Day 50 – Q 5.Can biofuels be a viable source of energy in a country like India? How do you balance India’s food security imperatives with that of demands necessitated by impending energy crisis?

5. Can biofuels be a viable source of energy in a country like India? How do you balance India’s food security imperatives with that of demands necessitated by impending energy crisis? 

क्या जैव ईंधन भारत जैसे देश में ऊर्जा का व्यवहार्य स्रोत हो सकता है? ऊर्जा संकट की वजह से उत्पन्न मांगों के साथ आप भारत की खाद्य सुरक्षा अनिवार्यताओं को कैसे संतुलित करेंगे?

Introduction:

Bio fuels are fuels produced through biological process from agricultural products through anaerobic process. Paving way for bio fuels usage, recently Spice jet, an airline company tested its first commercial flight using Bio Fuels.

Body:

Can it be viable source of energy:

• Cost: The bio fuels can be produced at cheaper rate than conventional fuels. There by available at cheaper price to consumers.
• Dependence: It will help in reducing 50% demand on traditional fuels, there by reducing our dependence on Middle east.
• Livelihood: It will help in increasing livelihood of Tribal and Farmers in form on constant source of income for oil seeds and products.
• Emission: Bio-fuel reduces particle emission which leads to better environment and achieving Sustainable developmental goals.
• Efficiency: There has been research which has proved that bio fuel enhances efficiency of vehicles.

Challenges:

• Procurement: Procurement of feeds for bio fuels is a challenge.
• Technology: Availability of efficient technology to produce fuels at cheaper rate is still at developmental stage.
• Mass production: Production at huge scale is required to reduce the cost of fuels to end consumers.
• Food security: There are concerns raised about the seeds production. Farmers might shift from food crops to oil crops.
• Diversion: Even food crops might be diverted to ethanol production, there by causing scarcity of food.

How to balance Food security need from energy needs:

• Ban on food crop usage: There can be ban on food crop usage for fuel production.
• Controlled procurement: The Raw materials needed for fuel industry can be controlled through only government approved procurement companies.
• Technology: Moving from first generation to 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation bio fuels manufacturing.
• Wastes: Production of fuels from wastes especially Urban waste, which will also reduce associated problems like Landfills, Garbage recycling etc.
• Waste lands: The production centres have to be set up only in infertile lands and waste lands which are not suitable for agriculture.

Conclusion:

Commercial use of Bio-fuel still has a long way to go. Central government is also working on ways to use bio fuels in limited sectors like Aviation, Public transportation etc. But analysis has shown that first generation fuels have affected agriculture activity, so production has to be shifted soon to 2nd generation fuel at the earliest.  

Best Answer: No best answer.