Renewable Energy

In most river basins firewood availability is so poor that it is viewed as a crisis by the communities. Women and children have to trudge for four to five hours, foraging for scarce firewood to satisfy their cooking fuel needs. In a situation where the peoples’ daily firewood requirements outstrip the annual incremental biomass growth in the support/forest areas, the only logical ‘solution’ seems to be the provision of an alternate source of energy.

Over the past fifteen years, Grassroots has been able to demonstrate the viability of an alternate renewable energy option through installation of household level biogas units, which provides clean smokeless cooking gas and thereby impacts on the family health, besides reducing the biotic pressure on forest resources.

At a time when the whole world is waking up to the realities of climate change due to the burning of fossil fuels and we are serious about meeting our commitments on Millennium Development Goals, we must scale up the adoption of this technology.

Renewable Energy

One cubic metre plant currently costs 15,000 rupees in hilly areas, yet per capita incomes of mountain communities are below this figure. Therefore the initial cost becomes a major obstacle in the spread of this technology. Grassroots has been providing initial grants from small government subsidies and donations from private donors, with households usually contributing up to about 70% of the cost in cash plus labour inputs.

All projects undertaken by the Kumaon Artisans Guild are funded with an initial grant from reputed Trust/s and Grassroots. In every area demand for grants is greater than the available funds. If you’d like to support the expansion of bio-gas please click here.

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