Conventional and Renewable Energy Scenario of India by Gopal Prasad
Conventional and Renewable Energy Scenario of India by Gopal Prasad
Abstract
This paper presents a review about conventional and renewable energy scenario of India. India has done a significant progress in the power generation in the country. The installed generation capacity was 1300 megawatt (MW) at the time of Independence i.e. about 60 years back. The total generati ng capacity anticipated at the end of the Tenth Plan on 31-03-2007, is 1, 44,520 MW which includes the generation through various sectors like Hydro, Thermal and Nuclear. Emphasis is given to the renewable energy programme towards gradual commercialization. This programme is looked after by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of energy. Since the availability of fossil fuel is on the decline therefore, in this backdrop the norms for conventional or renewable sources of energy (RSE) is given importance not only in India but has attracted the global attention. The main items under RSE are as follows: i) Hydro Power ii) Solar Power iii) Wind Power iv) Bio-mass Power v) Energy from waste vi) Ocean energy vii) Alternative fuel for surface transportation Evolution of power transformer technology in the country during the past five decades is quite impressive. There are manufacturers in the country with full access to the latest technology at the global level. Some of the manufacturers have impressive R&D set up to support the technology. Renewable energy is very much promoted by the Chinese Government. At the same time as the law was passed, the Chinese Government set a target for renewable energy to contribute 10% of the countrys gross energy consumption by 2020, a huge increase from the current 1%. It has been felt that there is rising demand for energy, food and raw materials by a population of 2.5 billion Chinese and Indians. Both these countries have large coal dominated energy systems in the world and the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil releases carbon dioxide (Co2) into the air which adds to the greenhouse gases which lead to global warming.
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Conventional and Renewable Energy Scenario of India Since the availability of fossil fuel is on the decline therefore, in this backdrop the norms for conventional or renewable sources of energy (RSE) is given importance not only in India but has attracted the global attention. The main items under RSE are as follows: viii) Hydro Power ix) Solar Power x) Wind Power xi) Bio-mass Power xii) Energy from waste xiii) Ocean energy xiv) Alternative fuel for surface transportation
Hydro Power
India is endowed with a large potential of hydro power, of which only 17% has been harnessed so far. The hydro electricity is a clean and renewable source of energy. It has been felt that there is a long gestation period in hydro projects due to delays in forest and environment clearance, rehabilitation of the project effected people besides inter-state disputes and construction holdups due to several reasons. Under RSE only small hydro projects are considered since they do not require large pondage and have the capacity to provide power to remote and hilly terrain where extension of the grid system is either un-economic or not possible. It has been estimated that the potential available in the country under small hydropower schemes is of the order of 15000 MW in which the plans that are considered are up to 25 MW capacity individually which are classified as small hydro projects under the Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of energy. The small hydro power stations are mostly located in hilly areas and are given priority for local benefits to the residents which provide them gainful employment through the energy potential.
Solar Power
The climatic condition in India provides abundant potential of solar power due to large scale radiation available during a wider part of the year due to tropical condition in the country. The solar power can be developed for long term use through the application of solar photo- voltaic (SPV) Technology which provides a potential of 20MW per sq. Km. The other method for Utilization of solar energy is through the adoption of solar thermal Technology. The programmes are under way to utilize SPV by connecting to grid power systems. It has come to notice from a report of Xinhva news agency that Shanghai, the business capital of China, is launching a 100000 rooftop solar photo voltaic (SPV) system which would generate 430 million KWH of electricity which would be enough to supply power to the entire city for two days. The other popular use is by stand- alone applications which include solar powered street lights, domestic lights, water pumps etc. The cost of the photo SPV modules is quite expensive which is in the range of $ 3-4 per watt, in spite of best efforts, the price could not come down in India, China and other countries. The effort is to bring the price down to $ 1 per watt when it may be more popular for
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Conventional and Renewable Energy Scenario of India use. The efforts to use amorphous silicon technology were cheaper but its long terms use is not practicable. The SPV technology if cheep, would be useful for people living in far - flung areas as extending grid would involve high cost. The solar thermal devices are widely used in the country for various purposes such as solar water heaters, solar cookers, solar dryers etc. There is wide scope for development of solar thermal application for which the research is in progress. The energy obtained through Solar Thermal route is 35 MW per sq. km.
Wind Power
The wind power development in the country is largely of recent period which has been found to be quite impressive. As per available data, it is 5340 MW by March 31, 2006, through wind power. Earlier it was estimated that the potential for wind power in the country was 20,000 MW which has been revised to 45000MW after collecting the data on the potential available in the coastal and other areas of the country. At present India is fifth in the world after Germany, USA, Denmark and Spain in terms of wind power. It has been observed that the private sector is showing interest in setting of wind power projects. The unit size of wind turbine generators which were earlier in the range of 55-100 Kw are now preferred in the range of 750-1000 kw. It has been observed that the productivity of the larger machine is higher as compared to the smaller machine. In respect of cost consideration, it has been noticed that the cost of such a project is about Rs.40 million to Rs.50 million per MW which includes all local civil, electrical works and erection also. The life of a wind power project is estimated to be about 20 years. China has guaranteed all certified renewable energy producers in its service area that the grid will purchase their power and the price will be spread out to all the users across the grid. According to sources, such commitments can only spur further development in the renewable energy sector.
Bio-Mass Power
There is quite a high energy potential available in the country in resources such as firewood, agro residues and animal wastes. These resources are mainly utilized by the rural population of the country. It has been estimated that there is a potential to install 19500 MW capacity through biomass conservation technologies like combustion, gasification, incineration and also bagasse based cogeneration in sugar mills. So far only around 380 MW of this potential has been tapped and there is wide scope for expanding the size of their use for the benefit of the majority of the rural population to meet their energy needs.
Ocean Energy
The Ocean on the earth covers about 71% of the total surface which collects and store solar energy. If this energy is quantified in terms of Oil, it can be said that an amount of solar radiation equivalent in heat content to about 245 billion barrels of oil is absorbed by the sea. The energy available in the Ocean is clean, continuous and renewable. In future it would be possible to tap energy from the sea.
Transformer Technology
Transformers were first used in India in 1897 to light Darjeeling Municipal area. The commercial production of transformers commenced. in 1936 at Government Electrical factory, Bangalore. Later on new companies have started production and improvement in the Transformer Technology. When transformer factories were set up in 1960s there were no vendors in the country to supply processed raw materials and accessories. Evolution of power transformer technology in the country during the past five decades is quite impressive. There are manufacturers in the country with full access to the latest technology at the global level. Some of the manufacturers have impressive R&D set up to support the technology.
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Conventional and Renewable Energy Scenario of India death traps. It can be surmised that energy development should be preferable by adopting measures which does not give rise to greenhouse gasses as it would effect change in climate leading to overall difficulties to the people who are accustomed to the climate as prevailing on the earth.
Conclusion
There is an urgent need for transition from petroleum-based energy systems to one based on renewable resources to decrease reliance on depleting reserves of fossil fuels and to mitigate climate change. In addition, renewable energy has the potential to create many employment opportunities at all levels, especially in rural areas. Mainstreaming of renewable is very essential. Energy security, economic growth and environment protection are the national energy policy drivers of any country of the world. The need to boost the efforts for further development and promotion of renewable energy sources has been felt world over in light of high prices of crude oil.
Specific action include promoting deployment, innovation and basic research in renewable energy technologies, resolving the barriers to development and commercial deployment of biomass, hydropower, solar and wind technologies, promoting straight (direct) biomass combustion and biomass gasification technologies, promoting the development and manufacture of small wind electric generators, and enhancing the regulatory/tariff regime in order to main stream renewable energy sources in the national power system(Source: NAPCC). Accordingly, increased focus is being laid on the deployment of renewable power that is likely to account for around 5% in the electricity-mix by 2032.
Indias quest for energy security and sustainable development rests a great deal on the ability to tap energy from alternate sources or the renewable sources.
References
[1] Dominic Wilson and Roopa Purushothaman, Dreaming with BRICs: the path to 2050 Global Economics Paper No 99, Goldmann Sachs, 1st October 2003. [2] Dani Rodrik and Arvind Subranium, Why India can grow at 7 percent or more: projections and reflections, IMF Working Paper, WP/04/118, July 2004. [3] R. B. Grover and Subash Chandra, A strategy for growth of electrical energy in India, Document No 10, Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai, India, August 2004. [4] International Energy Agency (IEA), Key World Energy Statistics, 2003. [5] Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) 2002, Energy, April 2002 [6] International Energy Agency (IEA), World Energy Outlook 2002 Highlights p 32. [7] Details of Solar power in India available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_India [8] Future Perspectives for Renewable Energy in India available at: http://www.alternative-energynews.info/future-renewable-energy-india/
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