By embracing biogas as a critical enabler of sustainable development, India can not only meet its climate goals but also empower women, strengthen rural economies, and pave the way for a cleaner, more resilient future, says white paper
India is aiming to meet ambitious climate goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing rural livelihoods. At the heart of this transformation lies biogas, a clean, renewable energy source produced from organic waste. Despite its enormous potential, estimated at 62 million metric tonne of annual Bio-CNG production, the country’s biogas sector remains underutilised, facing challenges in fragmented implementation, lack of awareness, infrastructural gaps, and policy execution hurdles.
A recently released white paper by the Indian Biogas Association (IBA) seeks to address these challenges, offering a comprehensive blueprint for scaling up biogas adoption in India.
The Potential Of Biogas
India generates around 62 million tonne of municipal solid waste annually, much of which goes underutilised. Additionally, over 80 per cent of rural households still rely on biomass fuels, which contribute to indoor air pollution and health hazards. Biogas, produced through the anaerobic digestion of organic waste, emerges as a critical solution to these issues by offering clean cooking energy, waste management, and the opportunity to generate additional revenue through energy production.
Gaurav Kedia, Chairman, Indian Biogas Association, said, “With India’s vast untapped biogas potential from wastes, waste-to-energy solutions become imperative in curbing methane emission and consumption of fossil fuels. With the successful implementation of end-to-end segregation of wastes, upsising decentralised biogas plants, and performance-linked grants, India can enhance access to clean energy as well as manage urban waste management problems.”
Biogas is not only essential for decarbonising the energy sector, but it also plays a key role in promoting sustainable agriculture. By substituting chemical fertilisers with organic alternatives, biogas can help mitigate soil degradation, improve crop yields, and promote climate-smart agricultural practices. With its multiple benefits, biogas has the potential to transform India’s energy landscape and contribute to food security, environmental sustainability and economic resilience.
Rohit Dev, Advisor, Indian Biogas Association and MD, Reveille Energy stated, “Biogas generated from waste organic material lowers greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 per cent relative to traditional fuels and also maintains rural prosperity, energy self-reliance, and sustainable Agriculture as ‘Decentralised Hubs of Energy’ can mushroom aplenty.”
Mainstreaming Biogas
The Indian government has already initiated several key programs to promote biogas, such as the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (Satat), Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GobarDhan ) and the Compressed Bio-gas (CBG) Blending Obligation. However, the paper highlights that while these schemes have laid the foundation, there is still a significant gap in terms of infrastructure, technology innovation, financial incentives, and capacity building.
A notable step towards mainstreaming biogas is the government’s mandate for gas suppliers to blend 1 per cent biomethane/CBG into natural gas from 2025, with a target of 5 per cent by 2028. The paper advocates for expanding this blending obligation to include industrial heating and large-scale electricity generation by 2030, alongside the establishment of a ‘green certificate (GC) ecosystem, where companies can offset their carbon footprint by purchasing certificates from green energy producers.
A R Shukla, President, Indian Biogas Association, said, “To achieve India’s 2070 net zero, biogas blending with fossil fuel grids through designed blending such as 5 per cent CBG blending by 2028 can potentially lower transport emissions by as much as 80 per cent.”
Rural Empowerment And Women’s Role In The Biogas Revolution
One of the most important aspects of scaling up biogas is its potential to empower women, especially in rural India. Over 80 per cent of rural households rely on traditional biomass for cooking, which causes indoor air pollution and contributes to health issues like respiratory diseases. By shifting to biogas for cooking, women can avoid these health hazards, save time spent collecting firewood, and engage in education and income-generating activities.
The paper also emphasises the importance of women’s involvement in biogas plant operations and management. Initiatives like the Satat scheme are already promoting skill development for women in biogas technology, which not only provides them with technical and leadership skills but also creates opportunities for entrepreneurial roles in biogas production and distribution.
Involving women in renewable energy projects, particularly biogas, has been shown to increase household incomes and improve overall community welfare. By promoting women-led biogas micro-enterprises, India can drive gender equality in the clean energy sector while addressing some of the country’s most pressing challenges.
The white paper outlines several strategies to scale up biogas across the country:
Establish a Unified National Biogas Mission: The paper calls for integrating existing programs (Satat, GobarDhan, CBG blending) into a single mission with centralised tracking, performance benchmarking, and funding mechanisms to accelerate biogas adoption. IBA Chairman, Kedia, stated, “The coming together of policy using a Unified National Biogas Mission with strong thrust will be key to achieving such gains and imparting complementarity to the 2070 net-zero mission.”
Promote Decentralised Biogas Infrastructure: To meet the country’s growing energy needs, biogas plants should be promoted in rural clusters, housing societies, commercial complexes, and municipal bodies. The use of fiscal incentives, low-interest financing, and turnkey implementation models will help make these projects more feasible.
Incentivise Waste Segregation and Feedstock Supply Chains: Urban local bodies should be provided with performance-linked grants to improve organic waste segregation, which will help create a steady feedstock supply for biogas plants.
Bridge the Skill Gap: The paper proposes mobilising over 75,000 trained personnel for the biogas sector by 2030 through partnerships between government bodies, industry, and academic institutions, alongside national certification and apprenticeship programs.
Integrate Biogas With Smart Urban And Building Policies: The installation of on-site biogas systems in commercial and residential buildings can help generate clean energy while also reducing waste management costs. Integrating biogas with other renewable energy technologies like solar panels can create hybrid systems that optimise energy production.
Sustainable Future
India’s biogas sector is poised to play a transformative role in the country’s energy transition, offering a sustainable, decentralised energy solution that benefits rural communities, boosts agricultural productivity, and contributes to climate resilience, as per the report. However, to fully realise this potential, the paper calls for a concerted effort from the government, industry, and civil society to address the infrastructural, financial, and policy gaps that currently hinder widespread biogas adoption.
IBA President, Shukla, said, “Satat scheme’s success can be scaled further with compulsory adoption, monetary incentives, and strict monitoring. Decentralised production, public-private partnerships, and urban-rural coordination as priority areas will be the key to enhancing energy security as well as emission reduction efforts.”
By embracing biogas as a critical enabler of sustainable development, India can not only meet its climate goals but also empower women, strengthen rural economies, and pave the way for a cleaner, more resilient future. The path forward will require innovation, collaboration, and a holistic approach to scaling up this powerful solution – one that promises to transform waste into wealth for millions of Indians.
Read More at : https://www.businessworld.in/article/biogas-set-to-power-indias-clean-energy-rural-growth-climate-action-iba-556347
