Energy through Agricultural Residues in Rural India: Potential, Status and Problems

Energy from non-conventional resources like biomass would be crucial in meeting the growth targets in the power sector. Biomass is the most commonly used domestic fuel and for independent power plants. Based on up-to-date combustion technologies, biomass and waste supply approximately 4.5 EJ (105 Mtoe) of direct heat to the industrial and residential sectors, and 2 to 3 EJ (47 to 70 Mtoe) of heat from combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Small and medium-size CHP plants may be sourced with locally available biomass. ̳Bihar Husk Power systems‘ in various districts of Bihar are a burning example of commercially successful electricity production system for rural India. It is a social enterprise providing off-grid rural electricity solutions through gasification process. However efficiency can be increased by generating various value-added products. The interfering elements in the biomass need to be cleaned up to improve the efficiency of the bio-gasifier. A brief review of the biomass thermo-chemical conversion pathways and particularly the utilization of agricultural residues, properties of biomass interfering with the process to increase the efficiency will be discussed along with the success story of Bihar Husk systems. These generation processes will be able to meet economical and environmental challenges in rural sector area.