What is energy plantation?

Answer 1

Technically speaking, energy plantation means growing select species of trees and shrubs which are harvest-able 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.

Collector Editor: Shree Adityanarayan Yadav