Future biogas resource potential in India: A bottom-up analysis

Biogas is a locally accessible and renewable energy source that can be generated from organic feedstocks under anaerobic conditions. This paper aims to assess the future biogas potential in India from varied sources (crops residues, animal manure, municipal solid wastes, municipal and industrial wastewater). The study uses a bottom-up, resource focused approach for the assessment of biogas potential. The paper assess agriculture and animal residues as well as generation, collection and availability of municipal and industrial waste for biogas production. The results show considerable potential of biogas in the next two decades due to rising waste generation and deployment of infrastructure for improving waste collection efficiency. The analysis estimates that the biogas potential ranges from 310 to 655 billion m3/year in the year 2040 depending upon availability of different resources. The estimated biogas potential in the year 2040 is around 36% of India's current (2015) total primary energy supply in the high availability scenario. Finally, the paper offers policy recommendations aimed at realizing the biogas potential.