Biogas in India

Biogas in India

India is an LEDC, but it is developing very quickly. However its need to further expand is limited due to energy producing capabilities.

India has supplies of coal, uranium, gas and oil. It also has mountains and large rivers which can be used for hydro-electric power. However schemes to harness these are very expensive and take many years to build.

A biogas plant

In the rural areas of India there are many poorer people and they mostly rely on the sun for light and wood for fires for cooking. Instead of using machinery, much of the work is done by hand or by animals. Recently people have tried to use simpler technology to bring electricity to rural areas of India. Because some of those areas are very remote it is simply not possible to transfer electricity through pylons over long distances.  

A biogas plant is a device that converts biomass (organic matter) into gas by trapping the methane that is given off when a living organism decays. This gas can then be used for heating or to generate electricity.

Used in remote villages because it is affordable and can be set up locally – energy doesn’t have to be transferred over long istances. They are small scale; and so don’t generate a massive amount of electricity but they are relatively efficient. It loses only 25% of heat energy compared with 90% of heat energy lost on an open fire. The gas can be stored and used at a later date if necessary. As well as gas, organic fertilizer is produced for use in agriculture.

India is also trying to make its energy supply more sustainable in other ways. It is reducing air pollution from its power stations and is trying to minimize energy lost when electricity is transmitted by pylons. They are replanting trees where forests have been cut down for fuel and introduced more energy efficient stoves for burning wood.