Spotlight

 

Tackling Climate Change Now:

GEF Project in India’s Karnataka State Shows How

The just-concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland may well have succeeded in casting the spotlight on climate change, but practical solutions are already being developed. Monique Barbut, GEF CEO saw a pioneering project during a recent visit to Koratgere village, a two-hour drive from teeming Bangalore city, deep in the heart of Karnataka state dubbed India’s Silicon valley.

Here, in a dramatic example of concerted local action, Koratgere residents have signed a power purchase agreement with the state utility, BESCOM, to supply electricity generated by four gasifier units totaling 500 kW. The Biomass Energy for Rural India (BERI) project has an outlay of $8.62 million, of which the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is funding $4.02 million.

“Global climate change poses a clear and present threat to the sustainable development agenda,” said Monique Barbut, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “The BERI project is unique in that it harnesses the power of local action to generate a global benefit: clean energy that is environment friendly and sustainable because it depends on locally-available resources.”

The pioneering project is testing biomass energy technology for large scale application by providing high quality rural energy services for economic development. Biomass gasification is a process of converting biomass to a combustible gas in a reactor, known as a gasifier, under controlled conditions. The combustible gas, also known as ‘producer gas’ is then cooled and cleaned prior to combustion in internal combustion engines for power generation.

The BERI project aims to generate 2.5 million units of electricity for the state grid, of which 0.7 million units will be consumed in Koratgere and neighboring villages, and the remainder sold to BESCOM at commercial rates.

A unique aspect of the BERI project is that it engages village forest communities for raising plantations of 28 different local plant species to be grown for biomass production on public and private land allocated for the purpose.

The project was inaugurated on January 24, 2007, in the presence of His Excellency C.M. Udasi, State Minister of Rural Development, Karnataka, nearly 500 villagers from Koratgere and neighboring areas, and the head of the local village committee.

When fully implemented, the BERI project is expected to avoid emitting 1,200 tons of carbon annually into the atmosphere. In addition, the plantation of fast-growing species on 3,000 hectares is expected to sequester 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide, offering ample proof that through innovative projects, economic and environmental objectives can be achieved successfully.

Media Contacts:
Clare Fleming, Team Leader, Communications & Outreach, GEF +1.202.458.4679, cfleming@TheGEF.org