Abstract
Tea is one of the most popular beverages around the world. India accounts for around 31% of the production globally. Tea contributes 1% of the GDP of the country. The two major issues related to tea industry are energy and environment. Tea processing is energy intensive as the various stages of tea production consume energy in the form of thermal or electrical energy. The energy costs constitute around 30% of the total tea processing costs. Various data related to the energy consumption and cost incurred are analysed in a tea processing industry in Assam, India and compared with that of the South Indian tea industries. The analysis shows that thermal energy consumption is around 43% higher than that consumed in the South Indian industries. The total electrical and thermal energy required for the production process is about 42% and 58% respectively. Natural gas requirement for thermal energy contributes to a large portion of the production cost. One of the approaches to tackle the energy and environmental problems is the implementation of energy efficient and environmentally active production processes. Solar thermal energy and biomass are such possible alternatives to meet such issues as they reduce overall greenhouse emission compared to fossil fuel utilisation. However, it is also equally essential to motivate the tea growers to take such measures.
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