How India will get advantages in increasing its reliance on biofuels

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Written by Kishan Karunakaran, Founder and CEO, Buyofuel

According to the World Economic Forum, over 100 million people lost access to energy due to the economic impact of the pandemic. The world is already looking at an alarming rise in energy crisis, and geopolitical uncertainties, rising fuel costs, supply chain woes and depleting natural resources have heightened the urgency to become energy-independent with renewables and domestic energy production.

The need to strengthen energy security and protect natural resources is more than ever. It is urgent to find new ways to ensure affordable and renewable sources of energy for fast transition to clean energy and sustainable development.

It is encouraging that India today is steering global efforts not just to meet its sustainability goals but also to bring countries together for the climate cause. While the nation already has clear targets for itself of achieving net zero emissions by 2070 and 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030, it is also championing the cause of Global South to address issues notably climate change.

As per the Central Government, India will contribute to 25 percent of the global demand for energy by 2040. Currently, the country is dependent on imports for 85% of its oil needs but its ambitious target of achieving 20% ethanol blending in petroleum will drastically cut its reliance on imports which will further result in mitigating environmental concerns and achieving greater energy security.

Moving towards sustainable future with biofuels:

India has many advantages in increasing its reliance on biofuels. The country’s economy is dependent on agriculture and it has availability of resources which are required for biofuels generation such as sugar, starch, wheat, plant materials, animal waste and others.

Apart from blending in petrol, they can also be used as standalone fuels as well. Existing bottlenecks in large-scale adoption of biofuels such as limited availability of inexpensive biomass and costly conversion technologies are being eliminated with research and development. 

The advancements in production method, agriculture and better conversion techniques have further reduced the complexities in producing biofuels.

The country is seeing acceleration in electric vehicle adoption. However, it comes with challenges such as a charging infrastructure in a nascent stage, battery and manufacturing-related challenges, higher costs, range anxiety and others. It is expected that fossil fuels-run vehicle will still form a major share of the auto market in the near future, and that makes it crucial to look for quicker

solutions like biofuels. It can be used in existing engines with little or no modification which minimize the costs of switching to cleaner alternatives. Additionally, this brings huge cost advantages by cutting the need of additional investments on new equipment, machinery and infrastructure to produce biofuels since oil manufacturers can utilise the existing ones.

Furthermore, as technology advances, it becomes possible to make biofuels more accessible, affordable and available for all. The integration of latest technologies like IoT, AI and data analytics brings better connectivity in the industry and supports development of efficient online

marketplaces for all biofuel-based commodities. It will make it possible for buyers and sellers to come to a single platform online, thus removing the existing barriers like finding the right markets, resulting in higher adoption.  

The country is already pitching for an International Biofuels Alliance for global support in knowledge transfer, research & development and trade of biofuels between

countries. In this direction, building more connections with online platforms like a green fuel community will encourage people to choose biofuels and even achieve financial gains from it in a transparent, equal and fair ecosystem.

The switch to biofuels is not only crucial for environmental gains but also to empower people who are a part of India’s agrarian or rural economy.  If India continues to take the right steps in the right direction, it can utilise the huge potentials in biofuels to make sustainable development a reality in its truest sense.

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