Biomass is one of the renewable energy domains in which Tamil Nadu could have significant potential for progress in future. Estimates suggest only about 10% of the potential has so far been utilized. Of course, the lack of a robust supply chain that make create supply and price security is a problem as much in [...]

Following my previous post on the industry perspectives on the various methods that have to be adopted for sustainable feedstock procurement (http://eai.in/blog/2011/12/industry-perspectives-and-strategies-for-effective-biomass-feedstock-procurement.html), today’s article showcases the various feedstock (emerging) that could be used as  a potential source for biomass-based power generation. As you might be well aware, the first generation feedstock such as sugars, starches from [...]

One of the most critical bottlenecks for biomass power plants is the supply chain bottlenecks that could result in non-availability of feedstock. A related problem is the volatility, or more precisely increase, in the feedstock price. Both these could render the project unviable. Highlighted in this article are some of the industrial perspectives in overcoming [...]

Biomass gasification, with its capability to work in kW scales (as low as 20 kW) and its ability to utilize a wide and diverse range of biomass feedstock is ideally suited for rural areas without access to power but with easy access to significant amount of biomass. Discussed in this post are some of the [...]

The REC trading for the month of November concluded yesterday. Figures reveal that the trading has increased significantly both in volume of RECs traded as well as the price. In total 105,527 RECs were sold. Keeping with the trend of previous months, IEX had a higher share of the market with 96,154 (90%) RECs traded [...]

The REC trading for the month of September concluded recently. Trading figures reveal that the trading has increased significantly both in volume of RECs traded as well as the price. In total 46,362 RECs were sold. Keeping with the trend of previous months, IEX had a higher share of the market with 41,385 (89%) RECs [...]

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission(CERC) has announced the floor and forbearance prices to be used for solar/non-solar projects from the FY 2012-13 upto 2016-17. The prices set are shown in the table below Non Solar (Rs.) Solar (Rs.) Prices (2012-2017) Current % Reduction Prices (2012-2017) Current % Reduction Forbearance Price 3300 3900 15.38 13400 17000 [...]

Yuken India Limited, set up in 1976 under a technical and financial collaboration with Yuken Kogyo Company Limited, Japan, is a manufacturer of oil hydraulic equipment. Yuken has achieved one of the fastest growth rates in the Indian oil hydraulics industry, in the last 29 years. Clenergen India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of [...]

The three primary routes for biomass to power are: Combustion, Gasification and Anaerobic Digestion. Combustion is easy to understand – instead of using coal or other fossil fuel, use biomass to produce steam that runs a turbine. Combustion of biomass for power could either be in the form of co-firing (when it is burned along [...]

Several VCs/PEs/Companies have created funds which invest in clean technology or companies with partial clean technology operations, and have either invested, or are interested in investing in India. Some of these organizations and their investments are summarized as follows. Company Energy/Cleantech Specific Fund Activity/Investment Shell Group through their Shell Foundation (invested directly or through other [...]

Biomass gasification utilizes renewable feed stocks for liberating the synthesis gas by thermal decomposition under high temperature conditions. Among the factors affecting the production protocol, cost economics play a critical role and is well pronounced in cases when the scale of operation is magnified. Entrepreneurs of gasification technology often make contracts with farmers or traders [...]

Indian VCs have not really done a good amount of investing in cleantech. Cleantech perhaps  is not really a VC game as it is more of an engineering related discplie that does not offer the types of scalabilitiees that VCs desire or the exit periods. VCs also do not understand cleantech well enough to take [...]

Biomass for power generation by combustion or gasification is normally variable in its chemical composition of electron rich reactants, ash content, moisture, sulphur and nitrogen content etc. As a result, selection of the most convenient feedstock is an issue of debate. The degree and diversity of contaminants strongly influence the production and purification of synthesis [...]

India has initiated its power generation from renewable sources by several different principles namely gasification and combustion. Biomass gasification is carried out at different power capacity levels ranging from 25 kW to 2 MW and above. When a comparative analysis is made between combustion and gasification of biomass, the former technology is best operational under [...]

There are a whole lot of benefits from biomass gasification, both economy wise and ecology wise. Speaking of environmental benefits, gasification plants produce significantly lower quantities of air pollutants, which is really a good thing.  The process can also reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal because it can use waste products as feedstock, generating [...]

Agricultural residues never go to waste. Not when they can be used for generating energy. In this context, the government of Punjab, India, plans to produce about 1,000 MW of green energy from livestock residues by 2015. When you think about it, this has huge economical and environmental benefits. In a region where large quantities [...]

Biomass has been used as a source of energy right since mankind started its existence; In fact, one of the predominant energy sources today is biomass. Biomass as a source for power production is not entirely new either. Biomass has been used, in the place of coal, for steam generation at power plants, though in [...]

Whoever thought rice husk can generate power needs a medal! Considering how much rice husks go to waste in a country where rice is the staple food, it is comforting to know fossil fuels are not our only resort for power production. Thanks to Manoj Shinha, a renewable energy entrepreneur pioneered using discarded rice husks [...]

The use of biomass gasification for power production is not new, but its use has been so far been limited and its contribution to the overall power production has so far been negligible in India. The producer gas derived from biomass gasification can be used for either producing power (by use in a gas engine) [...]

Biomass gasification is a process where materials are transformed by thermal decomposition under partially oxygenated conditions to generate syn-gas for power generation. It seems to be a powerful technique where energy can be produced in a sustainable way along with valuable products such as green oil and biochar but it is multi step process where [...]

India is primarily an agricultural nation with an extensive cultivation of different types of crops including cereal, pulses, oilseeds, fibre crops, spices and plantation crops. With the cultivation of these crops, availability of residual biomass after economic harvest makes power generation in a sustainable way. These raw materials are normally available in variable quantities depending [...]

This is my final post on the Renewtech India 2011 conference. Click here for details on Day 1 and click here for details of Day 2. The final day of the event had 3 sessions. The  first session was titled “Tidal & Geo-Thermal Energy”. The first speaker was Dr. Ritesh Arya, Hydrogeologist & Groundwater Consulting [...]

The details of the first day of the conference is available here. The second day of the The 3rd International Expo and Summit, Renewtech India 2011 conference started with a speech by Mr. D.C. Bhishikar, Managing Director, Clarke Energy India. The topic was “Application of Gas Generated from Waste Treatment for Combined Heat and Power(CHP) [...]

Biomass based power generation is a choice of reality under the geographical regions where a sustainability exists in the flow of biologically raw materials for the production of power and India is one of the most notable universal giants for the production of biomass based power which can be best understood from the estimates of [...]

While we are striving hard to switch to more sustainable modes of living, there arise lots of issues questioning the efficiency of our choice of green.  Despite all the issues they might have, they have more benefits than their petroleum counterpart. After all, petroleum is not going be here forever. So, this post will focus [...]