A WOMAN LIGHTS A BIOGAS STOVE AT A HOME IN MUSANZE DISTRICT, RWANDA.

PHOTO BY
RWANDA GREEN FUND (CC BY-ND 2.0)

DECEMBER 4, 2017

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Biogas to the
Kitchen
ENERGY, FEATURED, GENERAL

What if I tell you that, each time you pay for power

at your home or for the gas in your car, you are

submitting to your dependence on others for your

energy needs?

Food, water, energy, materials, our needs are plenty

and so are our dependencies. But we all like to be

independent in fulfilling our daily requirements. We

love the feeling of being able to take care of all our

needs on our own. That desire can be a reality for

some people. Take the example of Sandip, a farmer

from Maharashtra, India, who grows crops and

feeds his family. When Sandip harvests the produce

from his farm in the month of November, he has the

choice to make himself independent from the

interconnected web of food networks.

In a small Indian village called Pachghar the

villagers came together and built a dam to meet

their need for water for domestic use. By doing this,

they made themselves independent from the water

distribution network that has not arrived in remote

places like this.

The third essential need in today’s world is that of

energy. Its necessity is ubiquitous, irrespective of

the socioeconomic status or geographic location of

any community. But when it comes to fulfilling this

need, we see that the solutions often depend on

governments or giant corporations.

In Pachghar, however, solar panels were installed on

some of the roofs to provide energy to recharge

battery-operated lights. On the surface, this

solution seems to deliver an excellent outcome:

energy independence in the form of electric power

using silicon panels. But dig deeper and the story

changes. The panels are made in factories, which in

turn are dependent on the larger interconnected

network of supply chains. Hence, even though this

solution apparently provides energy independence

to families in this village, it is again making them

dependent on the manufacturing sector.

“The problem is not with the technology, but the

science itself,” says Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe,

founder of Vaayu-mitra, a startup from Pune, India,

which is pioneering the idea of making your own

green fuel.

Their product, named Vaayu, converts household

food waste into biogas. Often delivered in canisters

decorated with the catchy design of Pixar’s

“minions,” this household device makes green fuel

in your kitchen with simple resources and in a

relatively short time.

“We often seek the solution to the problem of

energy security via high-tech solar panels or huge

wind mills. Whereas, a simple solution is present in

biology,” Priyadarshan continues. “The biomass in

and around us is the most abundant energy source

in the world and is easily accessible. The non-

biological solutions such as solar or wind are part

of the solution. But they alone cannot save our

future when it comes to energy security. We need a

strong backing of biological sources to make

everyone independent for their energy needs.

“Household food waste, or wet garden waste, is all

made up of solar energy. The sun is around us for

the whole day. All of the cities have a lot of space,

as opposed to the popular belief. This space is

nothing but the terraces of buildings, where the

solar energy reaches without many obstacles. Now,

without taking the route of the high-tech solar

panel, if one grows a few energy crops in that

space, half of the energy problem is solved.”

 Wet waste with
considerable heating
value, that is the full
energy inside it, is
thrown out daily from
every household. A
simple household
biogas unit, such as
Vaayu can prevent
these sources of
energy from becoming
waste.

Priyadarshan explains the unseen potential of a

household bio-digester. The next step is to convert

this wet biological waste into a gaseous fuel, called

biogas, he says.

“Every day, those who live in the cities put a huge

stress on environment with our actions,”

Priyadarshan says. “We are all aware of our carbon

footprint. But is moving out of the city to a village

the only solution? Instead, a common man can put

his thoughts to action and at least make his own

energy at home.”

“A common man can

put his thoughts to
action and at least
make his own energy
at home.”
 Biogas is a mixture of methane and other

gases, which can either be burnt for energy directly

in the kitchen, or can be converted into electricity at

a slightly larger scale of operation. The thing that

Vaayu has done that sets it apart in its category is

that it has brought biogas inside the kitchen.

“What we are trying to communicate about

household fuel generation from waste need not go

through any larger loop such as government and

come back to people. The beauty of this technology,

and its effectiveness, can be realized when going

directly to people and introducing it to them. Then

one can realize the joy of making their own green

fuel,” Priyadarshan says.

tags: Biogas, green technology, kitchen, waste

management

CONTRIBUTOR:

VIVEK PATIL
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LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS

December 4, 2017 at 10:25 pm Reply

You can know more about the ‘Vaayu-mitra’

community or their product ‘Vaayu’ by

accessing this link:

Vivek Patil https://vaayu-mitra.com

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