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Editorial Posted On Wednesday, July 21, 2010 | Ataullah Faizan
The revolution of bio-power has started in Madhya Pradesh amid reports that the coal reserves in the world will exhaust in the next 50 years. It is indeed an alarming news since we need coal for our energy requirements to the largest extent. Though the options of hydel and atomic power are available but they have their own limitations. The hydel power depends on good monsoon for working to its full capacity and starts dwindling as the summer approaches. The atomic power has many hassles and hazards. First of all, it is tough for India to obtain uranium and heavy water for its plants and secondly, it is also a stupendous task to dispose of the radioactive waster generated by the these plants.
Under such circumstances, it was the need of the hour to go for alternative sources of energy. It is a matter of satisfaction that a developing state like Madhya Pradesh has taken a lead in this connection. The beginning has been made from village Kutkipura in Berasia tehsil of Bhopal district. The village has ushered in a revolution by generating electricity by human waste. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan dedicated to people a 5 kw bio-power generation plant set up at a cost of about Rs. 22 lakh in this village which would generate electricity by human waste.
Indeed, it is nothing but a revolution to generate electricity with human waste without causing any damage to environment. Efforts should be made to replicate this experiment at other places.
Meanwhile, works on other alternative sources of energy including solar and wind power are also making a headway at a rapid pace in Madhya Pradesh. Reliance Power, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries is to build a 250 MW power plant bases on solar and wind power in Madhya Pradesh. Even though the size of the renewable energy power plant is less than ten percent of the coal-fired power plant, it has several advantages of its own. All in all, the setting up of a renewable energy power plant of such a large size would bring benefits not only to the environment but also to the company. This is a significant development for international energy cooperation as well given that the United States had opposed the financing of coal-fired power plants in developing countries.
The state has also made good headway in the energy generated from gobar gas plants. So far, 1,72,064 family type biogas plants have been installed throughout the state against the estimated potential of 14,91,000 plants. The objectives of the Biogas Development Programme are to provide fuel for cooking purpose and organic manure to rural households through biogas plants, to mitigate drudgery of rural women, reduce pressure on forest and accentuate social benefits and to recycle human waste through linking of toilets with biogas plants for improving sanitation. Till the year 85-86, 20133 biogas plants were installed in the state and from the year 85-86 till 97-98, 106767 plants have been installed. Latest figures are being collected through a fresh survey.
All these efforts go to show that Indian governments and scientists are not sitting idle on the energy front and the achievements made by them in alternative energy sources prove that India and Madhya Pradesh will not lag behind when the coal reserves are exhausted worldwide.
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Friday, September 03, 2010