Star Wire (India) Vidyut Private Limited was acquired by the NPR Group of Companies for the purpose of installing and running of Renewable Energy Projects. In 2013 the company successfully commissioned its 9.90 MW Biomass Power Plant at Village Khurawata, Mahendergarh, Haryana with the generated electricity being supplied to the grid.
India being a developing country is constantly looking to increase our industrial sector, so as to bring in more employment opportunities and have the economy progress. But, it is at the cost of running out of our natural resources of energy such as coal, gas and oil, which would mean a major setback to the industrial growth of the country. The average per capita consumption of energy is approximately 500 W for India currently, which although is comparatively much less than developed nations, such as USA, Japan and Europe, is still on a sharp increase owing to the rapid growth of industries and economy of India.
Hence, the need of the hour calls for an urgent transition from fossil fuels to the more renewable options of energy. India holds massive potential in this area due to its prime location as a tropical country. The abundance of sunlight, wind and agricultural waste provides the options for solar, wind and biomass energy. Being an agriculturally focused country primarily, things such as rice husk, cotton stalk, soya husk, coffee waste, groundnut shells, jute waste, saw dust, coconut shells, and bagasse can serve as great biomass materials. According to IREDA, biomass can sufficiently supplement coal to approximately 260 million tonnes, which would save about INR 250 billion each year. India also has the capacity to produce 16,000 MW of energy just from biomass materials.
Turning to biomass as a renewable energy source also helps India to
- slow down the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels, droughts, flash floods and intense heat are only some of the problems faced by the country over the past few years. Decreasing the usage of fossil fuels not only helps in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions which are a major cause of climate change but it also helps in reducing the dependence on the already depleting fossil fuel sources.
- decrease the large sums of money spent on the import of oil and other non-renewable sources from other countries.
- dispose off biomass in an environmentally friendly manner, as one gets to harness untapped sources of energy from the tonnes of waste produced.
- boost the agricultural economy as an enormous amount of energy is spent in cultivating and processing crops.
- increase the number of new job opportunities that arise thanks to the upcoming waste-to-energy plants, especially in the rural regions of the country.
Presenting the real picture of the massive renewable energy potential of the land would definitely attract foreign investments to herald a new age of Green Energy Revolution in India.