RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA
ü Renewable energy in India currently contributes around 7.7% of total electricity generation in the country. The installed capacity is around 13,000 MW
ü India was one of the first countries in the world to establish a separate ministry for non-conventional energy resources (1980s). however, progress has been slow
ü Renewable energy in India comes under the purview of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
ü The largest contributor to renewable energy in India is Tamil Nadu (about 33%), largely from wind power
ü India ranks first in the world (along with USA) in annual solar power generation. It also ranks fifth in wind power generation
SOLAR POWER IN INDIA
ü India (along with USA) ranks number one in solar power generation in the world. However, it still only contributes about 0.4% of total electricity generation in the country
ü India’s high population density and high solar insolation provide an ideal combination for solar power in India.
ü Solar insolation is a measure of the solar energy received on a given surface area in a given time. It is usually expressed in W/sq.m
ü In 2009, the Government unveiled a plan to generate 20,000 MW of solar power by 2020. Under the plan solar powered equipment and applications would be mandatory in all government buildings
ü Presently, solar power is primarily advocated in villages for water pumps, replacing the millions of diesel powered water pumps. Since the villages are not integrated into the power grids, stand-alone solar units are especially helpful
ü About 35,000 sq km of the Thar Desert has been set aside for solar power projects
Annual insolation
ü With about 300 clear sunny days per year, India has among the highest solar insolations in the world
ü India receives about 600 TW of solar energy on its land area every year.
ü The daily average solar insolation is 4-7 kWh/sq m, which is far more than current total energy consumption
ü With such a high solar insolation, even with just 10% conversion efficiency, solar energy will be thousand times greater than electricity demand by 2015
ü Rajasthan receives the highest annual solar radiation and the north eastern states receive the least
ü 35,000 sq km of Thar Desert has been set aside for solar energy. The first solar power project in the area is under construction by Astonfield Solar Pvt Ltd. It is expected to be commissioned in 2010
Applications and Challenges
ü Solar power is primarily used in stand-alone applications in rural areas, which are not connect to the power grid
ü Solar power is used for rural electrification, for water pumping, harvest processing, refrigeration of produce, water heaters etc
ü The biggest challenges to the growth of solar power in India include
Ø Prohibitive cost: solar power is still prohibitively expensive, especially the manufacture of photovoltaic cells that convert light energy into electrical energy.
Ø Land scarcity: large scale solar energy generation requires large areas of land dedicated to the installation of solar photovoltaic panels. This could be challenging in urban areas with high population densities
WIND POWER IN INDIA
ü India has the fifth largest installed wind power generation capacity in the world
ü Wind power accounts for about 6% of total electricity generation in the country (about 11,000 MW). It is expected that a further 6000 MW of installed capacity will be added by 2012
ü Tamil Nadu contributes the maximum wind power generation (about 4000 MW)
ü Suzlon Energy, based in Pune, is the largest wind turbine manufacturer in Asia and the fifth largest worldwide
ü Among the advantages of wind power include the short gestation periods and increasing reliability and performance of wind turbines
Wind power in various states
| State | Capacity | Main wind farms | Notes |
| Tamil Nadu | 4301 MW | Tirunelveli Dist. | Muppandal wind farm is largest in Asia, Tamil Nadu generates maximum wind power in India |
| Maharashtra | 1942 MW | Satara Dist. | |
| Gujarat | 1565 MW | Kutch dist. Rajkot dist. | |
| Karnataka | 1340 MW | Chitradurga dist Gadag dist |
Challenges
ü Challenges faced by wind power include greater capital cost than conventional energy sources, noise produced by rotor blades, television interference etc
ü Wind power is also restricted geographically and is not usually feasible in urban areas
BIOFUELS IN INDIA
ü Biofuel development in India is primarily focused on Jatropa plant seeds
ü The Jatropa curcas is a flowering plant whose seeds contain about 35% oil. This oil can be processed to obtain high quality biodiesel for use in regular diesel engines
ü The use of Jatropa for biodiesel generation has multiple benefits
Ø Jatropa is easily grown in dry and non-agricultural lands, thereby allowing villagers to use non-farmland for income generation
Ø It reduces the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. This is especially important because India needs to import a vast majority of fossil fuels from abroad
Ø Since Jatropa is carbon-neutral is helps the country achieve better carbon emissions targets
Ø Since no producing farmland is needed for Jatropa (unlike corn or sugarcane ethanol or palm oil diesel), it is considered the best option for biodiesel generation
Ø Jatropa has no known negative impact on the production of food crops. Other biodiesel crops (like corn ethanol) have caused serious price increases in basic food crops since they take up valuable agricultural land
Application of biodiesel
ü Biodiesel based on Jatropa already meets EU norms for biodiesel quality, without any extra processing
ü Jatropa biodiesel has been used as aviation fuel on an experimental basis by Air New Zealand in 2008
ü The Indian Railways has started using Jatropa biodiesel to power its diesel engines on an experimental basis. Currently, the diesel locomotives in the Tanjore-Nagore, Trichy-Lalgudi-Dindigul-Karur sections run on a blend of Jatropa and diesel oil
GOVERNMENT BODIES IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
All bodies function under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy unless otherwise noted
Solar Energy Centre (SEC)
ü Established 1982, located Delhi
ü The SEC serves as an interface between the Government and institutions and industries for the development of solar energy
ü Functions of the SEC include
Ø Research and development
Ø Technology evaluation, testing and standardisation
Ø Advisory and consultancy services
Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET)
ü Established 1998, location Chennai
ü The C-WET serves as the technical focal point for wind power development
ü Functions of the C-WET include
Ø Offer services and solutions for wind power harnessing
Ø Research and development
Ø Testing and evaluation
Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Renewable Energy (SSS-NIRE)
ü Currently under construction
ü Location Kapurthala (Punjab)
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
ü Established 1987, located New Delhi
ü The main objective of the IREDA is to provide financial support to projects and schemes for electricity generation using renewable sources
POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES
All schemes implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy unless otherwise noted
National Policy on Biofuels
ü Approved in Dec 2009
ü Implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
ü Salient features of the policy include
Ø By 2017, 20% of diesel consumption to be met by biofuel blends (includes bioethanol and biodiesel)
Ø Biodiesel production to be taken up in waste/non-agricultural lands
Ø Biodiesel plantations on community/government waste lands to be encouraged. Plantations on agricultural lands to not be encouraged
Ø Minimum Support Price (MSP) to be announced for biodiesel oil seeds
Ø No taxes or duties to be levied on biodiesel
Ø National Biofuel Coordination Committee chaired by the Prime Minister to be created. Biofuel Steering Committee to be chaired by Cabinet Secretary to also be created
Remote Village Electrification Programme (RVEP)
ü The RVEP is a programme that aims to provide electricity for remote villages through renewable sources
ü The programme covers those remote villages and hamlets which are not covered under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY). These are usually remote areas where grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost effective
ü The RVEP is a component of the Rural Electrification Policy, which seeks to provide electricity to all households by 2009
ü The scheme covers multiple technologies for electrification of these remote areas
Ø Small hydro power plants
Ø Biomass power generation
Ø Vegetable oil based engines
Ø Biogas based engines
Ø Solar energy
National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP)
ü Established in 1982
ü Aims to facilitate setting up of family type biogas plants
ü The objectives of the NBMMP include
Ø Provide fuel for cooking purposes and organic manure to rural households through family type biogas plants
Ø To mitigate drudgery of women and reduce pressure on forest resources
Ø To improve sanitation in villages by linking sanitary toilets with biogas plants
ü The programme is implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in conjunction with state governments
ü A total of 3.93 million family type biogas plants have been set up in the country against an estimated potential of 12 million
Akshay Urja Shops
ü The Akshay Urja Shops is a programme to establish commercial shops for sales and service of renewable energy devices and systems
ü So far 297 Akshay Urja Shops have been established in various states
ü The programme initially started as the Aditya Solar Shops and covered only solar power but has now been expanded to include all renewable energy (and name change accordingly)
ü The primary objective of the scheme is to make renewable energy products easily available and provide after sales service and repair
ü The scheme provides financial assistance to entrepreneurs for establishment of shops by means of loans and grants