Electrification Matters : the Rampura challenge

Priyaranjan Sinha                 psinha@devalt.org

Rampura is a village in Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh, 20 kms away from the district headquarters. Inspite of its proximity to Jhansi Medical College and Bundelkhand University, which are within a radius of 8 kms, the village still does not have any electricity.

Total population of Rampura is 350 and the dream of the local populace is enjoy cool air of fan/ cooler or watch TV. All the villagers are basically farmers and quite a few of them are engaged in one income generating activity or other.

The main crops are: -

1. Wheat – Rabi Crop
2. Pulse- Kharif Crop
3. Ground Nut – Kharif Crop
Three types of soil are mainly evident in the region, such as:
1. Red Soil (local name - Rakar)
2. Black Soil (local name - Kawar)
3. Mixed Soil (local name - Domat)

The most preferred is the mixed soil (on the basis of water consumption and agricultural output).

The farmers of this village are dependent on 55 DG (Diesel Generator) pump sets for the irrigation. Only dug wells exist, with almost all the farmers having their own well, which is the main water source other than the rains.

Current Situation

The village is situated at a distance of two kilometres from the grid. The major demand for electricity is for irrigation purposes, because of the fact that the villagers cannot curb the galloping diesel price rise, which is incurring more agriculture production cost and less profit. Again, the nearest filling station is at ten kilometers away from the village, which aggravates this problem.

Present expenditure on irrigation (350 Acre) due to diesel is as follows:
· Dec. to March š

Rs. 6,17,000/-
· April to June š

Rs, 4,14,000/-
· July to Nov. š

Rs. 2,03,000/-
  In Total š

Rs, 11,34,000/-

There is even a strong demand for domestic electricity connection due to the need to run fans, TV sets, coolers, etc. In some of the houses, the TV set obtained in the marriage is still packed.

No enterprises are evident in this village. Only one flour mill (atta chaki) is there, which runs on DG engine. The establishment of the potential enterprises like poultry farm, flour mill, battery charging, briquette production, etc., is depending on the availability of quality electricity supply.

Opportunity

The potential renewable energy technologies are Solar, Biogas and Biomass based energy. Both solar and biogas are not considered as solar is capital intensive and cow dung has other competing uses. The non-forestry biomass (Ipomea) is available in huge quantity. Ipomea, which is a weed, has been preferred over other available biomass because of the following reasons:

· It regenerates faster
· It is mainly not used by the villagers for cooking as it burns
with obnoxious smoke.
The areas from where the biomass could be obtained are:
Primary catchment areas
These areas are within 1 – 5 km from the village. These areas can meet the total biomass requirement
Backup catchment areas
· These areas are within 10-12 km from the village.

Possible Solutions

The biomass gasification based power plant of 50 KW capacity has been considered as the best option to start with. The availability of huge quantity of biomass, justifies this fact, which can be collected by following the harvesting cycle.

It will be an open top down-draft system, where both gas and feed stock move downward as the reaction proceeds. The gas obtained is called producer gas (CO: 20 ± 2%, CH4: 3 ± 1%,H2: 20± 2%, CO2 : 12 ± 2% and rest is N2), which can have both thermal and electrical applications.

Diesel substitution of the order of 70 to 80% can be obtained in dual fuel mode; the possibility of using 100% gas based engine will be analysed and if it is used, it is bound to prove more economical.

"The FIs / Govt. Bodies are invited to be a partner
in this process of sustainable development"
Activity Status
Biomass availability study completed
Techno-economic feasibility report completed
Interaction with the community ongoing
Vendor selection for the plant ongoing
Establishing service delivery model yet to be started
Negotiation with the FIs / Govt. Bodies yet to be started

Present Status

A local SHG (Self Help Group) is keen on acting as an IRPP (Independent Rural Power Producer). It is interested in running the plant on a service delivery basis (e.g. selling water per hour basis). They have their own land and they are ready to contribute around 5 to 10 % of the total plant cost. The rest can be obtained from FIs (Financial Institutions)/Govt. Bodies. DA has taken initiative to assist the local SHG on various activities. The table given above shows the status of such activities:

Rampura is a self-sufficient village in terms of producing electricity from the renewable energy sources (biomass). The biggest challenges the villagers are facing is the unavailability of funds for which they are dependent on the FIs /Govt. bodies. Later on, they might face challenges like management of biomass, service delivery and technical issues, for which DA will empower the local Self Help Group gradually. q

 

 

The Gift of Recycled Paper

Recycle paper. It saves life. And it helps to protect our fragile life support systems. Forests are among the richest expressions of life on our planet. Trees are, of course, the most visible part of a forest. But the other living things that depend on the habitat they create are just as important: the animals, the birds and the insects — and the flowers, the plants and the fungi. And none of these could survive without the tiny lichens and spores and microbes that ultimately drive the very engine of life.

Each of them is valuable for the key role it plays in the ecology of the forest – for its contribution to the health of the forest and to the well-being of all its inhabitants. Each is necessary to weave the rich tapestry of forest life which is the source of so much of our foods, fuels, fibres and fertiliser — not to mention medicines, spices and large numbers of livelihoods.

And, of course, each has a right to life of its own, whatever its utility to the economy. When we cut down the trees, all these living beings are destroyed. And so are the life supports on which we depend: the ground water recedes, the soil erodes and the amount of deadly carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere.

When we pollute our rivers, we also destroy myriads of other living things and undermine equally important life processes.

Recycling of paper, by using wastes – used paper, cotton rags and unwanted biomass – saves trees and minimises pollution. No cutting of trees and no chemicals in our water courses mean that use of recycled paper saves both our forests and our rivers. And, naturally, it saves the life that teems in them.

TARA paper is particularly special. It is not only made of recycled and waste materials: it is crafted by the careful hands of highly skilled villagers, most of whom were impoverished women. It creates jobs and incomes while saving the environment.

Remember! One tonne of TARA paper saves 3 tonnes of wood and 100 cubic metres of water – and creates
Rs. 40,000 in wages, giving us:
· 6 trees for life-giving oxygen, soil and water
· 3 years of cooking fuel for one village family
· 25 years’ drinking water for one person
· 1 square foot of land for a waste dump site and
· 1 month’s income for 20 village women

Use TARA Paper - The Eco-friendly Paper

 

For details, please contact:

The Business Manager

Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA)

B-32 Tara Crescent, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, INDIA

Tel: +91-11-685-1158, 696-7938

Fax: +91-11-686-6031; Email: tara@sdalt.ernet.in
 


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