I, Anshuman Anand, am currently at the Yashobhoomi in Delhi's Dwarka, where an event on green energy is underway. The person who has very successfully organized this event is with me, the distinguished Sanjay Ganjoo, who is the Director General of Indian Federation of Green Energy. Excerpts of the interview with him:
What does the Indian Federation of Green Energy do?
The Indian Federation of Green Energy is an industrial organization that works on renewable energy, and within that, we have a strong focus on bio-energy. Bio-energy has many dimensions, such as Compressed Biogas (CBG), Ethanol, Biomass (which includes briquettes and pellets), Biodiesel, and it also extends to areas like carbon capture and bio-hydrogen. So, there are many sub-sectors in bio-energy that we are working on.
We engage in policy advocacy so that a good policy is formed for this sector. This ensures that the industries involved are established robustly and their participation is effective. This allows us to reap the environmental benefits and also gives a message of self-reliance; it brings self-reliance.
You first mentioned that your federation works on Renewable Energy, but here we are talking specifically and exclusively about biofuels. Where is Renewable Energy in this? We often think that solar and wind are better. Why aren't we focusing more on them?
Bio-energy is renewable energy. Bio-energy is a form of renewable energy. Whether you call it CBG or Ethanol, these are all forms of bio-energy and renewable energy. So, our focus at this event is on bio-energy. Since the industry has its specific focus, you cannot mix solar and wind here. There will be separate events for solar and wind, as each industrial sector uses different platforms.
Sir, the issue is that common people like us often get confused between renewable energy and bio-energy. We understand that Solar and Wind energy are renewable. We think everything else comes from carbon, that it's a carbon fuel. What is the difference? Please explain it to our viewers.
You see, bio-energy is also renewable energy because bio-energy is produced from, for example, agro-waste. When a crop grows, it undergoes carbon sequestration; it absorbs carbon from the environment. So, we convert that same carbon into bio-energy and produce energy from it. We are not digging up and burning carbon that was stored underground for millennia, which harms the environment. This is a renewable action cycle.
Its life cycle analysis is essentially neutral because it releases the same carbon it absorbed. Therefore, this energy, which we call bio-energy, is renewable energy.
We have been covering your event since morning and have seen every aspect. We saw that our government's planning is to turn fields into energy sources rather than extracting energy from mines. Am I right or wrong?
Look, there is significant potential for bio-energy in India because we have a lot of agricultural waste. We can convert it, whether into gas. We have a large cattle population, a lot of animal dung, from which CBG can also be produced. CBG can be produced from agricultural waste, and even from municipal solid waste. Ethanol is produced from sugarcane and maize. So, we have immense potential here because we are an agriculturally diverse country. Therefore, there is great potential for bio-energy here.
Similarly, for biomass, producing briquettes and pellets is easy in India because we have a lot of that waste material too. We can convert it into briquettes and pellets and then use them in power plants, steel plants, etc.
In India, permission currently exists for blending 20% ethanol. We have seen flex fuels where 100% ethanol can be used. What is the future you see? Will we be able to blend more than 20% ethanol in the future?
Yes, we are advocating for that very thing. We say that flex-fuel engines should be introduced in India, and the choice should be with the consumer. Whether they want to use 100% ethanol or 100% petrol, it should be their choice. In Brazil, there are pumps like this where both options are available. You can even decide the percentage mix you want—whether you want a 40-60 mix or a 30-70 mix, you can decide that.
We also want such a policy to come to India and for there to be scope for flex-fuel engines. The vehicles have already been developed in India on a pilot phase. If a good policy comes and we allow it, I think it will be beneficial for India because we will be able to produce the fuel itself within India and use it.
Sir, but one last important question. The setup we are creating for bio-energy, the fuel of the future, will it shift to batteries, to EVs? In that case, won't this entire setup we are building over the next 10 years go to waste?
I know that in India, with such a large population and such a large consumer base, we should embrace every pathway. I do not believe that we should stick to only one side, one pathway. There is scope for EVs in India, there is scope for bio-energy, and fossil fuels are also there—they are not going to disappear soon.
But given the energy demand in India, we should cater to it to some extent with bio-energy, and to some extent with electric vehicles, so that we are not dependent on just one thing. Our energy basket should be diversified.
For example, China recently controlled or banned the export of some rare earth materials. Our industry here was suddenly a bit troubled because we are dependent on that. Similarly, we are dependent on the Middle East for fuel. So, there shouldn't be a situation where if any one stream is blocked, we get stuck. We should have diversified options, and there is scope for everything in India.
Here, we have a population of 140 crore, as Modi ji says, and for that, every type of possibility exists in India. There is potential for hydrogen as well.
By Anshuman Anand
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