In Sangrur, demand for biogas plants gathers steam

Biogas plants are getting a good response as their number has reached 17,300 in Sangrur district. Residents of rural areas are keen to shun the traditional methods of cooking. During the current financial year, the authorities have set a target to install 600 plants in the district while last year, it was 400.

Some area farmers said since farmers’ inclination for organic farming had been increasing, the use of organic fertilisers produced by the plant helped in growing crops more effectively.

The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) authorities have got trained a team of experts from the Punjab Agricultural University to install plants with good-quality material.

Bio-gas is produced naturally through process of anaerobic decomposition from waste and bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, municipal solid waste, sugarcane press mud, sewage treatment plant (STP) waste, etc.  
It is called CBG after biogas is purified and compressed, which has pure methane content of over 95%.
CBG is exactly similar to commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential.
It has calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties are similar to CNG.
CBG can be used as alternative, renewable automotive fuel.  
It has potential to replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial uses in the coming years, given the abundance of biomass in the country.

Punjab Energy Development Agency was formed in Sept. 1991 as a state nodal agency for promotion and development of renewable energy programmes/projects and energy conservation programme in the state of Punjab. PEDA is registered as a Society under the Societies Act of 1860.