An Analysis on the Benefits of Gobar Gas

Indian problems require Indian solutions” ~ Sardar Patel

Cow dung has multiple benefits one of its greatest uses is that it has the potential to generate energy but in our country we have not had any proper debate on this issue which has led us not to make full use of its potential.

After an initial investment there are no running costs in generating energy from cow dung, life span of a plant we construct is 50 years also when methane is removed from cow dung to generate energy the residual slurry makes for very good fertilizer.

Important information regarding gobar gas–

Gobar gas is a very good and safe fuel to cook food on as this gas does not generate smoke as is the case with fire wood and kerosene (commonly used fuels in rural India) providing relief to the eyes and lungs of the person cooking. In villages of Bharat suffocation in homes due to smoke generated during cooking and irritation of eyes is a very common phenomenon . Usage of gobar gas will solve this problem.

Valuable cow dung which has the potential to generate energy is being wasted as of now. This is not only wastage of cow dung but a wastage of national resources which in the present circumstance is a crime.

Gobar gas has the potential to light up homes in our villages. If villages put up big communal bio gas plants power can be generated using methane present in cow dung. Homes can be lit and small industries also can be powered by cow dung. A gau shala in Haryana is powering a 50 KVA DG using this form of energy. A considerable amount of resource is being spent to power our villages but due to shortage of electricity supply of power is erratic even now. This form of energy is something that should be given considerable thought this form of energy only requires an initial investment and no recurring costs as is the case with other forms of conventional energy.

Once methane is removed from cow dung to generate energy the residual slurry acts as a very good fertilizer better than cow dung with methane present in it.

To set up gobar gas plants several state and the union government give a substantial amount of subsidy which is not being used to its full potential as of now.

Due to shortage of electricity especially in rural areas there are severe power outages this can be brought under control by extensive usage of bio gas plants. Here villages will own their own energy source hence pilferages can be bought down supply of energy will be lesser erratic compared to today’s conventional forms.

Other than the benefits mentioned above gobar gas plants will help in balancing our trade deficit with other countries as usage of this form of energy will reduce our dependency on imported LPG for our cooking needs and also reduce our need to import urea and other fertilizers for our farming needs hence helping national security.

Only one important factor has to be kept in mind while maintaining these plants only cow dung and water should be put in the plant and not mud/sand if mud is mixed in the plant it becomes faulty leading to the plant not producing required energy resulting in the farmer losing interest. I have seen many plants in rural as well as urban India which because of this issue have become redundant now. Reviving such plants becomes a herculean task.

Setting up these plants can help in the economic development of our nation, poverty can be reduced with available resources our dependency on foreign fertilizer and foreign LPG will also come down, year on year we import thousands of crores worth liquefied petroleum and chemical fertilizers from middle eastern countries who then funnel our money into madarsa’s who in turn use it for anti national activities, farming with chemical fertilizers has taken a serious toll on our nations health a clear indicator is the rise in cancer cases throughout the country.Setting up a bio gas mission on par with the solar mission will help with our national security and our trade imbalances