First American Scientific Corp. (fka FASC)

[ptrey]

FWIW: RENEWABLE ENERGY – PRESENT SCENARIO AND CHALLENGES AHEAD

M. Gokhale*
16:43 IST

Energy security, as an issue of national strategic importance, came to take the centre stage of the planning process against the backdrop of frequent rises in global crude oil price. The possibility of a downward trend in global oil prices in the long-term now seems bleak. Our dependence on fossil fuels might continue for most part of the 21st century. But our oil reserves may not last longer than 2025 and coal reserves which were earlier expected to last for another 200 years may now not last that long. Energy security has an important bearing on the achievement of national economic development goals and raising quality of life. The level of per capita energy consumption has for long been considered as one of the key indicators of development. Dependence on crude oil in a situation where its price is volatile and availability finite has to be shaken off. India needs to develop alternate fuels to counter the problem. There seems to be no alternative but to develop and deploy alternative sources of energy. India’s search for alternative fuels that would ensure energy self-sufficiency began in the 1970s itself. Consequently, it saw the emergence of new and renewable sources of energy. The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources continues to support development and deployment through broad-spectrum programmes covering the entire gamut of new and renewable energies. These programmes broadly sought, inter alia, to supplement fossil-fuel-based grid power; reach renewable energy to remote rural areas, urban conglomerates, industrial enterprises and commercial establishments. In addition, exploitation of new energies and development of alternate fuels for transport was envisaged. The Ministry has nine Regional Offices, three specialised Technical Institutions and one non-banking financial company under its administrative control to promote its policy and programme initiatives. States have been advised to promote commercial development in this sector. In addition, the Electricity Act, 2003 contains several provisions to promote accelerated development of power generation from non-conventional sources. The Common Minimum Programme of the Government envisages electrification of all households by 2009. It has been decided to take up electrification of villages, where grid extension is not likely, through distributed renewable power systems. Under the Remote Village Electrification Programme, the number of remote villages identified so far stands at 24,418. As on 31.3.2005, 1944 remote villages and 594 remote hamlets have been electrified in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Manipur, Orissa, Tripura, Uttaranchal and West Bengal. In addition, projects are under implementation in 1349 villages and 724 hamlets in 19 States/ UTs. These projects mainly use solar photovoltaic systems and power plants. Biomass gasifiers and small hydro power plants have also been installed in some villages.

Village Energy Security To free the villager from the energy insecurity s/he faces, a Village Energy Security Programme (VESP) has been conceived. It aims at demonstrating the technological viability of biomass gasification, biomethanation and biofuel based systems for providing the entire village energy needs of cooking, lighting and power. 24 pilot projects in States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal have initially been taken up to demonstrate the concept, provide operational experience and test different institutional structures. The first project has successfully commissioned at village Kasai in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. The objective is “AKSHYAY URJA SE DESHI VIKAS, GAON GAON BIJLI GHAR GHAR PRAKASH”. Exploitation of solar energy continues to be a major thrust area of the Ministry. Systems deployed include solar water heating systems with a total collector area of 1,000,000 sqm, over half a million box type solar cookers and around 2100 solar concentrating/ dish type cookers. SPV systems such as portable lanterns, home / street lighting systems, water pumping systems and stand-alone power plants are an option for meeting electrical energy needs of remote areas where grid electricity has not yet reached. More than 1.2 million such systems with an aggregate capacity of over 86 MW have been deployed so far. However, high initial cost continues to constrain the spread of SPV technology.

The Ministry’s efforts to increase the share of renewables in the total power generation capacity of the country have started bearing fruit. Renewables presently contribute about 5700 MW, which represents about 4.99 per cent of the total installed power generating capacity from all sources. Wind power contributes about 2980 MW, while biomass power and cogeneration account for 727 MW and the share of small hydro power 1693 MW. Most of this capacity has come through commercial projects.

Wind Power The gross potential of the wind power sector has been assessed as 45,000 MW. The technical potential, at 20 per cent grid penetration, is estimated at 13,400 MW. India has the fourth largest wind power capacity in the world, largely created on account of an enabling and conducive policy framework for commercial wind power projects. Master Plans have been prepared for 97 potential sites taking into account the zone of influence around each mast. Master plans for some more potential sites are likely to be completed shortly. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat are the leading States in establishing wind power projects. The potential for power production from captive and field-based biomass resources is currently assessed at 19,500 MW including 3,500 of exportable surplus power from bagasse-based cogeneration in sugar mills. Against this potential, the total installed capacity of commissioned projects is 727 MW and projects aggregating to 600 MW capacity are under various stages of installation. Gasifiers using biomass and wood chips have also been deployed for industrial thermal applications, water pumping and decentralized power generation in kilowatt range. The country has a small hydro power (projects of up to 25 MW capacity) potential of about 15,000 MW. So far, 514 projects with an aggregate installed capacity of 1,693 MW have been installed. Besides, 159 projects with a capacity of 488 MW are under implementation. The database of SHP projects created by the Ministry now includes 4,233 potential sites with an aggregate capacity of 10,324 MW. An average capacity addition of about 100 MW per year from SHP projects is being achieved.

Biodegradable Wastes The urban areas of the country annually generate an estimated 30 million tonnes of solid waste and 4,400 million cum. of liquid waste. Several industries also produce biodegradable wastes. A power generation potential of about 2,700 MW from these wastes been estimated. The Ministry is promoting setting up of projects for utilization of this potential. Twenty-six ‘waste-to-energy’ projects for generation of biogas/ power for captive use/ sale to grid, aggregating to 45.5 MWe capacity have been set up so far. These include 6 projects of 19.5MWe capacity based on municipal solid waste and 20 projects of around 26MWe capacity based on wastes such as rice husk, pulp & paper industry effluents, tapioca & starch industry effluents, distillery effluents, palm oil industry waste, slaughter house/ tannery waste, poultry droppings and cow dung.

Hydrogen Power There have been significant advances in developing new and emerging renewable sources of energy. Hydrogen is receiving worldwide attention as a clean and efficient energy carrier with a potential to replace liquid fossil fuels. Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are emerging as a clean and efficient alternative for stationary, portable and transport applications. Research and development projects on different aspects of these technologies are underway at premier institutions and industries. Hydrogen powered two wheelers, three wheelers, catalytic combustors, and power-generating sets have been developed and demonstrated. A National Hydrogen Energy Board set up by the Ministry in October 2003 is in the process of preparation of the National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap and an action plan for accelerating development of these technologies. With a view of developing biofuel applications for rural areas, a demonstration project in one village each in four States has been taken up for implementation. The Ministry is also supporting research and demonstration programme on electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

Manufacture of Equipment A number of small scale and medium sector units are engaged in the manufacture of non-conventional energy equipment. More than 100 companies are involved in the manufacturer of solar thermal systems and devices. There are ten manufacturers of equipment for small hydro power projects and another around ten manufacturers of biomass gasifier systems. More than 50 companies are involved in production of SPV cells/ modules/ systems. The cumulative capacity of SPV modules produced in the country till March 31, 2005 reached 191 MW. The annual production of wind turbine industry is about 1,000 MW. Local production of wind turbines of 1.25 MW, 1.65 MW and 2.00 MW capacity has been taken up. The vibrant industrial infrastructure promoted by the Ministry in the country has developed over the last two decades to not only cater to the demand for renewable energy equipment, systems and devices within the country, but also meet export demand. Products, which are being exported, include mainly solar photovoltaic modules and systems, exports of which have reached an aggregate capacity of around 105 MWp. Wind turbines components have been exported to Europe, Australia and the USA.






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