ENERGY ALTERNATIVES: RENEWABLE
ENERGY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION
TECHNOLOGIES
Energy Plantations
Technically speaking, energy plantation means growing select
species of trees and shrubs which are harvestable in a
comparably shorter time and are specifically meant for fuel.
The fuel wood may be used either directly in wood burning
stoves and boilers or processed into methanol, ethanol and
producer gas. These plantations help provide wood either for
cooking in homes or for industrial use, so as to satisfy
local energy needs in a decentralised manner. The energy
plantations provide almost inexhaustible renewable sources
(with total time constant of 3-8 years only for each cycle)
of energy which are essentially local and independent of
unreliable and finite sources of fuel . The attractive
features of energy plantations are: (a) heat content of wood
is similar to that of Indian coal, (b) wood is low in sulphur
and not likely to pollute the atmosphere, (c) ash from burnt
wood is a valuable fertiliser, (d) utilisation of erosion
prone land for raising these plantations helps to reduce wind
and water erosion, thereby minimising hazards from floods,
siltation, and loss of nitrogen and minerals from soil and (e)
help in rural employment generation - it is estimated that an
hectare of energy plantation is estimated to provide
employment for at least seven persons regularly. Selection of
multipurpose species provides a number of by-products like
oils, organic compounds, fruits, edible leaves, forage for
livestock , etc . Data collected from Forest Department
reveals that annual woody biomass available is in the range
11.9 to 21 t/ha/yr. An energy forest raised at Hosalli
village in Tumkur district to support a wood gasifier plant
has annual yield of 6 t/ha/yr.