 / Conclusion / 47
List of Tables
Table-2.1-a / Derived Calorific Values (wet basis: natural form) of various WABs / 8Table-2.1-b / Calorific value (Dry basis) of different WABs / 9
Table 2.5-a / State-wise Biomass Data Based on Survey Data of Agro-Kharif / 14
Table 2.5-b / State-wise Biomass Data: Agro-Rabi / 15
List of Graphs
Graph-2.3 / Contribution of various crops in generation of waste agricultural biomass / 11Graph-2.4 -a / State wise generation of surplus waste agricultural biomass in India / 12
Graph-2.4 -b / Surplus waste agricultural biomass after conventional use / 13
Graph-2.6 / Waste agricultural biomass generated, surplus and burnt in field / 16
List of Annexures
Annexure-1 / Status of biomass power cogeneration tariff across states / 48Annexure -2 / List of biomass power projects commissioned / 50
Annexure -3 / CFA for Biomass Power Project and Bagasse Cogeneration Projects by Private/Joint/Coop./Public Sector Sugar Mills / 51
Annexure-4 / Special exemptions / 53
Summary
ThereislargebiomassuseinIndia.Theuse of biomass as a source of energyisconfinedprimarily totraditionaluses suchascookinginruralhouseholdsandheatinginruralindustries.Mostbiomassisnot tradedonthemarket,butisgatheredorhomegrownforuseby family.Thekey policyissueistodevelopmarketforbiomassenergy service.Aprimary responseisto modernizethebiomassuse.Lately,therehasbeenagrowing experienceofmodernbiomass technologiesinIndia.Currently, thepenetrationofmodernbiomassenergy servicesis insignificant..Duetohighcostandlowservicereliability,thebiomassenergy isnotyet competitivetocausesignificantdemand(market)pull.Biomassishowever competitive in nicheapplicationssuchas in remote biomass rich locations and agro and wood processing industriesgeneratingcheaply availablebiomasswaste.Increased penetration of technologies to convert waste agricultural biomass into energy, through government programmesacting a ‘push factor’ is urgently required
ThegovernmentpoliciesinIndiaduring thenextdecadeshallplay a keyrolein enhancing the conversion of waste agricultural into energy in future.
ThechallengebeforetheIndianpolicy makersisto developthemarketforbiomassenergyservicesby ensuringreliableandenhancedbiomass supply,removingthetariffdistortionsfavouringfossilfuelsandproducingenergy services reliablywith modern biomass to energy conversion technologies at competitive cost.
1Energy from waste agricultural biomass
1.1Introduction
A rural energycrisis started getting faced during the mid-1970s decade. Increasedoilprice, increasedhouseholdenergydemandduetohighpopulationgrowth, anddepletionoflocalwoodresourcesduetounsustainableuse were found to be the three most important reasons and causes for this situation.
Thenationalpolicy makersneededtofindeconomically viableandsustainableenergy resourcetomeetrural energy needs.Although,importofkeroseneandLPGforcookinganddieselforirrigation pumping remained a possible short-term supply-side solution, this was not viable in the long runduemacroaswellasmicroeconomicconstraints. While at macro-economic level the high proportion of Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) in the total imports of India was a matter of concern to the policy makers, at microeconomy level,a majority of the poorersectionofruralhouseholds was facing the problem of very low disposableincometo spendoncommercialfuels.With a view to meet these challenges of ruralenergy crisis,theprogrammesforrenewableenergy technologies(RETs)weredevelopedinthe1970s.Biomass,being alocal,widely accessibleandrenewableresource,waspotentially themostsuitabletoalleviatebothmacro and micro concerns.
1.2Energyfrom Waste Agricultural Biomass
Biomass is highly diverse in nature and classified on the basis of site of origin such as field and plantation biomass, industrial biomass, forest biomass, urban waste biomass and aquatic biomass. However, most common source of biomass is wood waste and agricultural wastes. In this report, we have focused mainly on waste agricultural biomass (WAB) because India has a large agriculture base, generates huge quantities of waste agriculture biomass and most of which is currently unutilized.
Biomasshasbeen used as a fuel since millennia. Until the mid-19th century, biomass dominatedtheglobalenergy consumption.Withrapidincreaseinfossilfueluse,shareof biomassintotalenergyhasdeclinedsteadilyoveracentury, mainly due to the development of the petroleum sector and more convenient forms of energy like the LPG and kerosene. This shift was further accelerated by the special concessions and subsidies accorded to these two forms of fuel, especially for the poorer population, who were otherwise using the biomass as their primary source of fuel.
Predominantuseofbiomassstillcontinuestobe inthe rural household and traditional artisan type craft and industry sectors. In thissegment, biomasscontinuestoretainthetagof"poorman'sfuel".Onthesupply side,sincemost biomassfuelsarehomegrownorgatheredbythehouseholdsforownneeds,themarketfor thebiomassfuelsdoesnotexist. Under suchcircumstances organizedtechnological interventions to convert waste agriculturalbiomass to energy is minimal.
Environmental concernslikeglobalclimatechange,acidrainandthedeteriorationinlocalair qualityfromtheuseoffossilfuelshaverevivedtheinterestinbiomassenergy asa renewable,sustainableandenvironmentally friendly energy source.Theruralenergy crisis due to thelowpurchasingpowerofruralpoorandtheshortagesofcommercial fossilfuels demand development of thebiomassenergy sector. Developing country policy makershave alsobegun to perceiveothereconomicbenefitsofcommercialuse of biomass, likeenhanced access to energy forruralareas,ruralemploymentandsavingofforeignexchange foroilimports.
2.Assessment of Waste Agricultural Biomass in India
2.1Energy potential of waste agricultural biomass
Different types of waste agricultural biomass have different calorific values. The Calorific Value of different WABs ranges between 1,500 KCals/Kg. to 4,200 KCals/Kg. on an as is basis. The derived values of the calorific values of individual WAB have been worked out as shown in Table 2.1-a.
Table-2.1-a: Derived Calorific Values (wet basis: natural form) of various WABs
WAB / Calorific Value (Wet basis) KCals/Kg.Sugarcane Bagasse / 1494
Sugarcane Top & trash / 1586
Paddy Husk / 2988
Paddy Straw (top) / 2053
Oil palm Empty bunches / 3811
Oil palm Fiber / 3755
Oil palm Shell / 3939
Oil palm Frond / 1853
Coconut Husk / 3463
Coconut Shell / 3824
Coconut Empty bunches / 3189
Coconut Frond / 3368
Cassava Stalk / 3971
Maize Corn cob / 3867
Groundnut Shell / 2791
Cotton Stalk / 3072
Soybean Stalk, leaves, shell / 4205
Sorghum Leaves & stem / 4111
Over all average / 2003
From the table it is also clear that bagasse, which has ahigh moisture content, of the order of about 50%, stands at the lowest level with some of the pulses stalks standing at the highest level.Another study[1] reported the Calorific Values ranging between 3000 to 4700 KCals/Kg. on a dry basis. Table 2.1-b provides the figures for various WAB as reported in the study.
Table-2.1-b: Calorific value (Dry basis) of different WABs
Biomass Agricultural residues / Calorific Value (Dry basis) KCals/Kg.Paddy straw / 3000
Rice husk / 3040
Mango leaves / 3390
Groundnut / 4200
Sugarcane / 3800
Wheat straw / 3800
Cotton stalks / 4700
Maize stalks / 3500
Maize cobs / 3850
Bajra stalks / 3950
Gram straw / 3810
Masoor straw / 3980
Considering the fact that generally biomass is available on as is where is basis, in it’s natural wet form, and also keeping in view the geo-climatic conditions in India, an overall thermal value at 2,500 KCals/Kg. can be considered for estimating the energy potential.
Again, considering that the average calorific value of petroleum products as 10,000 KCals/Kg, it is considered that every 4 units of WAB can replace one unit of petroleum product.
2.2Generation of Waste Agricultural Biomass in India
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE 2009), Government of India estimated that about 500 Million tons of waste agricultural biomass is generated every year[2]. There is a large variability in generation of waste agricultural biomass depending on the cropping intensity, productivity and crops grown in different states of India. The generation of waste agricultural biomass is highest in Uttar Pradesh (60 Million tons) followed by Punjab (51 Million tons) and Maharashtra (46 Million tons)[3].
2.3Generation of waste agricultural biomass from various cropsin India
Graph 2.3 depicts the generation of waste agricultural biomass from various crops. According to MNRE Report 2009[4], among different crops, cereals generate 352 million tons waste biomass followed by fibres (66 million tons), oilseed (29 million tons), pulses (13 million tons) and sugarcane (12 million tons)[5]. The cereal crops (rice, wheat, maize, millets) contribute 70% while rice crop alone contributes 34% of waste biomass. Wheat ranks second with 22% whereas fibre crops contribute 13% of waste biomass generated from all crops. Among fibres, cotton generates maximum (53 million tons) with 11% of waste biomass. Coconut ranks second among fibre crops with 12 million tons of waste biomass generation. Sugarcane crop generates 12 million tons of waste biomass comprising of tops and leaves, 2% of crop residues in India[6].
Graph-2.3:Contribution of various crops in generation of waste agricultural biomass
Apart from wheat and rice, crops like maize, soyabean, tapioca, bajra, groundnut, jowar, arhar, castor seed, gram and til contribute the major shares of waste biomass in that order. While there are many other crops which generate agricultural residues, their share is negligible. These residues, as and when and wherever available, will have to be used in combination with the major residues in the area.
The generation of waste biomass from cereal crops is highest in Uttar Pradesh (53 Million tons) followed by Punjab (44 Million tons) and West Bengal (33 Million tons). Maharashtra contributes maximum to the waste biomass generation from pulses (3 Million tons) while fibre crop is dominant in Andhra Pradesh (14 Million tons)[7]. Gujarat and Rajasthan generate about 6 Million tons each of waste biomass from oilseed crops.
2.4Surplus waste agricultural biomass in India:
The amount of waste agricultural biomass, which does not have any identifiable end use; is either left in the fields to rot or is burnt away, is termed as Surplus Biomass. Sometimes a small part of such residues are used to meet household energy needs by farmers. The estimated total surplus waste agricultural biomass in India ranges from 84 to141 million tons/year where cereals and fibre crops contribute 58% and 23%, respectively[8]. Remaining 19% is from sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds and other crops. Out of 82 million tons surplus biomass from the cereal crops, 44 million tons is from rice followed by 24.5 million tons of wheat which is mostly burnt in fields. In case of fiber crops (33 million tons of surplus biomass) approximately 80% is waste biomass from cotton crop.This is mostly burnt in open in the field[9]. Graph 2.4–adepicts the state wise status of cumulative surplus waste agricultural biomass. Graph 2.4 -b depicts the surplus after conventional uses.
Graph-2.4 -a: State wise generation of surplus waste agricultural biomass in India
From the above graph, it may be seen that the states of Uttar Pradesh tops the list followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Punjab, accounting for almost 60% of the total nationaal generation of biomass. All rest of the 20 states account for the rest 40%.
A very small part of surplus residues are used for various purposes such as to meet household energy needs by farmers, thatching roofs, animal fodder etc.
Graph-2.4-b: Surplus waste agricultural biomass after conventional use
From the above graph, it may be seen that the states of Punjab tops the list followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Bihar, accounting for almost 80% of the total national generation of biomass. All rest of the 18 states account for the rest 20%.
2.5State-wise Estimation of Surplus Waste Agricultural Biomass:
Due to limitations of data availability, the year 2004 has been used as a base for estimating the availability of surplus waste agricultural biomass.Table 2.5-a (Kharif crop season) and 2.5-b (Rabi crop season) depict the details of state-wise area under agricultural cropping, total crop production, biomass generation, estimated surplus biomass available for alternate uses and the estimated potential of power generation opportunity. The data is presented under the two different major cropping patterns adopted in India, viz: the Kharif and the Rabi crops. The data has been organized in the order of the availability of surplus biomass and the corresponding power generation potential.
It may be observed that the states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh occupy their positions in the top four highest biomass producing states.
Table 2.5-a: State-wise Biomass Data Based on Survey Data of year [2002-04] for season: Agro-Kharif[10]
State / Area(kha) / Crop Production (kT/Yr) / Biomass Generation (kT/Yr) / Biomass Surplus (kT/Yr) / Million Tons Oil eqv. / Power Potential (Mwe)Punjab / 2723.0 / 9357.1 / 16187.1 / 12298.7 / 3.07 / 1464.3
Uttar Pradesh / 7605.1 / 13646.4 / 24895.1 / 7614.3 / 1.90 / 914.7
Maharashtra / 10485.3 / 13232.5 / 24512.9 / 5721.2 / 1.43 / 731.3
Madhya Pradesh / 8891.4 / 10424.8 / 20195.1 / 4574.7 / 1.14 / 583.6
Haryana / 1778.9 / 3412.6 / 6438.8 / 4120.6 / 1.03 / 494.0
Karnataka / 5770.4 / 10080.5 / 18608.0 / 3702.3 / 0.93 / 466.4
Andhra Pradesh / 6285.7 / 10439.5 / 19244.4 / 3336.4 / 0.83 / 399.5
Gujarat / 5274.4 / 6076.6 / 14158.7 / 2927.9 / 0.73 / 372.0
Orissa / 5029.3 / 10026.9 / 17118.6 / 3147.2 / 0.79 / 364.2
Bihar / 3826.5 / 6776.7 / 12126.5 / 2980.7 / 0.75 / 352.0
Chhattisgarh / 4082.7 / 6113.6 / 10453.4 / 1940.1 / 0.49 / 224.6
Kerala / 530.5 / 3399.3 / 3388.1 / 1538.8 / 0.38 / 195.9
Tamil Nadu / 1313.1 / 2997.9 / 4116.2 / 1500.8 / 0.38 / 193.5
West Bengal / 2377.6 / 8316.3 / 14273.2 / 1436.0 / 0.36 / 172.1
Rajasthan / 6081.3 / 3352.4 / 7718.9 / 1310.1 / 0.33 / 168.5
Himachal Pradesh / 384.8 / 814.9 / 1792.6 / 818.1 / 0.20 / 104.1
Assam / 1100.9 / 2628.4 / 3875.0 / 685.7 / 0.17 / 81.8
Uttaranchal / 468.3 / 783.5 / 1250.1 / 351.4 / 0.09 / 42.0
Jharkhand / 472.1 / 919.5 / 1138.1 / 227.5 / 0.06 / 28.6
Jammu & Kashmir / 507.0 / 403.9 / 925.4 / 146.4 / 0.04 / 19.6
Manipur / 339.1 / 434.4 / 905.4 / 111.3 / 0.03 / 13.9
Nagaland / 178.6 / 275.6 / 488.9 / 83.0 / 0.02 / 9.7
Meghalaya / 144.6 / 235.8 / 345.0 / 55.8 / 0.01 / 6.5
Arunachal Pradesh / 179.5 / 212.4 / 331.8 / 49.3 / 0.01 / 5.9
Goa / 70.6 / 232.4 / 400.4 / 48.9 / 0.01 / 5.6
Sikkim / 43.3 / 59.0 / 130.7 / 14.1 / 0.00 / 1.82
Mizoram / 13.9 / 22.6 / 51.6 / 5.3 / 0.00 / 0.69
Total / 75957.9 / 124675.4 / 225070.0 / 60746.6 / 15.19 / 7416.8
Table 2.5-b: State-wise Biomass Data Based on Survey Data of year [2002-04] for season: Agro-Rabi
State / Area (kha) / Crop Production (kT/Yr) / Biomass Generation (kT/Yr) / Biomass Surplus (kT/Yr) / Million Tons Oil eqv. / Power Potential (Mwe)Punjab / 3526.6 / 15715.1 / 28304.6 / 7123.6 / 1.78 / 948.9
Rajasthan / 8244.1 / 11538.6 / 19843.4 / 7098.5 / 1.77 / 925.0
Uttar Pradesh / 6454.3 / 16772.3 / 30017.3 / 5054.3 / 1.26 / 681.5
Haryana / 3229.0 / 10762.2 / 19899.2 / 4821.5 / 1.21 / 626.8
Maharashtra / 4595.5 / 3390.4 / 7374.3 / 2141.1 / 0.54 / 282.9
West Bengal / 3386.8 / 12085.1 / 20469.2 / 2140.9 / 0.54 / 257.8
Madhya Pradesh / 3767.8 / 5206.2 / 8887.0 / 1957.8 / 0.49 / 258.1
Bihar / 3393.9 / 6612.1 / 12374.3 / 1930.9 / 0.48 / 258.1
Andhra Pradesh / 2230.9 / 5970.5 / 10771.7 / 1910.6 / 0.48 / 225.5
Tamil Nadu / 2128.9 / 4880.4 / 7258.5 / 1899.3 / 0.47 / 234.8
Karnataka / 2348.6 / 2745.9 / 6209.0 / 1262.2 / 0.32 / 165.5
Assam / 2037.5 / 3909.7 / 6735.8 / 1251.6 / 0.31 / 144.9
Jharkhand / 1375.7 / 1472.4 / 2503.5 / 662.2 / 0.17 / 78.0
Gujarat / 1067.1 / 1780.1 / 3207.7 / 649.5 / 0.16 / 85.7
Orissa / 1560.4 / 1526.0 / 2593.8 / 444.8 / 0.11 / 53.2
Uttaranchal / 447.0 / 749.9 / 1340.6 / 224.5 / 0.06 / 30.2
Himachal Pradesh / 400.3 / 620.6 / 1100.8 / 215.9 / 0.05 / 28.4
Chhattisgarh / 669.2 / 508.7 / 818.7 / 187.7 / 0.05 / 23.9
Jammu & Kashmir / 242.5 / 369.9 / 665.9 / 133.2 / 0.03 / 17.5
Arunachal Pradesh / 24.9 / 24.5 / 54.1 / 14.2 / 0.00 / 1.75
Meghalaya / 11.9 / 12.0 / 23.6 / 4.86 / 0.00 / 0.62
Sikkim / 14.7 / 10.1 / 18.8 / 3.68 / 0.00 / 0.48
Mizoram / 2.42 / 1.79 / 3.80 / 0.97 / 0.00 / 0.12
Nagaland / 0.39 / 0.45 / 0.76 / 0.14 / 0.00 / 0.016
Total / 51160.3 / 106664.7 / 190476.3 / 41133.9 / 10.28 / 5329.9
The potential of using WAB is equivalent of about 25.47 million tons oil equivalent(15.19 for Kharif and 10.28 for Rabi) in India. Considering the fact that the annual oil consumption in India is of the order of about 168 Million Tonnes, the WAB offers a scope to reduce the oil requirement by about 15%.
2.6Other references
Many other references are available regarding the surplus residues and burnt residues. Graph 2.6 depicts two such references, where the surplus WAB have been estimated to be of the order of 83.65 million tons and 92.84 million tons per year respectively. The different figures quoted by the two sources vary by about 11%, which can be attributed to the sample size, geographic zones, climatic conditions and time of sampling used for the purpose of these studies. However, keeping in view the huge quantity of surplus WAB, this difference is rather small and of little or no major consequence. A safe figure of about 85 million tons can be assumed as surplus WAB.
Graph-2.6: Waste agricultural biomass generated, surplus and burnt in field (IPCC Coeff., Pathak et.al)
3Government Policy[11]
3.1The national scenario -- BiomassrelatedPoliciesandProgrammes
A rural energycrisis started getting faced during the mid-1970s decade. Increasedoilprice, increasedhouseholdenergydemandduetohighpopulationgrowth, anddepletionoflocalwoodresourcesduetounsustainableuse were found to be the three most important reasons and causes for this situation.
Thenationalpolicy makersneededtofindeconomically viableandsustainableenergy resourcetomeetrural energy needs.Although,importofkeroseneandLPGforcookinganddieselforirrigation pumping remained a possible short-term supply-side solution, this was not viable in the long runduemacroaswellasmicroeconomicconstraints. While at macro-economic level the high proportion of POL (Fuel Oil and Lubricants) in the total imports of India was a matter of concern to the policy makers, at microeconomy level,a majority of the poorersectionofruralhouseholds was facing the problem of very low disposableincometo spendoncommercialfuels.With a view to meet these challenges of ruralenergy crisis,theprogrammesforrenewableenergy technologies(RETs)weredevelopedinthe1970s.Biomass,being alocal,widely accessibleandrenewableresource,waspotentially themostsuitabletoalleviatebothmacro and micro concerns.
Despiterapidgrowthofcommercialenergy,biomassremainsprincipleenergysourceinrural andtraditionalsectorsand is estimated to contributea third of India's energy[12]. The national biomass policy of India hasfewdecadesofhistory,emanatingwiththeruralenergy policies.The GOIstrategy wasmulti dimensional and was focusedonimprovingefficiency of conventional technologies,enhancingsupply chain of biomass, stressing on introduction of modernbiomasstechnologiesto providereliableenergy atcompetitivepricesandestablishinginstitutionalsupport.
Despitesomesuccesses,theoverall impact of biomass programmes on the Indian energyscene has been only marginal. The trend of the rural masses has shifted to use of more convenient modes of cooking fuel like the LPG etc.The free markets are not involved in this form of energy supply aswellas conversion. Most of the successful technology implementations have been seen in the government supported projects only, or in those cases where there was considerable financial support from various national and international sources.
3.1.1Institutional framework – Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
The Government of India, seeing the limited results of the biomass energy related programmes and realising imminent need of new and renewable energy resources that would ensure sustainable development and energy security identified use of various renewable energy resources and efficient use of energy as the two thrust areas of the sustainable development. In order to make concentrated efforts in this sector, the Government of India established a Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE) in the Department of Science and Technology, in 1981. The mandate of CASE was to promote research and development activities in the field of renewable energy. CASE was formally incorporated in 1982, in the newly created Department of Non -conventional Energy Sources (DNES). In 1992 DNES became the Ministry for Non-conventional Energy Sources, commonly known as MNES, and now the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It has been accorded more importance for working on higher levels of renewable energy technology programmes.The changed emphasis was aimed at promotingmodernization andcommercializationofbiomassproduction,combustion,densification, and electricity generation.