The Hindu Business Line : Green energy needs more push

If India is to increase its energy output over the next two decades and yet not cause serious damage to its ecological balance, it will have to increase its share of clean and renewable energy.

Wind energy is a clean source that India must tap.

Kamlendra Kanwar

India’s energy shortage could seriously jeopardise and sour the country’s phenomenal growth story if the tempo of activity on the energy front is not accelerated forthwith.

The crash in oil prices from $140 a barrel to a low of $40 a barrel has led to a false sense of complacency and an impression in some circles that there is little merit in pushing for renewal energy sources such as solar and wind power since harnessin g them is considerably more expensive.

However, this logic could prove disastrous for India not only because the current main sources of supply – 53 per cent coal, 31 per cent diesel and 8 per cent natural gas – are environmentally damaging but also because they are exhaustible. Besides, there is no guarantee that petroleum product prices would remain low in times to come.

If India is to increase its energy output six times as is required over the next two decades to sustain an annual average growth rate of 7 per cent for the economy, and yet not cause serious damage to its ecological balance, it will have to increase its share of clean and renewable energy such as nuclear, solar, wind, and biofuels substantially in the coming years.

That underlines the need to step up R&D efforts to harness solar and wind energy at a much lower cost than the prevailing high cost now — a possibility that is certainly not beyond our reach if the will is strong.

Solar focus

Solar energy is essentially pollution-free and is also inexhaustible. But today it accounts for only about 1,748 MW power in India while the country’s total need of electricity is over 130,000 MW annually. Considering that most parts of the country receive clear sunshine for much of the year, harnessing this form of energy on a major scale could prove a boon.

Currently, the cost of generating solar energy is high because the silicon photovoltaic cells used to convert solar energy into electricity are largely imported from Germany. If these cells are manufactured in India, the cost can come down considerably.

The energy efficiency of these silicon cells is only 15-20 per cent and while extensive research is on in the developed world to increase this, the ultimate clincher would be to switch to nanotechnology alternatives which will substantially reduce the cost of harnessing solar energy. Since Japan is fairly advanced in this, a timely collaborative arrangement with the Japanese could prove useful.

It is still early days to believe that the country’s projected solar power generation station in space would go through. The sun’s intensity in space is nearly twice what we feel here on the Earth’s surface. On Earth, there is sunlight fit for power generation for six to eight hours a day. In space, it’s 24 hours.

The ‘hyper-plane’, which is needed to transport the infrastructure for setting up the station in space, is slated to make a demonstrative flight in the next few weeks.

The targeted technology is that satellites would electromagnetically beam solar energy to ground-based receivers, where the energy would be converted to electricity and transferred to power grids. Since satellites in high Earth orbits are unaffected by earth’s shadows, the energy would be available every day without fail. Reusable launch vehicles are needed to make this mission cost-effective. These are being made at ISRO, but the actual implementation of this project would take a long time to fructify.

Wind holds potential

Wind energy is another clean source that India must tap assiduously. Though this country is the fourth biggest producer of this form, its contribution to total energy produced in India is a miniscule 1.6 per cent. Considering that wind turbines take little time to install and are high in performance, this is a source with good potential for energy security.

While current production is less than 9,000 MW a year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has fixed a target of adding another 10,500 MW between 2007 and 2012. However, it is estimated that an additional generation capacity of only about 6,000 MW might be available for commercial use by 2012. This is a grossly unambitious target whose contribution to easing the energy shortage would be marginal.

A boost for nuclear energy

After the go-ahead given by the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the subsequent Indo-US civil nuclear deal, nuclear power is all set to get a major boost in the coming years. Over the last three years, technology development has reduced the risks attached to nuclear energy with safety norms having improved.

The country plans to increase its nuclear power capacity to 20,000 MW by 2030 from the current 5,000 MW, at which level it meets just 1.2 per cent of the country’s energy needs.

Though nuclear energy will come at a huge cost, it is imperative that this mode be adopted with an eye on the future needs.

While renewable sources of energy and nuclear power can be enhanced substantially in the foreseeable future, India’s reliance on coal, oil and natural gas can hardly be wished away. Reliance Industries’ Krishna-Godavari basin in the Bay of Bengal will account for 40 per cent of the country’s current indigenous hydrocarbon production in about 18 months. The company estimates that the production from this will save India an annual foreign exchange outflow of $20 billion.

Pilferage concerns

While a more concerted effort is the need of the hour to harness various forms of energy, it would be unwise to ignore the huge losses suffered in transmission through pilferage. The Western experience with high voltage electricity transmission in recent times has been encouraging. Through this, large quantities of power are transmitted across huge distances with minimal loss in transmission.

India has been a pioneer developer of High Voltage Direct Current since 1990 when the 1,000 MW Rihand - Dadri line was commissioned in Uttar Pradesh. Since then many 500 MW lines have come up. The 2,000 MW Talcher-Kolar link is the biggest so far and spans four States: Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The state-run Power Grid Corporation of India proposes to lay an undersea HVDC line between India and Sri Lanka at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore for the transfer of 500-MW, which will be subsequently upgraded to 1,000 MW.

All in all, it is time for India to take decisive action to ensure energy security for the future generations. Any slackening of efforts at this stage would bring the growth juggernaut to a grinding halt.

(The author is former Editor (Tamil Nadu), The New Indian Express, Chennai. blfeedback@thehindu.co.in)

More Stories on : Non-conventional Energy

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Green energy needs more push

GM crops and their opponents

US recession: Prolonged and painful?

Russell’s Paradox and the ISI

MBAs, MBAs everywhere!

He Made off with their money

Off the hook

Satyam episode