Generation from biofuels surges: Statistics

A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), gave interesting insights into India’s energy demand growth. The report titled “India Energy Outlook 2021” explored the opportunities and challenges ahead for the nation in terms of reliable, affordable and sustainable energy.

The combination of an expanding and industrialising economy and the increasing urban population is expected to drive energy use higher. The report raises the question of how best can this swelling demand be catered to without aggravating issues such as costly energy imports, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

However, according to the report, a rise in the use of biofuels for electricity generation by the nation over the years might be a good sign.
Here’s how the use of biofuels for electricity generation over the years for India looks:

Data source: International Energy Agency (IEA)

According to the report, India's ambition to reduce import dependence on oil and coal partly rests on expanding domestic supply. For coal, the nation’s domestic resource base is large enough to support increased production, but today’s steep coal production targets are difficult to reconcile with India’s evolving energy needs and environmental priorities. Especially in the case of industry energy demands which are fueled by coal.

Given below is a graph showing the coal consumption by sector in India:

Data source: International Energy Agency (IEA)