issue 4 - United Nations Development Programme

P E R S P E C T I V E
Figure 4: Capacity
addition of biomass/
bagasse projects in
India
seriously by project developers. Innovations like baling,
briquetting, etc. are making procurement, storage and
management of the fuel easier and the availability of
dependable indigenous technologies for these purposes
is helping lower the capital as well as maintenance
costs. Considering the favorable developments
happening in the biomass sector, the strategy now
should also include promotion of the biomass
production itself through provision of irrigation
facilities, integrated energy plantation programs,
watershed treatment, harvesting facilities, etc.
Institutional partnerships with local self help groups
(SHGs), Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies
(PACS), Panchayats, etc. which can then further ensure
sustainable operations of the projects.
Thus, looking at the trends as well as new developments
in the sector, it can be said that biomass power is going
to become bigger in terms of capacity as well as spread
in the coming years. However, to harness the full potential
it is imperative that the barriers described and solutions
discussed earlier in the document should be considered.
Contributed by: Ankit Kumar and Aloke Bernwal
Emergent Ventures India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon, Haryana
Email: ankit@emergent-ventures.com
contd from pg 14
deployment and testing of these fuel processing units
in varied regions will allow a detailed assessment of
their socio-economic performance. Involving the local
community in the various operational aspects of the
biomass processing unit will integrate and embed this
initiative deep into the context of the field area’s energy
environment, also offering immense possibilities for
fostering women’s participation and entrepreneurship.
All the recommendations made above had the domestic
cookstoves at their focus. It has been recognized that
community stoves also require development of new
designs, testing protocols, testing centres, standards and
fuel supply like the domestic stoves. While some aspects
can be integrated with the activities to be carried out
for domestic stoves, it is desirable to have a different
approach for pilot studies for various reasons.
Instituting the activities and programs emerging from
the National Biomass Cookstoves, initiative in the
public-private partnership (PPP) model at all levels will
ensure that all the stakeholders including government,
industry, academic, and social sector entities can
leverage each other’s expertise and resources. The PPP
needs to be established by an initiating agency,
comprised of a network of stakeholders and led by a
Governing Council. The team suggested that the project
management group be identified in the beginning of
the first phase itself to facilitate the execution of various
activities in the first phase of other components
enumerated above.
Courtesy: Prof. Rajendra Prasad, Centre for Rural
Development and Technology, Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT), New Delhi
Email: rprasadiitd@gmail.com
Magazine on Biomass Energy June 2010 30