200,000 MW of solar power in India by 2050?

admin — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:54:30 +0000

20,000 MW by 2020, 100,000 MW by 2030 and 200,000 MW by 2050. Those of you who have been in touch with India’s renewable energy program who just laugh at above projections. India was amongst the first few nations to latch on to the solar power program in early 70s. Almost three decades have passed by and we have been able to add only 2-3 MW of grid interactive solar power. In light of all these facts, are we just day dreaming when we sit about setting up ambitious plan targets of 200,000 MW by 2050.

India is blessed with abundant solar light and on an average 301 days out of possible 365 days in a year India receives enough sun light with which country can completely do away with its reliance on fossil and nuclear fuels. Just have a look at the solar insolation levels which the map is portraying. North Western part of India having Thar deserts has about 35000 sq Km of area which is estimated to produce 700-2100 GW of solar power.

What has prevented India in going for the solar power in a big way is the prohibitive cost of technology. Solar photovoltaic employs Mono or poly crystalline Silicon cells or thin film technology to generate power. There are still some technology gaps and India has to traverse a great deal to come out with cost effective technologies.

Reaching 200,000 MW of installed capacity in over 30 years will require 650 to 1050 Billion Rupees of investments. Current plan itself will see pumping in of 50 Billion rupees and setting up of installed capacities of 100 MW in private and public sector. Government is expected to come out with mandatory norms which will push all government community and functional buildings like hospitals, nursing homes, shopping complexes to either have BIPV(Building Integrated Photovoltaic) or roof top mounting of solar panels. Even common public will be encouraged to go in for deployment of solar panels in their houses.

2012-2017 period better called as 12th plan period will see government pushing up efforts to put up 20 GW of installed capacities. But these are very ambitious targets. Government has never been able to achieve more than 60% of their planned capacity additions in any of their plans even with conventional sources of energy.

Mlies to go before you relax-Indian Power Sector saga

admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:59:09 +0000

Indian Power Sector has so much to do in pretty little time at its disposal but it is still far from measuring up to the demands of the situation. Country is banking heavily on XI plan where installed capacity addition of about 78000+ MW is envisaged. But the way things have moved it is expected that country is going to achieve only 50% of what has been planned during this plan. This has been the saga for all previous five-year plans where the achievement has been even much lesser. Even though country has signed Nuclear deals with all the countries who matters in this domain but the coming years till 2030 will see a heavy reliance on coal based power plants as far as India’s power sector is concerned. This would again stir the debate on Carbon emissions. India’s thermal power plants and its continued reliance on coal has been the bane of contention between developed and developing countries like India. India has to secure its energy needs. But it can not be done at the cost of environment. There has already been debates over utility of UMPPs over CHP projects. But that should not deter the country’s planners now.

Let’s walk the talk now and implement the UMPPs and the associated transmission system with full sincerity. India’s T&D losses saga is never ending and very little has been done to arrest this. POWERGRID, the flagship company of India in transmission sector, has tied up with World Bank for improving country’s transmission and distribution network. India’s transmission system needs heavy investments to augment itself. The requirements of an Integrated Energy Exchange, Long Term Open Access, Merchant Power Plants etc will need a transmission system which can take the power evacuation load, inter regional transfers of power and still has some 30% plus margins to cater to eventualities. This Indeed is a tall order and would surely need planning and execution in fine details.

India in Power Sector has been slow off the blocks. The eighties and nineties saw very little investments in power. It is now only that investments are being carried out break-neck speed. A typical power plant has a gestation period of 3 years. Hydro power plants take much longer and requires huge investments. Country is sitting on tremendous hydro power potential in north east and eastern sector. Banking on 1200 KV and 765 KV transmission systems to evaluate power from chicken neck area over Bangladesh presents a viable option.

Our neighbours Nepal and Bhutan have tremendous potential in hydro sector. A conference on possibilities in Hydro Power is being held in Nepal to find out further possibilities and association with India for wheeling out the excess power.

Indian Power Sector has woken up and is now working up a good pace. India has to keep committed to these plans and any change in government should not let the bigger picture go out of the sight of country’s planners.

Energy Audit

200,000 MW of solar power in India by 2050?

Mlies to go before you relax-Indian Power Sector saga