Electricity from Sewage in India
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
India's Government's Agenda on Sanitation and Sewage Treatment Plants Generating Electricity Power
Waste-to-Wire: Electricity from Sewage
India's newly elected government's agenda on sanitation and sewage treatment is intent towards improving the socio-economic spheres of our times. Financial schemes from the central government to build sewage treatment plants, river cleaning programmes and providing clean sanitation facility for all are indicators of enterprising solutions which have been embarked by the Narendra Modi led government.
Sanitation and renewable energy generation
A holistic approach at the micro level -sanitation & sewer- can contribute towards a healthy and hygienic society along with minimising our electricity woes.
At community levels, a centralised collection and waste treatment from toilets answers not only proper sanitation but if treated scientifically, yields renewable energy as well. Adopting bio-methanation the waste can be effectively treated and thebiogasthus produced can either be used as a cooking gas or can power a biogas engine for generating electricity.
Massive potential for power from sewage in India
At many sites both in India and internationally, Clarke Energy has executed sewage gas based power generation facilities with long term maintenance contracts intact with the developer using GE's Jenbacher gas engines.
Such facilities include United UtilitiesDavyhulme WWTPnear Manchester, UK or SA Water'sBolivar WWTPnear Adelaide. However, the sewage gas based power generation plants built are miniscule against the total number of STP's in India. Guidelines from the government favouring captive power generation using sewage can spur electricity-from-sewage.
Consuming sewage gas, a gas engine can be configured as acombined heat and power(CHP) plant. Waste heat emanating can be utilised for heating the bio-digester thereby facilitating bacterial growth for the sludge treatment. In the CHP mode, the overall plant efficiency increases significantly.
Benefits from the government through project subsidies, availing renewable energy certificates, eligibility for clean development mechanism, production of a soil improver and sustainability through a sewage gas based power plant encourages us to ‘Think & Act' on the concept.
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