INDIA AND WORLD ENERGY SCENARIO

INTRODUCTION

Energy is one of the major input for economic development of any country. In the case of developing countries ,the energy sector assumes a critical importance in view of ever increasing energy needs requiring huge investments to meet them.

Energy can be classified into three groups:Primary and Secondary energyRenewable and Non-renewable energyCommercial and Non-commercial energy.

Primary and Secondary energyPrimary sources of energy are those sources which are either found or stored in nature. Common sources of primary energy are coal, natural gas and biomass(such as wood). Other primary sources include nuclear energy from radioactive substances, thermal energy stored in earth’s interior etc,.

Primary sources are generally converted in industrial utilities into secondary energy sources for example, coal, oil or gas converted into steam and electricity.

Renewable and Non-renewable energyRenewable energy is the energy obtained from the sources that are essentially inexhaustible. Examples of renewable energy are wind enery,solar energy , thermal energy etc,.The most important feature of renewable energy is that it can be harnessed without any pollutants. Non-renewable energy is the conventional fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas which are likely to deplete with time.

Commercial and Non-commercial energy

Commercial energy is the energy available in the market for a definite price. The most important forms of commercial energy are petroleum products and electricity, lignite and natural gas.The energy sources that are not available in the commercial market for a price are classified as non-commercial energy. Example of Non-commercial energy are firewood, cattle dunk and agricultural wastes.

According to conventional wisdom, the world is unlikely to run out of energy inthe near future. However, current patterns of energy production and use havedestructive impacts on the environment and, in recent years, environmentalissues such as possible climate change resulting from greenhouse gas emissionshave thrown the spotlight onto the links between energy and the globalenvironment.

At the same time, there is a need, especially in developing countries, for higherlevels of energy supply and use to fuel economic development − at present,'energy poverty' hinders the economic and social development of very largenumbers of people.

GLOBAL ENERGY SCENARIO

THE GLOBAL ENERGY SCENARIO

Primary energy supply

Coal, oil, gas and nuclear energy are the major sources of primary energy, followedby renewable combustible wastes (biomass, animal products, municipal wastes,industrial wastes), hydro, and other sources.

In 1999, the global supply of primary energy was equivalent to 9,744.48 milliontonnes of oil (Mtoe). Table 1.1 shows in what proportions the sources mentionedabove contributed to this global figure. Exploration for new energy sources andresources is on-going and will continue in the future. The projected total energysupply for the year 2010 is 11,500 Mtoe. It is expected to reach 13,700 Mtoe by2020.

ENERGY AND DEVELOPMENT − GROWTH RELATED ISSUES

Economic growth is desirable for developing countries, and energy is essential for economicgrowth. However, the relationship between economic growth and increased energy demand isnot always a straightforward linear one. For example, under present conditions, a 6 per centincrease in India's GDP would impose an increased demand of 9 per cent on its energy sector.

In this context, the ratio of energy demand to GDP is a useful indicator. A high ratio reflectsenergy dependence and a strong influence of energy on GDP growth. It is worthy of note thatdeveloped countries − by focusing on energy efficiency and lower energy-intensive routes −maintain their energy to GDP ratios at values of less than 1. The ratios for developingcountries tend to be much higher.

In spite of their best efforts to keep pace with growing demand − often by developingadditional capacity − many developing countries are currently unable to meet their growingenergy requirements. This is resulting in a widening gap between energy demand and supply− a situation which now characterises developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region andelsewhere.

Several causes of high energy intensity and high demand in developing countries have beenidentified, they include:

• Technological causesInferior technology and poor efficiency because of low quality of energy supply andabsence of energy efficient technologies, etc.

• Managerial causesInadequate systems and procedures for energy efficiency and energy management, at bothcorporate and government policy levels.

• Economic causesInadequate funds and economic incentives.

• Structural causesA legacy of heavy industry with inherent high energy intensity

Other areas of concern that reinforce the unsatisfactory relationship between development andenergy demand are:

• A lack of resources for investment in rehabilitation of existing plants or in green-field technologies, or for resource conservation and pollution abatement (lack of capital is an acknowledged major barrier to bridging the energy demand/ supply gap in many developing countries).• Lack of awareness of appropriate technologies, quality control, and best practices in both operation and maintenance.• Lack of awareness of waste minimisation strategies and potential applications.

RENEWABLE ENERGY SCENARIO IN INDIA A generalised overview... 

ENERGY SCENE IN INDIA Anything tangible or intangible, that costs money is evaluated very carefully and used equally carefully in India. This means expenses are controlled and kept as low as possible. The scenario in energy consumption in India is no different. It is not surprising that the per capita energy consumption figures are very low inspite of high rate of development now taking place. The per capita consumption in India is in the region of 400 KWH per annum.In the ninth five year plan (1997-2002) energy strategy is divided into short term strategy, medium strategy and long term strategy.

SHORT TERM STRATEGY

· Administered pricing mechanism · Institutional reforms to be consolidated for deregulation · Optimum utilization of existing assets · Production systems to be made efficient, transmission and

distribution losses to be reduced · R&D transfer of technologies to be promoted · Energy efficiency improvement in accordance with national and socio-

economic and environmental priorities · Energy efficiency and emission standards to be promoted · Labelling programmes for products · Adoption of energy efficient technologies in giant industries

 

MEDIUM AND LONG TERM STRATEGIES

· Demand management through greater conservation of energy, optimum fuel mix, increasing reliance on rail for movement of goods and passengers and shift to emphasis on utilizing mass movement and transport systems for public rather than private transports · Better urban planning to reduce need for energy in transport sector · Shift and emphasis to solar, wind, biomass energy sources · Emphasis on research and development, transfer and use of energy

efficient technologies and practices in the supply and end-use sectors. 

RENEWABLE ENERGY SCENARIO IN INDIAIndia is blessed with an abundance of sunlight, water and biomass. Vigorous efforts during the past two decades are now bearing fruit as people in all walks of life are more aware of the benefits of renewable energy, especially decentralized energy where required in villages and in urban or semi-urban centers. India has the world’s largest programme for renewable energy.Government created the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES) in 1982. In 1992 a full fledged Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources was established under the overall charge of the Prime Minister.The range of its activities cover · promotion of renewable energy technologies, · create an environement conducive to promote renewable energy

technologies, · create an environment conducive for their commercialization, · renewable energy resource assessment, · research and development, · demonstration, · extension, · production of biogas units, solar thermal devices, solar photovoltaics,

cookstoves, wind energy and small hydropower units.

Wind Power

India now ranks as a "wind superpower" with an installed wind power capacity of 1167 MW and about 5 billion units of electricity have been fed to the national grid so far.In progress are wind resource assessment programme, wind monitoring, wind mapping, covering 800 stations in 24 states with 193 wind monitoring stations in operations. Altogether 13 states of India have a net potential of about 45000 MW

Solar Energy

Solar water heaters have proved the most popular so far and solar photovoltaics for decentralized power supply are fast becoming popular in rural and remote areas. More than 700000 PV systems generating 44 MW have been installed all over India. Under the water pumping programme more than 3000 systems have been installed so far and the market for solar lighting and solar pumping is far from saturated. Solar drying is one area which offers very good prospects in food, agricultural and chemical products drying applications.

SPV Systems

More than 700000 PV systems of capacity over 44MW for different applications are installed all over India. The market segment and usage is mainly for home lighting, street lighting, solar lanterns and water pumping for irrigation. Over 17 grid interactive solar photovoltaic generating more than 1400 KW are in operation in 8 states of India. As the demand for power grows exponentially and conventional fuel based power generating capacity grows arithmetically, SPV based power generation can be a source to meet the expected shortfall. Especially in rural, far-flung where the likelihood of conventional electric lines is remote, SPV power generation is the best alternative. 

Solar Cookers

Government has been promoting box type solar cookers with subsidies since a long time in the hope of saving fuel and meeting the needs of the rural and urban populace. There are community cookers and large parabolic reflector based systems in operation in some places but solar cookers, as a whole, have not found the widespread acceptance and popularity as hoped for. A lot of educating and pushing will have to be put in before solar cookers are made an indispensable part of each household (at least in rural and semi-urban areas). Solar cookers using parabolic reflectors or multiple mirrors which result in faster cooking of food would be more welcome than the single reflector box design is what some observers and users of the box cookers feel.

Solar Water Heaters

A conservative estimate of solar water heating systems installed in the country is estimated at over 475000 sq. mtrs of the conventional flat plate collectors. Noticeable beneficiaries of the programme of installation of solar water heaters so far have been cooperative dairies, guest houses, hotels, charitable institutions, chemical and process units, hostels, hospitals, textile mills, process houses and individuals. In fact in India solar water heaters are the most popular of all renewable energy devices.