(A) RURAL ENERGY
A major achievement has been made in the area of cooking energy in rural areas with the establishment of 2.85 million biogas plants and 30 million improved chulhas, in both, India being second only to China. It has resulted in a saving of over 13 million tonnes of fuelwood every year. Besides this, enriched organic manure is produced from the bio-gas plants to supplement and complement expensive and environmentally degrading chemical fertilizers, equivalent to about 8.5 lakh tonnes of urea per year.
(i) Bio-gas - The National Project on Bio-gas Development was initiated in 1981-82 for promoting family type bio-gas plants which aims at providing clean and cheap sources of energy in rural areas, producing enriched organic manure for supplementing the use of chemical fertilizers.improving sanitation and hygiene and removing the drudgery of women Animal dung, kitchen wastes, water hyacinth and even human night soil used as feed materials to these bio-gas plants.
Apart from the family size bio-gas plants, community, institutional and night soil based bio-gas plants are also being installed for diffen applications. The scheme is also being implemented by the State Governmen departments, state nodal agencies and the NGOS.
The IREDA has been providing subsidy for such projects upto the end of 1998-99 28 50 lakh bio-gas plants to generate fuel gas equivalent to the saving of about 30 lakh tonnes of fuelwood per year. Besides these plants are generating enriched organic manure containing nitrogen equivalent to about 8,5 Jakh tonnes of urea per annum.
(ii) Improved Chulhas - The National Programme on Improved Chulhas (NPIC) was launched during 1984-85 with the objectives of fuel conservation, reduction of smoke from kitchen, check on deforestation and environmental degradation, reduction in drudgery of women and health hazard, and employment generation in rural areas. A total of 30 million improved chulhas installed till the end of 1998-99 save over 100 lakh tonnes of fuelwood per annum. (iii) Biomass - in the rural areas of the country. Direct burning of biomass is an inefficient and uneconomic practice, adversely affecting human health. Efforts are being made to make use of biomass in an efficient and scientific manner. Production and utilisation of biomass are the two main components of the biomass programme. Efforts are being made to develop new species which could grow faster and mature in a shorter period to provide fuel wood.
Under the biomass utilisation programme, agricultural and forest residues are being utilised for making briquettes. It is estimated that about 145 million tonnes of surplus agricultural residues are available annually in the country which could be converted into briquettes to generate about 14,000 MW of designs of biomass gasifiers have been developed for generating thermal energy for industrial applications, water pumping, etc.
These gasifiers make use of wood chips, coconut shells, etc. A 500 KW capacity biomass gasifier system for power generation has been installed in Gausaba (West Bangal), one at Koonoor (Tamilnadu) and one 20 KW gasifier system for rural electrification in Tumkur district (Karnataka).
(iv) Animal energy - Drought animal power is being used for farm operations and short distance haulages in rural and semi-urban areas. However, the implements being used for this purpose have very low efficiency which need to be improved. Several designs of carts and agricultural implements have been developed to suit the rugged terrain and unpaved roads of the country. Demonstration programmes are being held in states to educate the farmers.
(v) Integrated Rural Energy Programme - The Integrated Rural Energy Programme (IREP) was launched during Seventh Five year plan. The main objectives of this programme are provisions of energy for meeting the basic needs (cooking, lighting, heating, etc.) for the weaker sections by the ng locally available resources and provisions of energy for the economic utiement of rural areas that would create additional source of employment deverase productivity and income. The programme has been extended to blocks in 171 districts and 19 states of the country.
(vi) Special Area Demonstration Programme (SADP) was initiated ie 1992-93 for demonstrating the renewable/non-conventional energy systems Inamote, hilly and difficult areas which are not yet clectrified. Energy Park heme has been introduced under SADP with a view to create awareness unong public. 153 energy parks have been sanctioned so far.
(B) SOLAR ENERGY
India receives 5000 trillion KWh of solar radiation per year. Most aurds of the country have 300 clear sunny days in a year. The country has a notential of generating 20 MW solar power per km land area. Presently two types of solar energy is being utilised, (1) solar thermal and (2) solar photovoltaic.
(i) Solar Thermal Energy Programme - Solar energy is converted into thermal energy with the help of solar collectors and receivers. There is vast scope for the utilisation of solar-thermal devices which are being used for water heating, space heating, cooking, drying, water desalinisation, industrial heat, industrial and power generation, refrigeration systems, etc.
Low grade solar thermal devices like solar water heaters, air heaters, solar-cookers, solar dryers, etc. have already been developed in the country. Till the end of March 1999, about 4,50,000 sq, metres of collector area has been installed in the country. Over 4,75,000 box type solar cookers are in usc.
(ii) Solar photo-voltaic programme - The solar photo-voltaic system has emerged as a useful power source for lighting, water pumping, telecommunications and for meeting the electricity needs of villages, hospitals, etc. Over 6 lakhs p.v. systems aggregating to about 40 MW have been installed in the country so far.
(C) POWER FROM RENEWABLES
The importance of increasing the use of renewable energy resources was recognised in India in the early 1970's. During the past 25 years, significant efforts have been made to develop, try and induct a variety of energy techonologies for use in different sectors. The activities sources, such as biogas, biomass, solar ewabe budro nower and other emerging technologies.
To develop these resources, the commission of Additional Sources of Energy (CASE) and the Department of Non- CNon-Conventional ional (DNES) were created in March 1981 and September 1982 ehergy Sources respectively. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) was set up in 1987 with the assistance of the World Bank. Today India is recognised as of pioneer country in this field. India has the world's largest programmes renewable energy. It is now recognised that renewable energy sources can provide the basis for sustainable energy development on account of their inexhaustible nature and eco-friendly features. During the last two decades, several renewable energy technologies have been developed and deployed in cities and villages.
Wind energy, small hydro, biomass and solar energy are the four major areas of renewable energy which are being tapped for power generat With a wind power capacity of 1025 MW, India ranks fourth in the wd Being the largest producer of canesugar India is implementing the worl largest bagasse-based cogeneration programme in sugar mills. There is al considerable scope for extracting energy from urban and industrial waste A total power generating capacity of over 1450 MW has so far been add from renewables. There are four major areas of renewable energy which a being tapped for power generation (i) wind energy, (ii) small hydro (ii) biomass, and (iv) solar energy.
(i) Wind Power - The gross wind power potential of India is estimated at 20,000 MW though technical potential at present is limited to abou 9,000 MW. A capacity of 1,025 MW has been added so far. India now ranl fourth in the world, after Germany, U.S.A. and Denmark. IREDA provides financial assistance to the manufacture of wind machines and to those who instal wind farms. The Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-wet) has been set up at Chennai to promote and accelerate the utilisation of wind power in the country
(ii) Small Hydro-Power - India has a potential of 10,000 MW small hydro power, of which a total of 183.45 MW have been installed by the end of March, 1999 and projects of over 148 MW are under construction Alternate Hydro Energy Centre at the University of Roorkee (U.P.) is an apex technical institute for promoting the small hydro programme in the country
(iii) Biomass Power - The biomass power generation includes (1) bagasse based co-generation for surplus power generation, (2) direct biomass combustion-based power generation, (3) biomass gasification based power generation and (4) Taluka-level bio-mass power generation. So far a total capacity of 171 MW biomass based power generating systems have been installed in nine states., Projects of 229 MW capacity are under installation.
The National Programme on bagasse based cogeneration was launched in January 1994 for the promotion of surplus power generation of 35.000 MW capacity in sugar mills in India. So far 134 MW surplus power has been commissioned. Another 195 MW capacity power plants are under construction and 400 MW capacity power plants are at an advanced stage of planning by sugar mills.
The biomass combustion based power plants use rice husk, prosopis cane trash, cotton stalks, etc. as feed materials. Power plants of 34 MW capacity based on these raw materials have been mooted. A 5000 KW capacity grid connected power plant based on gasification of woody biomass is being installed in Kutch (Gujarat).
(iv) Solar Photovoltaic Power - 13 projects of 940 KW capacity have been installed so far. 10 grid incentives SPV projects of 575 KW are under installation in the country. Two 100 KW grid interactive power plants have insnstalled at Kalyanpur in Aligarh district and Saraisade in Mau district PA I10 KW power system has been installed in Lonavala district of Maharashtra. Another power plant of 100 KW capacity has been installed in ambatore district in Tamilnadu. A 239 KW system has been installed at Cos (M.P.). BHEL has commissioned a 30 KW system at its complex in Bangalore.
(v) Solar Thermal Power - A 140 MW integrated solar combined ucle power plant including a 35 MW solar thermal system has been proposed at village Mathania in Jodhpur district (Rajasthan), Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Permer districts have been announced as solar energy enterprise zone.
(D) ENERGY FROM URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES
Municipal wastes, vegetable market wastes, wastes from leather industry, distilleries, sugar mills, pulp and paper industries, etc. can be processed and treated for generating power.
A 2.75 MW power plant based on rice husk at Tanuku (Andhra Pradesh), al MW plant based on bio-gas generated from spent wash at Faizabad (U.P.) a 2 MW bio-gas based power plant at Ankaleshwar (Gujarat), have been commissioned. Biogas generation plants utilising distillery spent wash have been installed at Medak (Andhra Pradesh), Muktasar (Punjab), Raisen (Madhya Pradesh) and Belgaum (Karnataka).
New Techonologies
Worldwide efforts are being made to minimise the consumption of fossil fuels and maximise the utilisation of eco-friendly energy sources. New renewable energy technologies include fuel cells, hydrogen energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, etc.
A fuel cell vehicle which is an eco-friendly vechicle is under development. A 200 KW fuel cell power plant was installed at Hyderabad in 1998. Hydrogen is receiving worldwide attention as a clean fuel. Geothermal potential in the country too is being assessed.
Geothermal Energy
Development activities relating to cold storage unit and five kilowatt power plant, both based on geothermal energy at Mani Karan (Himachal Pradesh) are in full progress. Pilot Cold Storage Plant at Mani Karan has shown positive results.
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