Renewable Energy and the development of dendropower in India

Concerns such as energy security, widening gap between supply and demand for electricity and high prices of imported oil have been driving several developing countries to search for renewable energy solutions. In India, a Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE) had been formed in 1981. The Department of Non-conventional Energy (DNES) was subsequently formed in the ministry of power, in 1982, with biogas as the main program. An independent Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) was created in 1992. The MNES has made very serious attempts to promote power from renewable energy. The main thrust so far has been wind power, bagasse co-generation, biomass power and power from wastes. Recently programs such as Village Energy Security Program (VESP) and Remote Village Electrification (RVE) have been launched to address the issue of energy access to some 18,000 remote unelectrified villages. Photovoltaic systems, micro-hydro plants and biomass gasifier systems are considered as promising technology options. Both capital subsidies and soft loans are being offered as promotional incentives. Bagasse co-generation, biomass power and biomass gasifier based systems can together be classified as dendropower. Several other SE Asian countries have also tried to formulate policies and programs for promoting renewable energy and biomass energy in recent years. This paper attempts to review the various policies and measures undertaken by SE Asian countries for promotion of renewable energy in general and dendropower in particular, with India as the focus for detailed presentation. Land use statistics, biomass production potential, different policies and programs of the governments, achievements, and barriers for mainstreaming are discussed, again with India as the focus