Biomass Energy

Towards Substantial Green Energy

Production in Karnataka
Mr. G S Prabhu IFS
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of
Forests & Project Coordinator

Advantages of Biomass Energy (1/4)

Ideal for rural areas - cheaper than other renewables

Biomass can be grown in sufficient quantities, perpetually

Biomass energy has an enormous potential to meet rural energy needs:
the energy demand is very high in rural areas.
Biomass has potential to play major role in the Renewable Energy
Revolution.
Biomass energy has distinctive advantages over other renewables like
wind and sun:
Dispatchability
Decentralizability
Cost
Capital cost per MW for RE & conventional energy sources:
INR 17 Crores for wind, INR 22 Crores for sun, INR 55 Crores for hydel
Capital cost per MW for biomass energy:
INR 6 Crores for gasification, INR 5 Crores for Rankine cycle
Wind, sun & hydel energy is site & season specific. Biomass energy can be
generated all round the year at any sites.

Advantages of Biomass Energy (2/4)

Investing in Biomass means generating clean energy and
generating income

Biomass energy generates income for the rural population

Biomass energy generates nearly INR 2 Crore income per
MW / year to the agrarian economy through purchase of biomass alone
Additional incomes from growing, harvesting, briquetting & transporting
biomass
No other capital investment of INR 5-7 crores can generate INR 2 crore
incomes per year perpetually, to rural economy

Advantages of Biomass Energy (3/4)

Flexibility and Scalability

Biomass can be grown, if quantities are not adequate to load

demand
Alternately, generation capacity can be limited to biomass
availability, to ensure power plant sustainability
If there is surplus of biomass and generation, it can be sold to
ESCOMS or third party under open access

Advantages of Biomass Energy(4/4)

Uplifting of villages by decentralized distribution and relief of
grid

Biomass energy , generated in a decentralised /distributed

manner, can provide good quality, reliable, dependable electricity
to villages for lighting, drinking water supply, irrigation, milling &
cottage industry
Good quality, 24x7 electricity uplifts rural economy. Start up for
PURA Villages.
Self sufficient local generated energy relieves grid of the rural
load. 60% of load demand is rural. This load can be diverted to
meet urban demands.

Locations of Biomass Energy Plants

The right location is crucial

Biomass power plants are ideally to be located at the Gram

Panchayat level (local village government) to meet the
jurisdictional villages entire energy
Proximity to biomass catchment and villages
reduces the C footprint/cost in transport of biomass
facilitates availability of local manpower for construction & O&M
reduces T&D losses

Ideally, catchments & distribution to be in a radius of 25-50 kms

1 MW to 5 MW can be generated, depending on energy demand &
biomass availability in vicinity

Implementation
Doing it in the phased manner in stages is crucial

Phased development enables accurate determination of biomass

availability and potential for growing biomass, for maintaining
sustainability of the power plant
The capacity for the entire GP load is to be established over a
period of 12 -15 years in four /five phases. This enables
development of management skills in the GP & O&M capacity in
rural youth and in technological up gradations
Generation should range from minimum to peak load demand to
ensure round the clock power to the villages
The power plants are to be managed by the GP / GP committees if
established by Government.
Private parties will manage the plants if they set up the plants as
private power producers

Insight into the situation in Karnataka

Biomass power plant of 1MW 5MW capacity in each GP can

provide 24x7 electricity to all the villages/hamlets in Karnataka.
Presently all villages suffering from acute load shedding
Karnataka has a potential to generate 5000 MW of biomass
electricity from woody biomass and agricultural residues
Peak demand in Karnataka ranges from 5500 -7000 MW. 60% is
rural demand.
In 3434 Gram Panchayat (GP) jurisdiction, there are over 33026
electrified villages/hamlets
All these villages /hamlets electricity requirement can be met from
good quality, reliable, dependable locally generated biomass
energy
Good quality ,reliable /dependable electricity stimulates efficiency
in usage.

Biomass Energy

Any biomass having a density of more than 250 kgs per m3 can be
used for gasification
Rankine cycle requires biomass of high calarofic values, resulting
in usage of up to 30% coal,reducing the carbon neutrality of the
process
In Rankine method, 7MW capacity economicaly viable; 2 plants of
4MW in operation in India; 2MW capacity is likely to enter the
Indian market

Gasification

Enables power generation at sub MW levels from 5KW

Technology for power generation has grown well since last 25
years
Capacity to build gasifiers upto 1.2MW now available indegeneously
Producer gas engines of 250 KW & 644 KW available indegeneously

Gasification power plants of 1 to 5 MW can be set up under one

roof in modular design
If one reactor/engine is shut down for maintainence, other can be
functional in modular design, enabling despatchability

GASSIFICATION

100% C neutral.
Sawdust, paddy husk, peanut shell, etc., leaf litter, grasses & weeds like
Eupatorium, Parthenium etc can be used for briquetting. Ash content for
gasification to be less than 5%. Briquette density to be more than 750
kgs per m3.
Briquetting generates cottage industry in the rural areas adding to rural
incomes.
Briquetting can also be made a part of the power plant.
Woody species like Prosopis, Lantana, etc. growing wild in wastelands
can be used for gasification.
Even bamboo, the fastest growing plant in the world can be used for
power generation.
Plantations can be raised forest lands, common lands , wastelands &
farm lands.
Increasing the tree cover on farmlands to 20% of the agriculture area
will not affect food security.

WOODY SPECIES

At present ,the tree cover on farm lands is less than 1% in all

States & 5% only in the Punjab.
Soobabul, Glyricidia, Calliandra etc. which are good coppicers, can
be cultivated on farmlands & used for gasification.
Procurring ,handling & processing woody biomass is convinient &
less expensive than agri residue/briquetting. Woody biomass is
available enmasse/enbloc.
Biomass power is largely misunderstood as a cause for
disforestment.

Biomass Production

15000 tonnes of biomass is required for generating 1 MW / year

electricity
It is more economical and environmentally benign to harness sun
energy in biomass plantations and generate biomass electricity
than generate electricity from sun in solar panels
Solar energy missions should also provide funding for harnessing
sun energy throurgh chlorophyl

Afforestation

The benefits of afforestation for soil, water food, the environment

and ecological security is legendary
Afforestation captures carbon and helps mitigate global warming
& climate change
1500 hectares of tree plantations are required to generate
biomass for 1MW / year of power production.
Woody biomass can be produced/procurred enmasse/enblock
Cost of raising biomass ranges from INR 700.00 to INR 900.00 per
tonne
By coppicing/pollarding/natural regeneration, cost is much less.
Transport and handling cost is around INR 500.00 per tonne for a
distance of up to 100 km
Agricultural residue is a defacto product of agriculture

Biomass Energy for Urban Areas

Examples of usage

Captive biomass gasification plants are appropriate for urban

industries
An industry in Hosur TN has set up a 250 KW gasification power
plant for meeting grid shortages
Plant is operated for 24 hours a day,6 days a week, increasing
their industrial productivity
Woody biomass is purchased @ INR1.90 per kg
SFC for gasification is about 1.30 kgs per kwh
Simmilar plants of 1.20mw capacity, modular design, are in
operation in Coimbatore & Kuttam TN for captive power for
industry due to grid shortages. These biomass gasifier power
plants have increased the industries productivity.
A fero alloys industry from AP has shown interest in gasification
power & have consulted/ visited BERI.

Diesel vs. Biomass

Diesel genset consumes 300 ml of diesel per KWH costing INR

14.00 per KWH at subsidised diesel prices. Genset capital costs
INR 1.25 to INR 1.50 crores per MW capacity
Gasification plant capital cost INR 7 crores per MW capacity.
Operating cost is around INR 4.50 per KWH. CDM and carbon
credits also available. 1 KWH of biomass energy reduces 0.79kgs
of carbon emission
Capital and operating cost though important to industry, 24x7 self
generated power increases productivity and cost is absorbed in
end product.CDM is important to the industry and to the nation
Subsidies from GOI (Government of India) MNRE and loan
assistance from IREDA available for biomass power
Carbon conscious large farmers can also set up gasification plants
and get 24x7 electricity for their agri operations .Biomass is de
facto free of cost as it is available on site.

Beri Status (1/3)

1mw gasification plant set up in 3 location in Tumkur district with

GEF- UNDP, ICEF, GOI & GOK finance
100 kw gasifier is in continuous operation with the technical support
& guidance from the CGPL IISc who are the technology providers
300 kw will become operational in Jan 2011. New filtering system
developed by the CGPL IISc are being installed for reducing filter
down time.
5 villages are proposed to be given this 24x7 gasification power by
summer of 2011, by going off grid during rural load shedding, to
demonstrate the despatch capability of biomass gasification
electricity
250kw will be operational in Apr/May 2011 & Dec 2011 at other two
locations
These works are now being taken up with the technical guidance &
support from the CGPL IISc

Beri Status (2/3)

Power evacuated to grid at present.All three plants are grid

connected
Proposal to give off grid 300kw power to 5 villages 24x7 around
the plant by summer of 2011 to demonstrate the supremacy of
despatchability of biomass power in meeting rural loads

BERI Status (3/3)

BERI gasifiers have generated 496216 kwh of electricity & have

contributed to the reduction of nearly 350 tonnes of C
BERI has established 3000 ha of dedicated plantations & has
encouraged Farm Forestry to meet plants biomass requirement.
These plantations have mitigated nearly 10000 tonnes of C by
sequestration. The charcoal & ash left from the gasification
process is ploughed back into farmlands & plantations for
increased productivity & for completing the sequestration cycle.
Charcoal has activation property directly or with heat treatment.
This has sale value which can pay or more than pay cost of
biomass.
BERI is now exploring the scope of using agri residue briquettes
for gassification, by Nov 2011.

Tariffs

At present there is no separate tariff for gasifcation power in

Karnataka.
Rankine cycle tariff is applied for gasification
Tariff of Rs 5.00 to 6.00 per kwh is required for gasification which
leaves a reasonable profit margin to investors
UNDP has appointed a consultant to work on tariffs based on BERI
experience
Several other academic groups are presently working on
gasification tariffs

Energy for all seasons - Energy for all

reasons

Biomass energy can be generated in all seasons and is applicable

for all purposes like electricity generation, heat/thermal
application and cooking.
Our focus is on electricity generation.
Thermal application of gasification is used by a chemical industry
in TN, for replacing furnace oil and costs and as CDM. A steel
rerolling mill in Pudacherry is using this heat for melting scrap
iron.
Thermal application of gasification is used in some hotels/
bakeries for cooking/food processing. Is in use by silk reeling
industry in Bangalore since long time.
Was used for domestic heating & cooking in Europe / US before
coal/petrol/diesel/gas.
Wind and sun and hydel are site and season specific and have
limiting despatchability

Urban and Industrial Demand

Urban & industrial demand has to be met from base loads alone. Biomass
can provide Tier II energy services in rural areas & captive power to small
industries in peri urban areas.
Large sized biomass plants not feasible.
Nuclear power to eventually replace fossil power from coal, oil & gas
Wind, sun & biomass cannot replace base loads. They have decentralised
applicability.
The C footprints in the manufacture of solar harnessing systems & their
disposal to be evaluated
Wind & solar farms & hydel projects require large areas of biodiversity &
wildlife habitats
Run of the river hydel plants are seasonal & generate power when hydel
energy is in surplus & rural load is minimum due to monsoons.
Biomass energy is energy for all seasons & for all reasons in view of its
despatachability. If the entire rural load is met from biomass energy in the
next 20-25 years, it would be one of the best things to happen to any State
in this century !

Thank you.
Biomass Energy for Rural India
Project
Contact:
FORTI Campus, Doresanypalya, Arekere Mico Layout, Bannarghatta
Road, Bangalore 560076.
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