Biogas can be a solution for India’s decarbonisation goals: Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
According to IEEFA replacing natural gas with biogas and biomethane incrementally to 20% would help India cut natural gas import bills by US$29 billion between 2025- 2030.
Biogas (a mixture of methane, CO2 and small quantities of other gases) is a renewable source of energy,
- It is produced by anaerobic digestion (oxygen-free environment) of organic matter.
- Its precise composition depends on the type of feedstock and the production pathway.
- Removing CO2 and other impurities like hydrogen sulfide can upgrade its methane content to 90%, making it equivalent to natural gas in calorific value.
Benefits of biogas:
- Waste management,
- reducing greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
Challenges for biogas:
- Lack of a comprehensive market ecosystem in terms of pricing and offtake.
- Complicated process for obtaining clearances for setting up projects
Policy recommendations
- Increasing Market Viability for biogas
- Feedstock mapping and aligning them with biogas plants
- Encourage private sector, by clear market for the end product and clear supply chains.
- Increased access to finance at more affordable rates, for the Development of Plants.
Initiatives for biogas promotion
- Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme for effective Solid and Liquid Waste Management
- Announcement of 500 Waste-to-Wealth plants under GOBARdhan scheme.
- Global Biofuel Alliance, an initiative by India as the G20 Chair.