CEE Jan-Mar 2012

( / ) Capacity conversion- Agro residue (MW) Improving biomass availability for power plants State Potential Allocated Installed %of %of capacity capacity potential allocated capacity Steps to improve the availability of biomass for power generation include: Andhra 281 404 220 78 54 • Enhancing the efficiency of current usage • Improving harvesting and collection efficiency of non- commercial biomass Pradesh Haryana Kamataka Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Punjab Rajathan 521 195 210 558 370 314 359 328 929 260 284 364 4 2 87 41 16 32 9 10 181 50 55 40 4 15 86 30 24 like straw and stalks Tamil Nadu 67 419 131 196 31 • Generating new resources through energy plantation. Enhancing efficiency of current usage Several small sugar mills are still using inefficient low pressure technologies for steam and power generation in their cogeneration plants. A DESL study shows that these mills not only consume the entire bagasse produced internally but often resort to purchasing additional fuel to meet their demand. Technology upgradation at these facilities can help in adding over 1,500 MW to the grid without the support of additional fuel. Similarly, there are several small capacity rise mills which use inefficient technology for steam generation. These facilities can adopt cogeneration technologies, thereby adding to the capacity with a minor increase in fuel consumption. The MNRE estimates that over 100 MW of capacity could be added from these mills. Improving harvesting and collection efficiency of non– commercial biomass The current low efficiency of biomass-based generation can be attributed to technology and policy hurdles. Major issues include technological challenges Total 3,021 2,842 781 26 27 '• l Note: For Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, allocated capacity includes potential from energy plantations like the development of appliances that can improve reaping and baling operations and land development, particularly for supporting more efficient deployment of harvesting machinery. During harvesting, a large quantity of residues is mowed. This makes it difficult to cut these parts through reaping. There are other issues in harvesting of different types of residues. These operations require technology advancements as well as investments. The collection efficiency of paddy straw is impacted mostly due to inadequate time availability and by issues in synchronizing residue harvesting with grain harvesting. In Punjab alone over 1,000 MW worth of fuel is wasted due to poor efficiency on these two accounts. In addition, there are policy hurdles. Wheat straw is not allowed for use as a commercial fuel. Reapers leave over 150 mm of residues, which is mostly field burnt. Also, farmers initiate the preparatory work for wheat sowing within three-four days of paddy harvesting. If straw is not harvested in this period, field burning is resorted to: Even though there is a regulation against field burning, the government has not been able to implement it due to economic (multicropping by farmers) and, therefore, social reasons. This ban can be enforced only if a methodology is developed for synchronizing residue harvesting with grain harvesting. Generating new resources through energy plantation Energy plantation in wasteland can significantly increase fuel availability for biomass-based power plants. The Planning Commission's Vision 2020 document states that in order to utilize about 50 million hectares of degraded wasteland that lies outside the areas demarcated as national forests, and another 34 million hectares of protected forest area, in which the tree cover has severely degraded, a major programme for energy plantation should be undertaken. It expects 57