India Energy Industry

The energy sector has become a matter of more concern over the years due to the fast rising petrol and diesel prices over the Globe. Heavy reliance upon the conventional fossil fuels has given birth indefinite headaches for the economies over the globe. So the need of the hour is to rely more upon the non-conventional sources like Sun, Wind and Bio Mass.

The energy sector has become a matter of more concern over the years due to the fast rising petrol and diesel prices over the Globe. Heavy reliance upon the conventional fossil fuels has given birth indefinite headaches for the economies over the globe. So the need of the hour is to rely more upon the non-conventional sources like Sun, Wind and Bio Mass.

The energy sector has become a matter of more concern over the years due to the fast rising petrol and diesel prices over the Globe. Heavy reliance upon the conventional fossil fuels has given birth indefinite headaches for the economies over the globe. So the need of the hour is to rely more upon the non-conventional sources like Sun, Wind and Bio Mass.

According to Ministry of Non-conventional Energy (MNES) Sources, the renewable sources accounted for 7169 MW, representing 5.7 per cent of the total power generating capacity of the country as on 31st December 2005. This included 7088 MW of grid interactive and 81 MW of distributed power through Biomass Gasifier and energy recovery from waste. In addition, based on renewable sources 2195 villages and 594 hamlets have been provided with electricity. As many as 38 lakh family type biogas plants, 3902 community/institutional/night-soil-based biogas plants and 35.2 million improved chulhas have been set up. These have helped to meet the decentralized energy needs of the people in rural and remote areas.

Non- Conventional Energy India
 

• Wind Power

  Out of the total contribution of renewable sources to the power generating capacity, wind alone accounts for a major chunk of 4434 MW. According to industry sources the figure would have crossed 5200 by March 31, 2006. In fact over the past few years wind energy industry has developed fast, thanks to active participation of the private sector, a package incentives and promotional policies of the MNES and financing through Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). The capacity addition by wind farms has far exceeded the 10th Plan target. Fourth in the world after Germany, USA and Spain in wind power generation, India’s potential for wind power has been assessed at 45000 MW assuming 3 per cent land availability. The potential for grid-interactive wind power would be around 15000 MW if sites having wind power density in excess of 300 Watt/sq. m at 50-metre hub-height are considered in keeping with international practice. Wind power turbines and components are manufactured indigenously by a dozen manufacturers and after meeting local needs are even exported. In areas dependent on diesel-based electricity wind-diesel hybrid projects are being taken up. Water pumping windmills are also being promoted.

   

• Solar Energy

  The contribution of solar power at 1748 MW may not be much compared to the vast potential. There are two routes to tap solar energy-one is the thermal and the other is photovoltaic.
  The focus of the solar thermal power programme is on research, design, development, standardization and demonstration on all aspects of the current and emerging technologies. A large solar dish has been set up under a research project at Latur in Maharashtra to provide process heat for milk pasteurization. Similarly a number of R&D projects have been taken up to tap solar power for different purposes, including food processing, drying of farm commodities, water heating and cooking. Six lakh solar cookers have been produced. Two thousand concentrating dish cookers and 12 community cookers and 1.5 million sq m of collector area for water heating systems have been achieved. Under the solar photovoltaic programme 55000 street lighting systems, 3.4 lakh home lighting systems and 1566 kW of power plants have been set up. Besides these, 5.4 lakh solar lanterns have been produced. One of the constraints to greater exploitation of solar energy is the low efficiency of photo voltaic cells. Research should be stepped up to increase the efficiency levels of PV cells.

  Small hydro sources could yield 15000 MW of power but the achievement so far is only 1748 MW of capacity. As many as 4404 sites with aggregate capacity of 10,477 MW have been identified. Most capacity addition in this sector has been achieved through private sector. India has been a pioneer in Small Hydro Power (SHP) and some of the old and languishing plants are being renovated. Apart from SHP, biomass sources have a big potential estimated at 16000 MW of power. In addition, biomass cogeneration could yield 5000 MW and plantations could yield 77000 MW of which 15000 MW of grid interactive power. However, the achievement has been 491 MW from cogeneration, 377 MW from biomass and 35 MW from municipal waste. The MNES has initiated policy measures to tap the full potential of bio mass and wastes generated in urban areas for increasing the power generation capacity. New and emerging technologies, like hydrogen, fuel cells, bio-fuel, battery-operated vehicles, geothermal and tidal energy, hold promise for meeting the growing energy needs.

   

• Bio-fuel

  The bio-fuel programme has evoked wide interest and the Southern Railways, for instance, have been running two passenger locomotives with 5 per cent blend of bio-fuel. They have planted 75 lakh Jatropha saplings along the railway line. Some States have made available wasteland to Self Help Groups for energy plantations. At the recent South Asia Conference on Renewable Energy President Dr Abdul Kalam observed that the power generation capacity should be increased from present level of 130000 MW to 400000 MW by 2030 to meet the development targets. Of this increase, 50,000 MW should come from hydel projects, 50000 MW from nuclear plants and 55000 MW from large solar energy farms. The balance should come from other non-conventional sources and conventional coal or gas based thermal power plants.

  Source: PIB Press Releases.