Rural Energy Services
Energy services at the plant sites are planned to
combine commercial advantages for the local IRPP with direct and
indirect benefits to the local community. The following services
are included in the present programme:
• Cooking Energy
• Domestic Lighting
• Water supply for irrigation
or drinking
• Cold storage for seasonal vegetables
and agro-produce
Many fear that the commercialisation of the locally available biomass
may take away the only source of cooking fuel traditionally affordable
to the poorer villagers.
To prevent such a situation DesiPower works with local women's
groups to introduce energy efficient cooking stoves in the village
so that a large part of the available agricultural residues can
be sold for cash to the power plant. In addition, a part of the
biomass bought by the power plant becomes unusable as a gasifier
fuel (fines produced during preparation and drying) and DESI Power
will also make them available for cooking. DESI Power's solution
thus combines the utilisation of residues with the local production
and selling, hire-purchase or leasing of tested designs of energy
efficient cooking stoves. In many locations the biomass residue
has to be briquetted for the gasifier. In such cases the excess
briquettes can be sold profitably in the neighbouring villages and
towns along with the energy efficient stoves.
Initially, no distribution lines are planned in
villages. These will be built after economic activities and the
growth of paying power reach viable levels in the villages. During
the initial period it is planned to provide lighting services by
introducing portable battery lanterns under hire-purchase and/or
leasing arrangements.
Two types of lanterns will be available. DesiPower's
battery lantern (9/11 W, 5 hours of light) in which the battery
is detachable and is brought to the power plant every morning for
charging. The battery charging gives load to the power plant and
jobs to one or more local youth for collection and delivery of batteries
and for trouble shooting service. Solar PV lanterns are more expensive
but are subsidised by the government.
Systems with 1 or 2 energy efficient tubes and 3-5 hours of light
are manufactured by many companies who have found a good market
in many locations.
Surveys show that villagers often put a higher priority on water
supply than on the supply of electricity as such. In most of the
villages where electric pump sets are installed, non-reliability
of power supply at critical periods leads to a loss of agro-production
and income. Lack of water for the household or at the community
taps also leads to serious inconvenience and health problems. In
these, as well as in the no-electricity villages, diesel engines
are used both for pumping from wells as well as for lifting the
water from ponds, streams and canals. The poorer farmers often hire
diesel engines for pumping water. Depending upon local conditions,
DesiPower either connects the existing pumps to its power supply,
installs pumps to sell water or does so jointly with local farmers
/ co-operatives, etc. Experience of several biomass gasification
power plants in Karnataka linked to such water schemes has shown
substantial increases in the income of the local farmers. DesiPower
profits from the sale of electricity.
In most of the villages, availability of water leads to vegetable
growing and additional income. Cold storage facilities to store
vegetables for a few months will enhance their profitability. In
many villages, milk is produced and delivered to the chilling centres
of the national Diary Development Board, often at a long distance.
Building and operating cold storage facilities operated with waste
heat from the power plant will have multiple advantages of higher
income to the villagers, better energy utilisation and related saving
of pollution and GHG emissions, and sale of electricity by DESI
Power.
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