Can Every Village Be Energy-Surplus?

by Indra

June 10, 2006

It is interesting that villages and people in many countries are trying to be independent of the Arab source of fossil energy. Here is a story that can be emulated by people of many villages:

Reynolds (Indiana, USA) is one such village or town. This corn and soybean and hog farming town of 533 residents is ‘wrestling with the nation’s dependence on ordinary energy supplies and starting a one-town rebellion.’ The town wants to secede from America’s energy grid and power itself entirely with renewable sources, like its corn and pigs. King Van Voorst, 85, a longtime resident, blamed Arab nations for the recent spike in gasoline prices. Reynolds’ residents have begun speaking passionately of an end to their reliance on foreign oil and of the potential electricity they could envision in the more than 150,000 pigs that wander nearby. Nearly 100 of the community’s residents have begun driving cars that can run on ethanol-based fuel. As reported, this month they began work on a plant that would allow Reynolds to draw its electricity from pig and cow manure, as well as human waste. After that, they want to make their own renewable natural gas with the methane from the waste of those same pigs, cows and people.

Plenty of cities are switching over to hybrid cars or bicycles, installing solar panels on building roofs. However, no effort as comprehensive as Reynolds’s plan is known. Reynolds is today known as 'BioTown'.

Sweden and Brazil are working on war footing to make the country energy wise independent of Arab oil. As Swedish minister for sustainable development Mona Sahlin claims, ‘no Swedish home will need oil for heating by 2020. No motorist will be obliged to use petrol as the sole option available.’ Europe produced more than 3.2 million tonnes of bio-diesel last year and targets 5.75 per cent for 2010 and then 25 per cent for 2030.

An expert points out, "Throughout its history, India has used mainly bio-fuel. Only in the last century, it has switched to fossil fuel." And that may well point to the need to extract energy from waste.” It may be the better solution to convert waste into fuel. Timber waste being turned into fuel may be better than rapeseed oil. But finding ways to convert waste into fuel may take a long time." The Swedes are using the branches of willow trees for power generation.

Many villages in India can become energy sufficient, if some private-public initiative promotes ethanol, bio-diesel and biomass technologies. Will it not be worthwhile to conduct application researches on these technologies in the national laboratories of CSIR, DRDO, and IITs along with the contemporary subjects such as nano- or fusion technology?

Basically, the engines of motorcycles, water pumps and tractors may have to be modified or developed to use the alternative fuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel efficiently. Simultaneously, the agricultural scientists will have to work on improving the yields of the seeds and sugar canes and the processes to make it cost effective. Chemical engineers will have to come out with smaller and cheaper equipment for refining and distillation of the vegetable oil or ethanol, if feasible.

Many regions in India produce sugarcane in abundance that is the source of ethanol. The government may agree to lease its wasteland in rural India for Jatropha plantation to households below poverty line that can also provide some additional earning. I imagine with raw material available, entrepreneurs will establish at least one plant in every district headquarters where the farmers can give their produce and get the agreed amount of bio-diesel or ethanol instead of the price in cash.

Further, solar panels on every house of the village can be another source of energy that can serve some minimal requirement. However, the researchers must work on reducing the cost of the rural solar energy system to make it affordable for every family. There are many other areas where new innovation can either cut down the energy requirement or invent devices to generate energy locally. Agriculture wastes from harvesting can become source of energy. However, certain trends in the life style in rural India are dangerous. People are moving away from the cattle breeding. Older generation had planted fruit bearing trees that have been cut for the cultivation. Animal husbandry and plantation requires extensive emotional and commercial promotion that was done earlier through religious codes such as the respect for cows as mother and plantation a way for salvation without much trouble some rituals.

Rural India needs local techniques and technologies with local materials for its effective growth and development. It requires a totally different and original approach to match the local culture and environment rather than copying what are being done in other countries.

Some of the initiatives of Sweden and Brazil can certainly be duplicated in India. And India must come out with some policies and roadmaps for generating through alternative sources and more on conservation and that could significantly reduce its dependence on Saudi or Russian oil.

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