Renewable Energy For India

[barrykul]

I am starting this thread on Renewable Energy for India. There are pros and cons for topic.

To start of I am pro-Renewable Energy for India. This is major strategic initiative to kick the habit from Coal/Oil based products. Coal and Oil based products are major polluters contributing to tonnes of CO2 emission per year. India is currently producing around 70% of its energy from Coal based plants.

The current initiatives in renewable energy are a) Wind b) Jatropha biodiesel c) Solar Energy d) Ocean Tidal wave energy.

Wind is a well established technology and depends on the wind map of the country. The current estimates for Wind are around 60,000 MW on land. Offshore there is more potential.

Solar Energy is promising since India gets a lot of sunshine throughout the year. Some experts estimate that the Solar Energy Shone on India is sufficient to power its energy needs. The major stumbling blocks are solar to electric conversion are costly (though recent advances in California put it a grid parity cost, i.e. cost have come down to the same level as other conventional energy on a per unit basis).

One promising use for solar is home water heaters. This is not very expensive and people with independent homes can avail of this technology today. Lots of home have solar water heaters on their rooftops, the sun heating small tubes of water in a glass planel and hot water collected in an insulated tank. For those days that do not have sunlight an in-line heater element heats up water. So on balance, for a majority of the time people can enjoy hot water. Commercial establishments like laundries and hotels can make use of solar water heaters.

Coming to the issue of electricity from Solar there are various other alternatives that produce electricity. One instance in Seville, Spain uses reflecting mirrors to heat a liquid that runs an engine to produce electricity. This technology is being pursued by PG&E in Southern California for a 500 MW + plant. I believe that the best way to mitigate energy use is to have individual homes with Solar energy. During day time they can produce electricity returned to the grid and during night they take back from the grid. The savings could be substantial and conventional systems can augment deficit power.

India is also looking to increase its Nuclear Energy program.

Here is con argument from dis.agree

you cannot just shutdown & bring up coal based plants on a daily basis. they run for long durations and provide base load power. i am surprised you say that india has highest potential to reap solar energy. i am yet to see any decent paper on this.

while operational cost of solar power is near zero, it is highly capital intensive. there is still some distance to go from technology perspective. thin films is the most promising technology. it's efficiency is low but it compensates through lower capital needs. but even that on a levelized cost perpective is about 3-10 times expensive in western countries (at locations with good insolation levels). this however depends on discount rates used. you will not find indian banks lending at such low 5% interest rates. best you could hope for now is 10%. solar technology is still unproven & i doubt any serious bank would lend at all. you need equity but indian investors expect a much higher roi and so large scale solar projects would be financially unviable in india.

your view that oil imports benefit sheiks, while mainstream, is not free market thinking. they export oil and import other stuff. it is just a globalized economy. and that way we can argue against solar & wind energy as well. we are dependent capital intensive technology that are more expensive than fossils: usa for solar & europe for wind.

we definitely need to move away from coal, oil & gas. i am not saying this because of global warming of which i have reasons to be skeptical, but because oil production has started to decline for a few years now. gas too would follow very soon and coal possibly in next 2 decades. so, we must look at alternatives - nuclear & wind is the best short term option and in medium-long term solar.

indian government does not have that kind of money to subsidize such renewable energy. in any case, best way to get this done is to leave the markets to function freely. if state electricity boards allow/simplify sale of such power produced by independent producers directly to consumers and allow them to enter into long term contracts, i am sure we would soon see more such renewable energy generation.

[Fusionist]

mine the moon !

[great india]

solar is perfect for india because of the heat, but the thing is to implement and make solar panels are very expensive....

[barrykul]

Renewable energy plans are gaining steam very rapidly. Make no mistake that nations that race towards a sustainable future will be the leaders in the world. Towards this goal India must be cognizant of its needs and also of its growth potential. Very soon all nations will get together and put meaningful caps on C02 emission. The biggest culprits happen to be coal based plants. The solutions are daunting for the moment because the problems seems insurmountable. Sustained 24x7 power is cheaply produced by coal plants. But the penalties are mounting.

Countries like the US and even China to some extent are moving very aggressively to meet the challenge. Obama has given a goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025 for the US. The US can meet this goal by Wind alone, its wind map has the potential of producing 3x the current total power of the US. Wind energy in the US is the fastest growing industry and now is the largest the world. The wind energy industry installed over 2,800 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity in the first quarter of 2009 and the U.S. is now 28,206 MW, enough to serve over 8 million homes. The biggest problem the US faces is that there is no grid infra in remote places like Montana to evacuate Wind power.

India needs to evolve a roadmap for aggressive renewable energy usage. I see only Solar in its future. The only solutions is distributed power generation as opposed to central systems. Each household and industry needs its own power supply based on Solar. Low wattage systems (including LED bulbs) which reduces the per person consumption of power is the only way forward. I see this as boost for innovation in all kinds of industry. Every appliance can be rethought along the lines of a Tata Nano. Refrigeration, fans, lights, electrical grinders/household appliances all of them. Once this figure is reduced to a bare minimum then the problems don't look too insurmountable.

[barrykul]

The best and most effective way to adopt renewable energy is to solve day to day problems of the ordinary man/family especially for the Indian Context.

Rural India could really benefit from Solar Energy. Simple things that can enable rural farmers/family

1) Cooking with Solar Appliances

2) Rudimentary Lighting in Villages

3) Operation of the irrigation water pump - currently some states provide this as freebie.

My brother on a trekking trip in the Himalayas told me how an enterprising dweller in the area provided chai (tea) for travelers. He used a rudimentary solar reflector to heat up water piping hot to make tea. Of course it takes a while, but the volumes needed are not much. Cooking with Solar has been demonstrated in Rajastan wherein a community kitchen cooks large quantities of food using solar energy.

2) is easily available. street lights are now solar panels in some highways. If the same tech can be provided to villages that would be great. I know this is possible, since I have solar garden lights, during daytime they store the energy and operate for about 4-6 hrs in the night. All unattended with little to no maintenance, invariably covered with dust and water from the sprinkler.

3) is highly possible since these are low hp motors pumping water from some irrigation canal or well. During day time they can operate flawlessly. No need for govt to subsidize power, instead they can give farmers loans/grants for installing solar water pumps.

I am sure there are more such applications. Feel free to provide more examples.

[barrykul]

It’s a challenge: Farooq Abdullah

On Day One of taking over the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy, the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and chief of the National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, brushed aside the perception that he was miffed with the choice of ministry allocated to him.

“This ministry is a big challenge and I take this challenge head on. I am happy that I have been entrusted with the job which ultimately benefits our future generation,” he said, adding that “no profile is big or small. It is just a perception of people…This portfolio is bigger than me.”

Mr Abdullah said that his first priority would be to create awareness about the ministry. “I will go to each and every state and tell them what this ministry is all about and what help we can offer to promote non-conventional energy sources,” he said. The 72- year old minister said he would strive to harness solar energy and tap the vast potential of wind energy, particularly along the country’s coastline.

[barrykul]

Tata Power to generate 5 MW from geothermal, solar plants in Gujarat

Gandhinagar, June 3 Tata Power Company Ltd plans to produce 5 MW of power, each from geothermal and solar power plants in Gujarat, with an investment of Rs 200 crore. It is exploring various options in this regard.

Strengthening its renewable energy portfolio, the company had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gujarat Government during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit (VGGIS), in January, to explore the possibility of setting up a 5-MW geothermal power plant in phase one at a suitable location in the State.

Similarly, the company had also signed another MoU for developing a 5-MW solar photo-voltaic (PV) power plant. Tata Power had proposed investments of Rs 100 crore in solar as well as geothermal projects.

These MoUs were part of the Rs 1.10 lakh crore worth of investments promised during the event for renewable power sources.

A company spokesperson told Business Line from Mumbai that post the agreements (MoUs), various options are being explored. Tata Power would be producing 25 per cent of its electricity from renewable, carbon-neutral sources by 2017. With an installed capacity of 2,300 MW, it currently produces about 16 per cent of electricity from green energy sources such as hydro and wind power. Geothermal energy is the natural heat found within the earth, where temperature increases with depth, typically by 10-50 degree Celsius/km.

In Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology, heat is extracted from granites located at a depth of more than 4,000 metres by circulating water through them in an engineered artificial reservoir. The heated water returns to the surface under pressure and is converted into electricity via a heat exchanger and conventional geothermal power plant.

Tata Power’s presence in solar includes Tata BP Solar India Ltd, which is a joint venture with BP Solar, one of the largest solar companies in the world.

Tata BP Solar is a market leader in solar PV technology in India with a turnover of Rs 660 crore. Nearly 75 per cent of its sales come from exports largely to Europe and the U.S. Its growth plans include expansion of its module manufacturing facility and thrust on domestic sales.

[RajeshRamanujam]

What would be % of renewable energy mix in India

Total power/energy = 130 GW

Wind = 10 GW
Solar = < 0.5 GW
Hydro = 25 GW
biomass = 1 GW ??

assuming hydro to be renewable we are close to 30% which is not bad when we compare to developed nations

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Whether the above figures are only grid-connected energy or also includes stand alone energy?

Compared to other countries we may be doing well. But, the ideal goal is 100% clean energy (renewable + nuclear) including 100% green transportation. We have to meet all energy demands, with an expected GDP growth of around 9% (?), with a minimum use of fossil energy without harming the environment much.

[vvr]

Originally Posted by RajeshRamanujam

What would be % of renewable energy mix in India

Total power/energy = 130 GW

Wind = 10 GW
Solar = < 0.5 GW
Hydro = 25 GW
biomass = 1 GW ??

assuming hydro to be renewable we are close to 30% which is not bad when we compare to developed nations

According to Wikipedia, the ~10GW of Wind Energy in India represents 3% of the total electricity output. That will put the total at over 300 GW. Not saying that Wiki has accurate #s.

[barrykul]

Originally Posted by vvr

According to Wikipedia, the ~10GW of Wind Energy in India represents 3% of the total electricity output. That will put the total at over 300 GW. Not saying that Wiki has accurate #s.

I think Wiki may be right. Wind energy is intermittent, installed capacity could be 10GW and it is safe to assume that efficiency is < 50% which would compute to ~150GW.

[barrykul]

BTW, there is renewable energy conference hosted by Indian Govt in August, 2009 clicky

[RajeshRamanujam]

Originally Posted by vvr

According to Wikipedia, the ~10GW of Wind Energy in India represents 3% of the total electricity output. That will put the total at over 300 GW. Not saying that Wiki has accurate #s.

This gives the more accurate picture from the ministry of power

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_...power_capacity

renewables+hydro+nuclear is at 33%...1/3 of total power

I am trying to visualize what will be the scenario at 2020...a lot of countries have goals set for 2020 and 2050...2050 is too far fetched to have a decent prediction...

at a minimum of 10% growth...we will be at 400 GW by 2020...

of which we have plans for
20 GW of nuclear
45 GW of wind ( think that is the total potential of the country unless we have offshore or newer technologies...)
20 GW of solar...(dont think that is achievable....unless we have far cheaper infrastruture)

still we wont be at 50% renewable....at 400 GW we will be emitting same amount of greenhouse as China today or USA in the nineties...

[Krishnamoorthy K]

The goal for renewable energy is to reduce carbon emission, reducel crude oil import bill, reduce coal import bill.

Fossil energy means coal, petrol and natural gas. Out of total electrical energy generated in India 67% is fossil energy consisting of coal & natural gas and 33% is renewable & nuclear.

Electrical energy generated by crude oil is negligible. India uses approximately 130 MMT of crude oil mainly for transportation. (Petrol is also used for agricultural pumps and also for generating industrial by products). If we assume that 100 MMT of petrol needed for transportation in year 2020 then this will be equivalent to approximately 140GW of electrical energy.

If we want to substitute petrol used in transportation by renewable energy option available are electrical (for example reva car) or biofuel. (Solar vehicles may not be an immediate option). Out of 140GW if we assume 100GW to be generated through eletrical power then we need total electrical power of 500GW in 2020. (got by adding another 100GW to 400GW predicted above).

[Planning Democracy]

What about wave energy? Any more research on that?

[dis.agree]

Originally Posted by RajeshRamanujam

This gives the more accurate picture from the ministry of power

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_...power_capacity

renewables+hydro+nuclear is at 33%...1/3 of total power

I am trying to visualize what will be the scenario at 2020...a lot of countries have goals set for 2020 and 2050...2050 is too far fetched to have a decent prediction...

at a minimum of 10% growth...we will be at 400 GW by 2020...

of which we have plans for
20 GW of nuclear
45 GW of wind ( think that is the total potential of the country unless we have offshore or newer technologies...)
20 GW of solar...(dont think that is achievable....unless we have far cheaper infrastruture)

still we wont be at 50% renewable....at 400 GW we will be emitting same amount of greenhouse as China today or USA in the nineties...

those are rated capacities. for best sites for wind we could assume 30-35%. but they are already taken. assume only 25%. for solar assume 20%. nuclear & coal plants run nearly at 80% rated capacities.

[barrykul]

Originally Posted by RajeshRamanujam

at a minimum of 10% growth...we will be at 400 GW by 2020...

I think this linear expansion of power is a wrong assumption. The world has to think in terms of reducing per capita power consumption. Excessive use of power needs to be rethought. Already, modern buildings are converting to LEED goals with the idea of reducing power consumption. LED lights can drastically cut down incandescent light bulb power consumed in households. Efficient strategies for energy conservation includes better insulation, design for ambient light, use of alternate energy sources (including solar) at the unit level and all of these strategies goes towards reducing central monolithic power. Low power should be the norm for the entire spectrum of modern appliances too. Dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves, refrigerators, electric appliances all require an overhaul in terms of power consumption. If man can live frugally we can solve most of the daunting issues that confront modern mankind.

[RajeshRamanujam]

Originally Posted by barrykul

I think this linear expansion of power is a wrong assumption. The world has to think in terms of reducing per capita power consumption. Excessive use of power needs to be rethought. Already, modern buildings are converting to LEED goals with the idea of reducing power consumption. LED lights can drastically cut down incandescent light bulb power consumed in households. Efficient strategies for energy conservation includes better insulation, design for ambient light, use of alternate energy sources (including solar) at the unit level and all of these strategies goes towards reducing central monolithic power. Low power should be the norm for the entire spectrum of modern appliances too. Dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves, refrigerators, electric appliances all require an overhaul in terms of power consumption. If man can live frugally we can solve most of the daunting issues that confront modern mankind.

Agreed. Energy saved is energy produced. However it is highly unlikely we will have all these overhaul done in the next decade.

Most scientists agree that we (world) has to peak carbon emissions by 2020...if we are still increasing in emissions after that we will have irreversible consequences...

One promising technology is rooftop solar and wind power. Egypt a developing country with very similar climatic conditions like us and is a world leader in rooftop solar.

We have achieved something similar with water harvesting...Though the comparison is not correct there are some parallels. Water harvesting in homes and buildings have greatly improved water tables and reduced the dependency on centralised water supply....

if only we can achieve something like that for electricity !!!

[RajeshRamanujam]

I did not see anything related to funds allocation for renewables in the budget. All our goals seem too long term to be taken seriously.

[barrykul]

Yes, very sad state of affairs in the Budget 2009. The giveaways are galloping at an alarming rate. NREGA (which is corruption for the politicians / babus) is now at Rs 39, 000 crores up from 14,000 crores. Mind bogling to say the least. The Govt is down a path of appeasement. Instead if they had a rebate program on CFLs (compact fluorescent) or LED bulbs that would have saved tons of energy consumption in households. I have noticed in places other than Bluru very little usage of Solar for water heating. I don't know about others but I still prefer a hot shower. Solar heating is the best solution for India. Commercial establishment like hotels/motels/restaurants should install solar water heating. New buildings/commercial buildings should have provisions made at build time to install solar water heaters. The Govt can make a great start by converting its own buildings into energy efficient sustainable units. They can be retrofitted with CFLs/LEDs and/or like I have in my home a Solar Light Tube for daylight lighting. Solar water heaters are ubiquitous and needed in Govt buildings for hot water supply. The govt should have incentives for each state in the union to get 1000 MW on average of renewable energy in the next 2-3yrs. The goal is easily achievable if each district in state targets at least 10 MW of power. This would have instantly added 30,000 MW of power to the grid.