A considerable amount of time and monetary resources have been spent by corporations, governments, researchers, scientists and engineers to promote the use of solar power based generation systems. Though innovative government policies are mainly credited for reducing solar power costs from Rs 17 per kWh in 2006007 to Rs 8-Rs 9 per kWh currently and increasing the grid connected capacity to around 1,000 MW, advancements in research and development (R&D) have also played an important role.

Biomass based power generation is one of the promising renewable options. This article reviews the status and potential of biomass based power for India.