TGREDCO - Telangana Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd.,

Overview

Biomass is one of the important natural energy resources. It is renewable, widely available, carbon-neutral and has the potential to provide significant employment in the rural areas. Biomass is also capable of providing firm energy. Biomass is fuel that is developed from organic materials, a renewable and sustainable source of energy used to create electricity. Agricultural residues, forestry residues and woods are the main source of biomass. Biomass can either be used directly or converted into other form of energy such as biofuel.

For efficient utilization of biomass, bagasse based cogeneration in sugar mills and biomass power generation have been taken up under biomass power and cogeneration programme.

Types Of Biomass

The types of biomass used in the project are usually the ones which are used for burning purposes viz: domestic heating, cooking in rural areas and Biomass materials used for power generation includes rice husk, straw, cotton stalk, coconut shells, Maize stalks, Ground nut straw/shell, Tur stalks, Chilly stalks, Juliflora, bagasse, , soya husk, de-oiled cakes, coffee waste, jute wastes, saw dust etc

Status of Biomass

The state government has been promoting energy generation from biomass power project. TSREDCO is giving technical support and guidance to induce private investment in to this sector and ensures speedy implementation of the projects.

Biomass Power project is being promoted in all districts of Telangana. The projects were sanctioned by inviting proposals from private Entrepreneurs duly issuing notification in the leading news papers during the years 1998 & 1999. Later as per the directions of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), no further biomass power projects were sanctioned in the state. As the developers have failed to implement the projects as per the terms of Agreements and as they have not shown any progress towards implementation of the projects, 10 projects with an aggregate 67.10 MW have been commissioned so far.

Advantage of Biomass

Biomass Power project has the following inherent advantages over thermal power generation:

●It is environmentally friendly because of relatively lower CO2 and particulate emissions
●It displaces fossil fuels such as coal
●It is a decentralised, load based means of generation, because it is produced and consumed locally, losses associated with transmission and distribution are reduced
●It offers employment opportunities to locals
●It has a low gestation period and low capital investment
●It helps in local revenue generation and upliftment of the rural population
●It is an established and commercially viable technology option.
●Telangana has substantial availability of Biomass / Agro waste in the state is sufficient to produce about 350 MW of electricity. TSREDCO has planned to develop some of the available potential talukas / tehsils with the aim to promote and install biomass / agro waste-based projects