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Renewable Energy
The Need for Sustainable Development
Today India, a country with more than a billion people, faces the challenge of achieving growth and development in a sustained manner.
Economic growth and development call for huge capacity additions in the energy infrastructure of the country. The challenge is in achieving the developmental objectives without adversely impacting the environment, natural resources, wild life and climatic conditions. Presently, fossil fuels, mainly coal and oils are being used in the commercial sector while biomass is being used in an inefficient manner in domestic and rural sectors. However, limitations of fossil fuels are all too obvious. Coal reserves will last a little over 200 years and the oil reserves would have dried up much before that. There is a need for a shift in our national energy strategy. More compelling than the diminishing reserves are the environmental reasons. Today, development based on commercial fuels with current rates of pollution and deterioration in natural resource base is not sustainable. Threat from GHG (green house gas) has caused worldwide concern. Kyoto Protocol, agreed at the Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention to Climate Change, in December 1997, is an indicator of global resolve to address this concern. In India electric power generation is the largest source of GHG emissions and accounts for 48% of the carbon emitted. These concerns point towards more rational energy use strategies.
Perhaps, renewable energy based technologies, functioning in a sustainable manner are the way forward.
The country having diverse climatic regions is well endowed with renewable energy resources. From the woody tropical forests of Andamans to Sunny mountains in Ladakh, renewables can play a crucial role in meeting enduse energy needs in a decentralised manner.
In a country as vast as India, Renewable energy is seen as an effective option for ensuring access to modern energy services. Dwindling fossil fuels, the impact of oil imports on foreign exchange reservers and the national energy security concerns are additional stimulants for greater thrust on renewable energy.
Renewable Energy Potential
India has a large potential for utilisation of renewable energy. The scale over which potential can be economically exploited will depend largely on the technologies, financing and the strategies of implementation of renewable energy projects. According to the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, there exists a potential for exploitation of the order of 80,000 MW. Break up of this potential is presented in the table below:
Renewable Energy Potential & Achievements in India
|
| Sno. |
Sources/Technologies |
Units |
Approx. Potential |
Achieved so far |
| 1 |
Wind Power |
MW |
45,000 |
1,267 |
| 2 |
Small Hydro (upto 50 MW) |
MW |
15,000 |
1,341 |
| 3 |
Biomass Power |
MW |
19,500 |
35 |
| 4 |
Biomass Gasifiers |
MW |
-- |
-- |
| 5 |
Biomass Cogeneration |
MW |
-- |
273 |
| 6 |
Urban & Industrial Waste |
MW |
1,700 |
15.20 |
| 7 |
Solar Photovoltaics |
MW |
not known |
65 |
| 8 |
Solar Thermal Applications |
MW/Sq. km |
35 |
0.55 |
| 9 |
Solar Water Heating Systems |
Sqm |
not known |
5,25,000 |
| 10 |
Solar Cookers |
numbers |
not known |
4,96,000 |
| 11 |
Biogas Plants |
Million |
12 |
3.1 |
| 12 |
Improved Biomass chulha |
Million |
120 |
33 |
|
| 13 |
Wind Pumps |
Number |
not known |
670 |
| 14 |
Solar PV |
Number |
not known |
3575 |
Source: MNES
Figures are as of December 2000
Renewable Energy - Evolution in India
The importance of the increased use of renewable energy to meet the increasing energy demand in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner was recognised in the early seventies. In fact, the renewable energy technologies (RETs), such as, biogas plants and improved cookstoves were available in India even in the late forties, though the renewable energy programme started in earnest only after the creation of CASE (Commission on Additional Sources of Energy) in 1980, and then the DNES (Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources) in September, 1982. Over the last twenty five years or so, the initiative on increased use of renewable energy in various sectors and applications strengthened significantly. A continued thrust towards wider use of renewable energy devices at domestic, community, commercial and industrial levels not only resulted in greater awareness but also significant installed capacities. As shown in table above, a variety of renewable energy technologies are being used.
During the eighties, the DNES programmes, were driven by direct Government subsidies and focused on the development, dissemination, and demonstration of various RETs. However, in comparison with the conventional sector, these programmes were low in investments in RET promotion. Between 1980 and 1992, the cumulative government expenditure for the renewable energy sector totalled only Rs 11.55 billion, as compared to Rs 812 billion for the power sector, Rs 335 billion for the petroleum sector, and Rs 158.5 billion for the coal sector(GOI 1996). Likewise, in the Eighth Plan (1992-97), allocations for renewable energy were about 0.8% of the total funds allocated for the energy sector (GOI 1996).
In the late eighties and early ninetees realization grew that somehow private sector had to be involved to achieve greater penetration of renewables in the energy sector. Instead of pushing renewables in a limited way through a subsidy driven programme, one felt there was a need for appropriate policy framework and fiscal benefits that created an environment encouraging private sector players to invest in renewable energy projects. It was envisaged that the role of the DNES had to change from that of an implementing agency to a facilitator. As a result, the DNES was converted into a full-fledged Ministry (Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources, or MNES) in July 1992. Since 1992, the ministry's initiative has been largely in the direction of creating an environment that facilitated greater penetration of renewables through a market led approach.
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