Energy Conservation & Use of Renewable Energy Sources in India

Energy efficiency simply means using less energy to perform the same task, which means eliminating energy wastage. Improving energy efficiency is required to narrow the gap between energy demand and supply. Benefits include reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, reduction in energy imports, and reduction in the usage of available energy for industrial production, commercial activities, urban & rural development, and for household requirements.
Professor Jaspal Singh, Department of Civil Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

The development of any country depends on a great extent on the availability and usage of energy. The vast bulk of the energy used in the world today is in the form of non-renewable oil, natural gas, and coal. These resources were available millions of years ago and are at present being consumed at the rate of 9 billion tonnes of coal equivalent to 0.32 million Penta Joules (PJ) per annum. This compares with the proved recoverable energy resources of 20.3 million PJ of coal and 11.2 PJ of oil and natural gas.

Energy has become a scarce commodity and could be in short supply in the future. Hence, its conservation has become a vital issue because of the increasing gap between demand and supply. Conservation of electrical energy means a reduction in energy consumption without sacrificing the quantity and quality of production. In other words, for the same energy consumption for higher production, it does not prevent the use of energy by fixing some limit quantitatively within the agreement, but insists on its efficient use, thus decreasing the cost of production to some extent by reducing the energy bill. It can also be defined as the substitution of energy with capital, labour, material and time.

Steps Towards Energy Conservation

Energy conservation focuses on the use of energy efficient equipment, adoption of energy conservation techniques, and switching over to new energy technologies. Energy can be conserved by formulating an administrative and information program that is relatively easy and inexpensive to implement. This would include educating the public on ways to save energy consumption, promoting energy-efficient equipment, refurbishing and regular maintenance of products in operation, switching off electricity when not needed, making small adjustments in production processes, etc. All these efforts can reduce energy consumption by 3% to 7%.

Retrofitting and Recycling products and materials through small incremental investments can bring savings of 10%. Investing in more energy efficient machines or facilities that may require capital expenditure for obtaining savings of 20% to 90%, depending upon the nature of production / operations.

Scope of Renewable Energy

India’s increasing use of renewable resources is expected to reduce the dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. Economic growth, increasing prosperity, growing urbanization and rising per capita energy consumption, along with the government’s increasing role in the development of cleaner fuels, has widened the scope for renewable energy generation like solar, hydro, wind, and nuclear energy.

Solar Energy: India is a tropical country that receives solar radiation almost throughout the year. Almost all parts of the country receive 4-7 KWh of solar radiation per sq.m. The country is rapidly emerging as the major manufacturing hub for solar power plants with key potential areas in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) aims to transform India’s rural economy through solar lighting systems, solar water pumps, and solar power-based applications. Lack of access of electricity in rural households (where more than 75% of India’s population resides) is blocking the way to India’s economic growth and this initiative aims at overcoming this barrier through various projects.

Apart from this, Solar Photovoltaic (PV) is the fastest growing segment of the renewable energy industry. However, PV projects face several challenges:

• The manufacture of PV projects involves a high installation cost. This is mainly because of its dependence on imports of silicon and solar wafers which are the key ingredients in making solar cells.
• Manufacturers have tied up with developed countries like Europe and US where they gain from the sale of solar PV cells and modules at higher prices, thereby reducing the supplies to the country’s fast growing local markets.
• The complexity of subsidy structure and involvement of too many agencies like MNRE, IREDA, SNA, etc. makes the development of PV projects difficult.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is designated as a nodal agency for implementation of 750 MW of Solar PV projects under JNNSM Phase II, Batch-I wherein SECI has been entrusted with the responsibility of project selection, monitoring and timely execution, handling funds and trading of the power generated.

Hydro Energy: Hydro power is one of the most economical and non-polluting sources of energy. India currently ranks fifth globally in exploitable hydro-potential and is one of the first countries in Asia to tap hydro power with the establishment of a hydro power project in Darjeeling and at Shimsha (Shivasamudra) in 1898 and 1902, respectively. India is also the third country in the world after USA and Russia in the number of dams built.

India’s total potential installed capacity stands at 148,700 MW, of which about 30,164 MW (nearly 21%) has already been developed, while 13,616 MW (9.2%) of the capacity is under development.

From a regional point of view, the northeastern states have a huge potential of hydro energy generation at 93%, primarily in parts of the Brahmaputra river basin. NTPC is also planning to set up the country’s biggest dam in Arunachal Pradesh at Siang, which, when constructed, could generate around 10,000-12,000 MW, making it the largest hydroelectric dam in South-Asia. In the southern and western parts of the country, more than 65% of the energy potential has already been tapped.

India’s Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects are vital areas for power generation in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, which can play a critical role in improving the overall energy scenario of the country, particularly in remote areas.

However, India’s hydropower generation faces the following challenges that have slowed its growth:

• environmental concerns
• land acquisition problems
• long clearance and approval procedures
• Construction of dams adversely affects the vegetation of the area and leads to submergence and rehabilitation of a large population. The Narmada Bachao Andolan is based on this drawback. It has caused many inter-state disputes over sharing of river waters and energy generation.

The government has tried to overcome such problems through amendments in the Land Acquisition Bill etc. The SHP programme aims to lower the cost of equipment and encourage projects in areas which can give maximum advantage in terms of capacity utilization. These efforts by the government have made the sector investment friendly and many private firms are investing in these projects. Through the combined efforts of the government and the private sector, the gap between planned and actual energy generation can be bridged and the hydropower sector can experience accelerated growth, thereby helping the Indian economy meet its ever-increasing energy deficit.

Wind Energy: Wind energy is the country’s largest renewable energy source, accounting for 70% (21.1GW) of installed capacity, thereby making India the world’s fifth largest wind energy producer in the world after China, USA, Germany, and Spain. The country is blessed with a long coastline of 7517 km and its “on-shore” potential for wind energy utilization in electricity generation is 65,000MW. MNRE is currently vested with the responsibility to study the status of grid availability in 6 states with the maximum wind velocity.

The government has accelerated wind power capacity to increase the volume of energy generation, which would lower the average cost of production and tariff due to economies of scale, thereby making it more investment friendly. However, there are certain challenges that are preventing the country to exploit the resource fully.

• There is a need to resolve issues related to wind power evacuation and renewable power purchase obligation of state utilities.
• Indian wind turbine makers face competition from Chinese counterparts in terms of availability of cheap finance to investors in wind energy.
• Electricity generation depends on wind speed, location, season, and temperature, and thus, various monitoring systems are needed, which may be expensive.

Many Indian firms are enjoying world leadership in wind turbine production like the firm Suzlon which ranks amongst the top 10 manufacturers in the world market with a share of 6.7%. Many major world companies are entering the fast-evolving wind energy market in India, while companies like Vestas, GE Wind, etc. are present in many Indian cities. If the trend continues, India could attain world leadership in this sector.

Nuclear Energy: In 1970, India was excluded from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapon program. As a result, India was debarred from trade in nuclear plants or other similar materials. This boosted India to tap its nuclear energy and meet all the requirements (India lacked indigenous uranium) independently. India is credited for developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.

India also lacked technical assistance in this sector due to its complete isolation from the rest of the world in this field. Nevertheless, it managed to develop Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) in 1964, which needed less natural uranium than the traditional reactors; did not need any enrichment; and was in sync with the country’s engineering capacity at that time.

Nuclear power plants account for nearly 3.5% of total electricity generation and its share in India’s future electricity generation is likely to be less than 10%, even if the installed capacity is tripled. India generates nearly 14,600 MW of nuclear energy and aims to supply 25% of electricity from this source by 2050. However, along with other sources of energy such as hydropower and solar power, nuclear energy will help in reducing India’s reliance on coal for generating electricity. Although this resource is not as environment friendly as compared to other renewable sources, it is a highly efficient source.

Before 2008, India’s nuclear power reactors operated at 50% capacity because India did not produce sufficient uranium to run these reactors at full steam. But now fuel availability is no longer an issue as the nation has collaborated with countries like US, Russia, France, Kazakhstan and Australia. Moreover, the cost of imported fuel is just Rs 330 crore per annum, which makes nuclear power cheaper than other fuels. However, compared to fuels like coal, etc. nuclear power generation involves huge initial costs, which need to be reduced by the government.

India has recently entered a pact with Canada to supply 3,000 tonnes of uranium over 5 years. This would lead to continuous and sustained power generation. Currently, 21 nuclear power plants operated by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) have a generation capacity of 5,780 MW. Currently, imported uranium is being supplied to 11 reactors with a total generation capacity of 2,620 MW.

India has a flourishing and largely indigenous nuclear power program, and there is a great scope in this sector primarily because of the country’s expertise in fast reactors and thorium fuel cycles.

Conclusion India’s programs for deploying renewable energy products and systems, has made the country a leading destination for investors from developed countries. The government’s active participation in the promotion of renewable energy projects along with incentives like tax concessions to attract investment, has led to the setting up of institutions like the MNRE, IREDA, etc. In fact, India’s capabilities and self-sufficiency in energy generation can make it a world leader in this sector.

About the author:
Jaspal Singh is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and is also a Chief Engineer in Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University