Every fall, Indian farmers set fire to their fields. The straw must be burned away so that the farmers can quickly sow rice and grain again. At the same time, those who can get in close and scale the hatches. The smog creeps in from the surrounding fields, settling like a gray lid over the big cities. It itches in the lungs and stings in the eyes. Headache, cough, bronchitis and cancer. Air pollution kills an estimated 7 million people annually globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The burning of straw is one of the main reasons why New Delhi is the capital of the world with the worst air. Studies show that air pollution reduces life expectancy in the region by up to ten years. Burning also reduces the quality of the soil, so farmers have to use more chemicals, which have negative health effects. BAD AIR: Burning straw on fields is one of the main causes of the severe air pollution in many Indian cities. Photo: Norfund Cleaner air But now the air in Northern India will become cleaner. Instead of burning the straw, farmers are paid to deliver straw bales to a biomass power plant. The straw is burned in power plants that produce steam that is turned into electricity. This can replace coal power. Local pollution is reduced, since the particulate matter from the combustion is captured in the power plant. And the carbon that is released is part of the cycle. It would be released anyway when the straw rots or is burned on the fields. The state Norwegian Climate Investment Fund, managed by Norfund, helps make it all possible. Meters of straw bales await burning in a power plant Photo: Norfund Indian worker works to load straw bales. Photo: Norfund Tractors with huge loads of straw in tow arrive at the biomass power plant. Photo: Norfund Biomassekraftverk generates electricity from burning straw. Photo: Norfund The NOK 600 million investment is estimated to cut more than 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, based on the current energy mix. This corresponds to 3 percent of Norway’s annual emissions, reports Norfund in a press release. Income for 100,000 farmers Today, approx. 15,000 farmers straw for projects in Punjab and Haryana. 20,000 farmers are involved in projects under construction in Rajasthan. If the company SAEL Limited succeeds with its plans, they estimate that 100,000 farmers will be involved within 5 years. SATISFIED: Norfund estimates that 100,000 farmers can get extra income by handing in the straw instead of burning it on the fields. Photo: Norfund – By collecting the straw and using it as fuel in our biomass power plants, we are helping to combat one of the country’s biggest health problems. At the same time, we create local employment and extra income for farmers and local entrepreneurs. The partnership with Norfund will speed up the implementation of these projects. That’s what the chairman and CEO of SAEL, Jasbir Awla, says. More renewables SAEL already has five power plants (80MW) in operation, and a further six (90MW) under construction. They also operate several solar energy projects. Norfund’s investment will finance plans to build a further 100 MW of bioenergy and 400 MW of solar energy each year for the next five years. India is the world’s second largest producer of coal-fired power, and the country has the world’s largest growth in energy demand. BAD VISIBILITY: When farmers in India burn their fields, the air quality in the surrounding areas is extremely poor. Photo: Norfund India has previously launched plans for half of the country’s energy to be renewable by 2030, and the world is completely dependent on the country succeeding in this in order to achieve the global climate goals. Nevertheless, calculations show that coal consumption in India is increasing by 8 percent, reports Reuters.
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Norway finances solution that provides cleaner air in India – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
