India Develops Bamboo-based Electricity

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Guwahati, India, Dec 15, IRNA

India-Assam-Bamboo electricity

Indian scientists have successfully developed and tested technologies

to generate electricity using bamboo.

 

Two power plants with a capacity of one megawatt each would be

commissioned in the northeastern state of Assam in February 2006.

 

"This would be the first of its kind where we are using bamboo and

bamboo waste to generate electricity," Vinay S Oberoi, director of

the National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA), told IRNA.

 

"This would not only be cost effective but also highly eco-

friendly."

The NMBA is an agency set up by the Indian government to promote

value addition and commercialization of the country's total 80

million tons of bamboo harvested annually.

 

The two-power projects set up at an estimated cost of Rs 100 million

was designed and developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of

Science in Bangalore.

 

"We are confident the commercial success of gassification of bamboo

for generation of electricity would help us solve the energy crisis

facing India and allow our experts to pursue such ventures on a

bigger scale," Oberoi said.

 

Both bamboo-based power plants were set up in two paper mills in

Assam's Jagi road and Silchar towns.

 

"Power from the two plants would now be used by the two paper mills

although such bamboo-fueled energy could be suitably used in off-grid

and remote locations and to meet captive industry and utility needs,"

Oberoi said.

 

"The technology has been developed, tested and stabilized and is now

available for large-scale induction and is suitable for application

in the 10kw to 1mw range."

Experts from the Bangalore-based institute in collaboration with the

NMBA were working to develop a similar medium-sized power plant for

the Indian Army.

 

India is the second highest bamboo-producing country after China.

 

More than 55 percent of India's annual bamboo crops are grown in the

northeastern region.

 

"Bamboo grows in the wild abundantly and all we need to do is to

further propagate cultivation so that we can use it as an alternative

for wood in the near future," Madhab said.

 

News sent: 10:57 Thursday December 15, 2005 Print

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