Goverment encourages biogas use as alternative energy

FREDERICK KEBADIRETSE
Staff Writer | Monday March 15, 2010 00:00

 

This was revealed by the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Ponatshego Kedikilwe at the demonstrations of a biogas plant in Lobatse last week.

Kedikilwe said the government started exploring reliable energy sources in 1976 through the Rural Industries Innovation Centre (RIIC), but did not pursue it further. 'Renewable energy sources have been found to be of vital importance in recent times due to an increased energy demand worldwide,' he said. He added that biogas is especially handy in rural areas where firewood is often used as the primary energy source.

He said the gas is cheap as it only uses waste, like cow dung that is readily available at no cost and does not need regular maintenance.

The minister said using biogas can help preserve the environment and reduce environment unfriendly practices like deforestation that end up contributing to global warming. 'Using biogas prevents the emission of methane into the atmosphere while producing clean energy thus contributing to climate protection,' he said. Apart from this, he said biogas would improve security of supply and ensure self-sufficiency for the country.

He said the aim of the demonstration is to show people the practical use of biofuel. There are currently five biofuel plants in Botswana that are used in both homes and commercial areas.

He said the government, through the Department of Energy is in the process of putting up a biogas plant in Mabesekwa village for cooking and electricity generation. The gas produced at the plant will be pipelined directly to the school kitchen for cooking through biogas stoves while some of it will be used to run a small generator to provide electricity to the classrooms.

The gas will also be used to run a larger capacity generator to provide electricity for illumination of about 100 households and 20 streetlights for a maximum of four hours a day in the evenings.

He commended the Cumberland hotel management for choosing to use biogas for cooking saying they have set a good example to other business entities in the use of renewable energy sources. The hotel has a biogas digester of 10 cubic meters capacity that uses food leftovers from the hotel as a feedstock.  They have been able to save P48,000 in the last two years after replacing Liquidised Petroleum Gas (LPG) with biogas for cooking.