Though, India holds the distinction of being the country with one of the largest livestock populations in the world, the presence of ‘working’ biogas plants in the rural areas has been discouraging. Based on a rural survey and building upon the shortcomings of the existing biogas technology, two young entrepreneurs have come up with a new and refurbished solution to address the problem.
‘SustainEarth Energy Solutions’, a startup launched by Y. Koushik and Piyush Sohani, has embarked on an initiative, Gau Gas, roughly dubbed as Cow’s Gas, to provide cleaner cooking fuel to the rural populace. The idea emerged as an offshoot of a college project during the duo’s masters in Renewable Energy Engineering at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
“Biogas, in a cattle-rich country like ours, is one of the most affordable sources of energy. According to statistics, there are over one lakh biogas plants across the country. However, a preliminary survey has revealed that only 1 per cent of rural households have adapted to the technology” maintains the organisation's COO and Field Operations Director Y. Koushik, while speaking to The Hindu.
Elucidating on factors responsible for low adaptability levels in the rural areas, Mr. Koushik asserted that leakages in construction unit, lack of technical expertise (particularly the service support) etc., have resulted in many biogas plants going defunct. “We aim at addressing such shortcomings in traditional biogas plants, with ‘Gau Gas’. The pre-fabricated system comprises of a biomass digester, fertiliser processing unit, gas supply pipeline, gas pump and burner. The unit can be installed quickly and has after-sales service,” he adds.
Data monitoring
The biomass digester, unlike traditional plants, is made up of a tough PVC coated fabric with UV stabilised and flame retardant properties. Initially, a mixture of dung and water is fed into the unit along with slurry from old biogas plants (or bacteria) and would be functional after a week. The end unit in the house i.e., stove and regulator have been imported to provide a good quality flame to consumers. A typical 50 kg mixture would provide biogas for four hours of cooking and the cost of entire unit is Rs.25,000.
“In addition to this, bio-fertiliser (both solid and liquid) can be obtained from the plant's discharge. We are planning to collect and sell it on a weekly basis, turning it into a resource of revenue for the farmers. The gas-related usage and condition of the digester will also be monitored via a tracking device. We are also working on making the entire unit from indigenous components,” he asserts.
The team has currently installed demonstration units in Tanapalle and Tiruchanur areas and is planning to set up ten more units in Chittoor district, in the next one month. They have earlier installed 19 ‘Gau Gas’ plants in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as well.
