By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : A Kerala based NGO has won Green Oscars for installing biogas plants in the state to convert organic waste into alternate source of energy.
Former US vice president Al Gore gave away the award – cash prize of 30,000 pounds – to Biotech chief A. Saji at a function in London Friday.
Biotech had launched the award winning initiative of turning food waste into gas for cooking and electricity purposes (domestic biogas plant) since its inception in 1994.
Among the other products Biotech offers are smokeless ovens, solar lanterns and home lights.
It has built and installed 12,000 domestic plants, 220 institutional plants and 17 municipal plants that use waste from the municipal fish markets to produce biogas, which is then used in a three kilowatt engine to generate electricity for lighting the markets.
Around 160 of the domestic plants installed also use waste from eco-friendly toilets. Using excreta in the digesters helps manage human waste at source and avoids ground water contamination.
Biotech programme officer Sundar Singh told IANS that he and his colleagues were excited after receiving the Green Oscar – also known as Ashden Awards.
Currently more than 2,000 small domestic gas plants are being erected in south Kerala. The domestic gas plant costs around Rs.10,000.
"This technology is now sought by people to tackle domestic waste. Work is going on in Ernakulam, Idukki and Alappuzha districts," Singh said.