By Kate S, April 9
Mankind has relied on fossil fuels ever since the discovery of fire. Our dependence on natural energy reserves, and our desire to control them, has guided the course of our civilization, and shaped our journey on earth. In fact, it won't be wrong to say that the evolution of our species, and many others, have been deeply influenced by our relationship with the natural reserves buried under the earth.
Today, coal, crude oil and natural gas are the most important energy sources in the world. They drive industrial growth and economic development. They build nations, and bring progress and prosperity.
But reliance on fossil fuels has its flipside. While the coffers of nations bulge with coal and crude oil money, the environment suffers. Automobile and industrial smoke has aggravated the air pollution condition in India. The situation is the same in other parts of the world.
Here are some of the reasons why fossil fuels come at a cost.
Fossil fuels and environmental degradation
Fossil fuels contain substances that are released into the atmosphere when they are burned. These substances have adverse effects on the air, water and soil, and are harmful for human and other life forms. They pollute the air we breathe with noxious compounds like sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, methane and other hydrocarbons. They also infuse the air with fine solid, liquid and gaseous particles called particulate matter which is extremely hazardous to health. These contaminants react with each other to form smog and acid rain which further pollutes the environment. They mix with underground water and make it unfit for consumption. They affect soil fertility, cause blights and rots in crops and decrease agricultural output. They also cause diseases in humans and animals, accelerate global warming and deplete the ozone layer.Alternative sources of renewable and clean energy
In light of these negative impacts, countries around the world are slowly but steadily moving towards renewable sources of energy. Renewable energy is energy from a source that naturally replenishes itself and does not diminish when used. Examples of renewable energy are wind, water, solar, geothermal and bio energy.Wind
Wind power is harnessed through wind turbines in wind farms. These farms are built in areas that witness strong winds all year round like high altitude and offshore regions. Typically, offshore winds are 90% faster than land winds, and are ideal for driving wind turbines. As of 2015, about 4% of the word’s electricity came from wind power, with the installed capacity being 63 GW. This figure has steadily grown and as of 2017, the global installed wind energy capacity stood at 514 GW.
Water
Hydro power involves harnessing the power of flowing water through dams erected on rivers and other water bodies. Water is approximately 800 times denser than air, and even a slow flowing stream of water or a moderate sea swell can generate large amounts of energy. Hydroelectric power is generated through large hydroelectric dams and reservoirs, small hydro systems and run-of-the-river hydroelectricity plants. Wave and tidal power also have potential but are yet to be fully exploited. India's largest hydroelectric production dam is Koyna Hydroelectric Project in. The total installed capacity of this hydroelectric site is 1920 MW. India has an ambitious plan to raise the hydroelectric power generation capacity to the next level by another few years. As of 2017, the worldwide installed hydro power capacity was 1154 GW.
Solar
Solar energy is energy harvested from the sun’s light and heat using photovoltaic cells and other emerging technologies. Solar energy can be harnessed through passive and active means. Passive solar technologies involve modeling a building in a way that it can use the heat and light from the sun to power itself. It entails using light dispersing building material with favorable thermal mass and designing spaces that facilitate natural circulation of air for indoor cooling. Active solar energy is derived from solar collectors, photovoltaics and concentrated solar power (CSP). It converts heat from the sun into thermal energy for heating and sunlight into electricity. Globally, the installed capacity of solar power in 2017 was 390 GW.
Geothermal
Geothermal energy is obtained from the thermal energy produced naturally by the earth. This energy is stored in the core of the earth and has its origin in the earliest phases of the earth’s formation. It is also generated by the radioactive decay of minerals deep under the earth’s crust. In 2017, the global geothermal capacity stood at 12.9 GW.
Bio energy
Bio energy covers biomass, bagasse (fibrous sugarcane waste), human and agricultural waste and other bio fuels. Biomass is sourced from living or recently alive plants and animals. It is based on biological matter and includes among others dead trees, agricultural waste, cow dung, yard chippings, wood shavings and municipal waste. Biomass is a crucial heating and cooking fuel in villages. Industrial biomass is prepared from sugarcane, sorghum, corn, bamboo, poplar, willow, hemp, switchgrass, miscanthus, etc. Bio fuels are derived from biomass and may be solid, liquid or gaseous in form. Examples are biogas, alcohols, oils and biodiesel. However, bio energy causes air pollution and is not an eco-friendly source. Combustion of biomass and bio fuels release sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter. These compounds vitiate the air and make it unfit for respiration.
Renewable energy in India
India is not far behind in the renewable energy race. It has invested heavily in solar, wind and hydro power in an attempt to free itself from conventional sources and reduce its carbon footprint. Energy from clean sources supplements energy from traditional non-renewable sources like coal, oil and natural gas. In India, the renewable energy sector comes within the ambit of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). According to the latest statement released by the Ministry, India aims to reach 227 GW (earlier 175 GW) of renewable energy capacity by March 2022. Of this, 113 GW is slated to come from solar power, 66 GW from wind power, 31 GW from floating solar and offshore wind projects, 10 GW from bio energy and 5 GW from small hydro projects.This revised 2022 target could catapult India into the top 3 positions in global renewable energy producing nations. Currently, China occupies the top position in clean energy capacity followed by the US. India is in the fifth spot but is expanding rapidly. It has an installed capacity of 70 GW and an additional 40 GW is under construction or tendering. Power and Renewable Energy Minister said that the government has launched new schemes for floating solar projects and offshore wind ventures to meet the 2022 target.
India has the largest renewable auctions market in the world. Renewable sources now account for nearly 20% of installed capacity. In 2017, the solar industry nearly doubled with annual PV installations touching 8 GW capacity. In 2018, in the first six months itself, over 8 GW of projects were awarded through auctions. A Climatescope 2018 study by BloombergNEF revealed that India is slowly reducing its dependence on coal as a primary source of electricity. New coal has come down from 17 GW per year between 2012 and 2016 to 4 GW in 2017. This is a clear indication that the government is committed to honoring its pledge in the Paris Agreement of ensuring 40% of its total electricity production from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
In order to achieve its goals, India will need investments to the tune of USD 50 billion in the next few years. The long-term aim is to reduce the country’s dependence on coal from 67% in 2017 to 43% by 2027, and increase the share of renewable energy to 44% during the same period. However, India is still heavily dependent on coal and draws three quarters of its energy requirements from unclean polluting sources.
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) in Sydney, Australia, has been closely monitoring India’s journey on the road to sustainable development. According to Tim Buckley, the Director of Energy Finance Studies at the IEEFA, India’s new 2022 target is ambitious and challenging, but attainable. The big issue, he says, will be integrating all the new variable renewable energy into the electricity grid of the nation. “Grid integration is going to be serious challenge for India to achieve its variable renewable targets, no doubt…Grid investment has been significantly accelerated, but even more will be needed to accommodate greater interstate transmission requirements. But India is currently moving domestic coal up to 1,500 km by rail to coal plants in Southern India – and rail capacity constraints are real and growing,†he explained.
Promising renewable energy resources in India
India has great potential in wind power. It is the fourth largest wind power producer in the world. It has many wind farms of international standards in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The Muppandal Wind Farm, the largest wind power plant in the country with an installed capacity of 1500 MW, is situated in Tamil Nadu. As of March 2018, India’s total wind power capacity was 34,046 MW and it is growing progressively.Solar power is another area where India is making real progress. The government’s old target of 20 GW by 2022 was achieved before time by January 2018. The new target is set at 100 GW by 2022 and the authorities are racing to set up solar parks and promote roof-top solar panels. India, in fact, has some of the largest solar parks in the world. The establishments in Kumuthi (TN), Kurnool (AP) and Pavagada (KAR) are among the top solar parks in the world in terms of installed capacity.
Hydro power in India is a growing resource. Large hydro power plants contribute to 13% of the country’s electricity needs.
As of March 2018, the total installed hydro power capacity was 45.29 GW.
Apart from these sources, India obtains renewable energy from biomass, small hydro plants and waste-to-power projects.
Business opportunities in India’s renewable energy landscape
India’s pursuit of sustainable development has led to the growth of numerous cleantech start-ups in the area of renewable energy. Due to the complexity and newness of the technology, government agencies are facing technical and infrastructural obstacles in executing projects. This has created a lucrative market for energy consultancy, demand and supply forecasting technology and IT software. Companies like REConnect Energy have made a name for themselves in forecasting and scheduling services. They help large power production companies forecast wind power generation and balance supply and demand. They also help power utilities in different states schedule power distribution.Other consultancy start-ups are working on developing algorithms that can tell the state power authorities which power plant they should procure electricity from and which areas in the state they should supply power to based on revenue recovery. They are also assisting power utilities in improving accuracy of demand forecast and procurement forecast.
Quenext, a Mumbai-based company, is collating data from renewable energy sources and putting it in the public domain. Awadhesh Kuman, CEO of Quenext, says, “We leverage satellites to identify solar panels, geotag it, overlay weather data on it, and start generating forecasts for every kilowatt. We are mapping each and every wind farm and each and every solar panel.â€
Vikram Solar, a pioneering solar energy solutions provider, was recently conferred with the “Best Contribution in Solar Energy†Award by the MNRE Minister. The company has an annual PV module production capacity of 1 GW and is known for its ground-breaking work in advancing solar power in the country.
Delhi-based 8Minutes is a cleantech start-up helping users analyze the feasibility of going solar. If the findings come out positive, the company designs and builds the solar panels for the client, and also takes care of the necessary documentation.
Bangalore-based Orb Energy manufactures PV cells and solar water heaters. It has sold over 1.5 lakh solar modules in the last decade.
Mera Gao Power is a successful microgrid start-up working in rural UP. It provides villages with electricity and mobile charging solutions from solar energy sources.
These initiatives and success stories point to a glorious future in India’s renewable energy sector.
Conclusion
Given the boom in start-ups in the renewable energy market, it is safe to say that there is no dearth of potential in India. Our 2022 objective might be lofty, but with our resources, enthusiastic startup & business owners and a committed leadership by the government, we should be well on our way to accomplishing our goal.
