| Harish Hande providing solar power to the people
in India
February 10, 2012
Some 140,000 homes across the India currently are equipped with
solar panels produced by the SELCO company founded in 1995 by
Harish Hande, whose philosophy is that solar energy goes far beyond
being just a power technology. Ruth Lothe, 09/02-2012 - Translated
by Charles Digges “We see that when people have access to
electricity, it opens future opportunities and is an important
step toward pulling people out of poverty is taken,*” said
Hande during a conference on SELCO held at Bellona’s Oslo
offices on Thursday during which he told of his many years experience
developing solar energy business in India.
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Power
Power - electricity - is what separates a modern economy from
a traditional one and enables transition to an industrial economy
from a subsistence one. And lack of power - lack of addition to
capacity can truly limit economy’s transition to modern economy
and limit economic growth rate.
Most electricity boards and companies have fairly large ATC (Aggregate
Technical and Commercial losses) and these are indeed larger than
30%. Hence costs can go up substantially. Recovery is less and
this impacts financial sustainability. Due to this it becomes
difficult to attract private investors. Power pilferage is a major
problem affecting growth of power sector.
The second problem is coal allocation. Coal production is not
growing. Hence power companies are unable to access coal. This
creates uncertainty among investors in electricity companies.
Many plants are not coming up. “Go and no go” on coal mining is
creating uncertainty. Imported coal is more expensive.
Despite this projections are that capacity addition can reach
11th plan targets
On hydro sector, there is very little addition. There are several
environmental issues. Large dams lead to submergence and objected
to by environmentalists.
There is not much scope for tidal power, certainly not more than
1000 MW.
Wind has 45000 MW potential. However wind power has a load of
17-18%. Even if you put 100,000 MW at 18%, it is same as coal
at 20,000 MW at 80% and hence wind does not have huge effective
potential.
Nuclear power is not an option for a very long time, despite
civil nuclear bill. Even usage of Uranium, Plutonium or Thorium
will not enable nuclear power to be more than 10% of total capacity,
because setting up fast breed reactors takes 8 to10 years. Even
if one transits to thorium, still nuclear power cannot generate
more than 10% of power.
Solar power certainly has potential However; solar power is very
expensive now. If coal based power costs Rs. 4 per unit, cost
of solar power is around Rs. 15 per unit. But solar power is way
ahead for the world. Solar energy can be used to convert water
to hydrogen and used for transportation. Solar modules price have
come down to 30% in space of 10 years. Solar energy can be economical
by 2020. Reducing cost of solar energy is matter of technological
breakthrough and reaping economies of scale.
Challenges
1. Power is stolen through connivance and complicity of staff
of state electricity boards and distribution companies.
2. There is lack of political will to combat power theft.
3. Coal production is still largely a monopoly and clearances
for coal mining are not easy to come by.
4. Solar power is very expensive
5. Hydro power has environmental issues
6. Wind power has limitations.
7. Nuclear power has huge gestation period.
8. Power to farmers is not metered and there is resistance to
metering power given to farmers.
9. Power is charged at very low rates to farmers
10. Power supplied to farmers is stolen for industrial use.
Energy : Hydroelectric Power
During the International Decade for Action: “Water for
Life” 2005-2015, national Governments, intergovernmental
organizations and the private sector will be seeking ways to expand
the quality and quantity of energy services while ensuring that
the environment is protected from the harmful impacts associated
with energy use.
Water is crucial for the production of energy; it is used to
generate hydroelectric power and for cooling in thermal electrical
power stations, and also in the generation of tidal power, wave
energy and geothermal energy sources. Access to affordable energy
services significantly improves the lives of people in developing
countries and makes economic growth and development possible.
Joint management of water and energy resources is critical to
achieving sustainable development in rural areas.
The challenge
Global economic growth, population increase and urban expansion
are all driving energy consumption and water use to record levels.
World energy consumption has increased greatly since the 1990s
and is expected to grow at the rate of 2 per cent a year until
2020, doubling energy consumption by 2035 relative to 1998, and
tripling it by 2055.
Energy services are currently dominated by burning fossil fuels
and nuclear power, accounting for around 87 per cent of all energy
produced in the world in 2001. Yet, energy generated by fossil
fuels results in air pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases
that contribute to climate change.
Energy generated by the force of water— hydropower—can
provide a more sustainable, non-polluting alternative to fossil
fuels, along with other renewable sources of energy, such as wind,
solar and tidal power, bioenergy and geothermal energy. Together
these sources currently supply about 14 per cent of the world’s
primary energy needs. Small-scale hydroelectricity is well suited
for “off-grid” rural electricity applications, while
other renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and biomass,
can be beneficially used as fuel for pumping groundwater for drinking
and small-scale irrigation in remote rural areas or small villages.
Considerable potential exists to expand the contribution of large-scale
hydroelectric power in developing countries. However, large-scale
dam projects may cause severe environmental impacts on wildlife
habitats, fish migration and water flow and quality, as well as
serious socioeconomic impacts related to resettlement of local
communities.
Financing of infrastructure for such essential services as water
and electricity in developing countries is also a significant
problem that remains to be addressed. Without a reliable energy
infrastructure and supply of electricity, potential for economic
growth is limited. Of the approximately 2 billion people worldwide
without access to electricity, many live in rural or peri-urban
areas and also lack access to clean water and sanitation services.
What needs to be done?
During the “Water for Life” Decade and beyond, using
water and energy in ways that support sustainable development
will require more efficient use of energy, increased reliance
on renewable energy sources and accelerated development of new
energy technologies.
Small-scale stand-alone hydropower schemes will generally have
a small-scale environmental impact and can particularly benefit
rural and remote areas.
For any hydropower project, large or small scale, it is crucial
to carry out a detailed environmental and socio-economic impact
assessment as part of the planning process.
International declarations and agreements, such as the Declaration
of the Bonn International Renewable Energies Conference (2004)
and the Beijing Declaration on Hydropower and Sustainable Development
(2004), provide the framework for advancing renewable energy sources,
providing equitable access to energy and increasing energy efficiency.
Effective energy policies will provide the right economic signals
to the market to ensure responsible and sustainable use of energy.
These would include such actions as phasing out harmful subsidies
that benefit heavy users of electricity and restructuring tax
codes to encourage sustainable energy use.
Source
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India has a vast potential for hydro-power generation, particularly
in the northern and north-eastern region. As per an estimate of
Central Electricity Authority, the potential in the country is
assessed as 84,000 MW at 60 per cent load factor, which is equivalent
to about 450 billion units of annual energy generation. The basin
wise distribution is as given below:
| Basin |
Potential at 60 per cent load factor (MW) |
| Indus Basin |
20,000 |
| Brahmaputra Basin |
35,000 |
| Ganga Basin |
11,000 |
| Central India Basin |
3,000 |
| West Flowing River System |
6,000 |
| East Flowing River System |
9,000 |
| Total |
84,000 |
At the time of independence, out of total installed capacity
of 1362 MW, hydro-power generation capacity stood at 508 MW. The
capacity has since been raised to about 13,000 MW. In addition
6,000 MW is available from projects under construction. A potential
of about 3,000 MW is contemplated from projects already cleared.
The total potential harnessed/under harnessing would thus be about
22,000 MW which is nearly one-fourth of the estimated potential.
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