http://www.nariphaltan.org/ethstove.pdfOnly 17.5 % of all Indian homes use LPG as their primary cooking fuel, with 90 % of rural
households dependent on some form of biomass. To improve the quality of life of such a large
number of people, it is imperative that clean and renewable alternatives are provided for cooking.
This paper presents one such. An ethanol stove running on 50 % ethanol-water mixture has been
developed at Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI). The stove allows easy flame regulation
and gives an output similar to the conventionally-used LPG and kerosene stoves. Field tests
conducted on the stove show that it is safe to use and very suitable for a typical rural household.
In addition, the cost of using the ethanol stove is comparable to those of the conventional liquid
fuel alternatives.
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7. Policy issues
For ethanol to be used as a cooking fuel in rural households
the following policy issues need to be addressed.
1. The government of India should allow ethanol to be
used as a cooking and lighting fuel for rural areas.
Besides solving the energy crisis, the production and
use of ethanol in rural areas will provide major stimulus
to the rural economy. It is estimated that the ethanol
economy for rural areas could be worth Rs. 2
trillion (~US$ 45 billion) annually
.
2. Presently the production and sale of ethanol is con-
trolled by a very rigid excise regime primarily because
of issues regarding the drinking of this ethanol. However,
there is enough chemistry known to mankind to
make ethanol non-potable and unpalatable. Use of
such chemicals will completely prevent drinking ethanol
meant for use as fuel. If the government does decide
on making such ethanol available as a cooking
and lighting fuel in rural areas then it should exempt
this ethanol from all excise duties. This will reduce
its cost and make it a viable alternative to LPG and
kerosene. Besides its use for cooking and lighting<1>,
it can also be used in internal combustion engines for
producing decentralized electricity .
Thus, all the present subsidies given in rural areas for
cooking fuels (kerosene and LPG) and electricity
should be lumped together and made available for
ethanol use in rural areas.
International Energy Initiative and its mission
Energy is of critical importance to development, economic growth, balance of payments, peace, national
and regional environmental protection and the global climate. The efficient production and use of
energy in an environmentally sound way is essential to tackling these concerns and defining a path
to sustainable development based on equity, empowerment (self-reliance), environmental harmony and
economic efficiency.
Since no international institution had as its sole objective the promotion of the efficient production and
use of energy, a new International Energy Initiative (IEI) was established in September 1991. IEI is a small, independent, international, non-governmental, public-purpose organization. It is a South-North partnership, Southern-conceived, led and located. It networks with those concerned with energy.
IEI’s mission is Information, Training, Analysis, Advocacy and Action (INTAAACT) and the systems integration of these components. IEI’s objective is to promote – initiate, strengthen and advance – the efficient production and use of energy for sustainable development.
IEI’s strategy is:
focusing on developing countries;
disseminating the new approach to energy, in which the level of energy services is taken as the
measure of development, rather than the magnitude of energy consumption and supply;
increasing energy services through a rationally determined mix of “hardware” – “cleaner” centralized/
decentralized sources of energy and end-use efficiency measures;
addressing the “software” issues – policies, institutions, financing, and management involved in
the implementation of such a “hardware” mix;
providing rigorous assessments and promoting the dissemination of emerging technologies of
end-use efficiency improvement and of decentralized renewable sources (including modern
biomass-based technologies);
initiating and strengthening technological capability in energy analysis, planning and implementation
in developing countries; and promoting the improvement of existing energy institutions and efforts and the design of new ones.
Find out more about IEI on the Internet at www.ieiglobal.org.
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