No doubt Solar Insolation is available in most bparts of the country. But how to extract and what cost bis the Question. Of late there is much talk on Solar PV. Large projects are set up in Rajasthan. Everybody knows that Rajasthan desert is a dry hot place. The desert experiences Loosand storm during summer. “The Loo is a strong, hot and dry summer afternoon wind from the west which blows over the western Indo-Gangetic Plain region of North India and Pakistan.[1] It is especially strong in the months of May and June. Due to its very high temperatures (45 °C–50 °C or 115°F-120°F), exposure to it often leads to fatal heat strokes. Since it causes extremely low humidity and high temperatures, the Loo also has a severe drying effect on vegetation leading to widespread browning in the areas affected by it during the months of May and June The Loo mainly originates in the large desert regions of the northwestern Indian subcontinent: the Great Indian Desert, the Cholistan Desert and the desert areas of Southern Balochistan. The Loo ends in late summer, with the arrival of the Indian monsoon. In some areas of North India and Pakistan, there are brief, but violent, dust storms known as Kali Andhi (or black storms) before the monsoon sets inThe arrival of monsoon clouds in any location is frequently accompanied with cloudbursts, and the sudden transformation of the landscape from brown to green can seem astonishing as a result of the ongoing deluge and the abrupt cessation of the Loo”.(Wikipedia). What is the Effect of these sand particles on the smooth Solar PV Panel nobody studied from Efficiency point of view. At present the Solar Cell Efficiency is low about 15%. In the Westvand USA more advanced solar cell material are used(Gallium arsenide,Gallium Phosphide,organic polymer,Tandem etc. When these advanced materials Solar Cells are commercially available then the Efficiency of solar cell increases and hence cost reduction Installed PV capacity (in MW) Year End Total Capacity Yearly Installation 2010 161 2011 461 300 2012 1,205 744 2013 2,319 1,114 . Hitherto State Subsidy for Roof Top Solar besides MNRE subsidies were there. Now State Subsidy is withdrawn and MNRE subsidy is reduced from 30% to 15%. Also Solar Pumps are being given a big push with heavy subsidy. About 3,500 farmers from the newly formed States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will soon get solar pump sets for agriculture. The Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) water pumping systems for irrigation were granted by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy about six months ago to a few select States including Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar among others. Subsequently, the pump sets, 3,500 in number, have been distributed between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the ratio of 58:42, on the basis of population. The 5HP pump sets would cost about Rs. 5 lakh each, on which a 30 per cent subsidy will be granted by the Central government. A minimum of 15 per cent of the cost should be borne by the respective State governments as per norms. However, the idea is to see that the beneficiary does not bear more than 15 to 20 per cent of the total cost, officials, seeking anonymity, informed. There is lack of interest among Farmers in Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand Solar Thermal route is more efficient. Concentrated Solar Power(CSP) is more popular in developed countries. Here is an Excellent article on this: Business Standard Concentrating solar power in India: An outlook to 2024 business-standard/content/manufacturing-industry/concentrating-solar-power-in-india-an-outlook-to-2024-114091500273_1.html. Among the REnewables Wind has been established as a major option. The development of wind power in India began in the 1990s, and has significantly increased in the last few years. Although a relative newcomer to the wind industry compared with Denmark or the United States, India has the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. In 2009-10 Indias growth rate was highest among the other top four countries. As of 31 March 2014 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 21136.3 MW, mainly spread across Tamil Nadu (7253 MW), Gujarat (3,093 MW), Maharashtra (2976 MW), Karnataka (2113 MW),Rajasthan (2355 MW), Madhya Pradesh (386 MW), Andhra Pradesh(435 MW), Kerala (35.1 MW), Orissa (2MW), West Bengal (1.1 MW) and other states (3.20 MW). It is estimated that 6,000 MW of additional wind power capacity will be installed in India by 2014. Wind power accounts for 8.5% of Indias total installed power capacity, and it generates 1.6% of the countrys power. Indias wind atlas is available. India has long coast. Offshore Wind farms should be promoted. Here is an Action Plan for Harnessing Renewables in India besides Energy Conservation. Here is an Action Plan to harness REnewables in the country: I have had been advocating offshore wind energy in India since decade. Today Offshore wind farms operate in Europe, UK topping. In India Onshore Wind farms started in 1985 and today the Wind installations in the country are(Compared to other countries): Installed wind power capacity (MW) up to 2013 end European Union 117,289 China 91,424 United States 61,091 Germany 34,250 Spain 22,959 India 20,150 United Kingdom 10,531 Italy 8,552 France 8,254 Canada 7,803 Denmark 4,772 Portugal 4,724 Sweden 4,470 Offshore Wind Farm installed Capacity(MW) Offshore wind power refers to the construction of wind farms in bodies of water to generate electricity from wind. Better wind speeds are available offshore compared to on land, so offshore wind power’s contribution in terms of electricity supplied is higher,and NIMBY opposition to construction is usually much weaker. However, offshore wind farms are relatively expensive. At the end of June 2013 total European combined offshore wind energy capacity was 6,040 MW. As of 2010 Siemens and Vestas were turbine suppliers for 90% of offshore wind power, while Dong Energy, Vattenfall and E.on were the leading offshore operators. As of October 2010, 3.16 GW of offshore wind power capacity was operational, mainly in Northern Europe. According to BTM Consult, more than 16 GW of additional capacity will be installed before the end of 2014 and the United Kingdom and Germany will become the two leading markets. Offshore wind power capacity is expected to reach a total of 75 GW worldwide by 2020, with significant contributions from China and the United States. As of 2013, the 630 MW London Array is the largest offshore wind farm in the world, with the 504 MW Greater Gabbard wind farm as the second largest, followed by the 367 MW Walney Wind Farm. All are off the coast of the UK. These projects will be dwarfed by subsequent wind farms that are in the pipeline, including Dogger Bank at 9,000 MW, Norfolk Bank (7,200 MW), and Irish Sea (4,200 MW). In the end of June 2013 total European combined offshore wind energy capacity was 6,040 MW. UK installed 513.5 MW offshore wind power in the first half year of 2013. It can be easily seen While UK tops the world in Offshore Wind farms, India has double the capacity of onshore wind farms compared to UK and no offshore wind installations at all. Why? The reasons are not far to seek. There is a strong notion among Indian wind turbine manufacturers, Renewable Energy planners, Government etc. that offshore wind farms cost double to triple the cost of onshore wind farms. How this figure of double or triple arrived at is a billion dollar question. The main charm of offshore wind farms is that the roughness of the sea is zero(no obstacles like onshore) and since power is cube of velocity of wind other factors being linear, higher velocities mean the power shoots up very much. This factor is often overlooked. Moreover instead of going in for onshore wind farms, it will be worthwhile to go offshore nearby to harness more wind power. No doubt the cost of the offshore wind farms will be high compared to onshore because of foundation and cable costs. But these costs are offset by the higher power from offshore wind farms. I wonder how this figure of double or triple arrived at between offshore and onshore wind farms. Has any systematic life cycle study of onshore and offshore wind farms in a region has been carried out? Why not Research Institutes, Wind Industries in UK carry out such a study which will help to dispel the misconceptions on cost of offshore wind farms in India. On 6th February 2014 there was a UK-India Offshore Wind Energy Workshop in Chennai (INDIA) organized by UK Science & Innovation Network , which I attended. I suggested the need for above study and the need for offshore wind farms in India. India has long coast. At least a pilot project can be initiated by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) so that Private Wind farm developers follow suit. Countries like US, China, Taiwan, Korea, France. etc have ambitious plans to go for offshore wind farms. It is sad that India though occupies fifth position in wind in the world is yet to have a offshore wind farm? Also most of the Wind installations in India are from Industrial houses and businessmen. In countries like Denmark,Germany etc. there are Wind Farm Co-operatives. A wind turbine cooperative, also known as a wind energy cooperative, is a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise that follows the cooperative model, investing in wind turbines or wind farms. The cooperative model was developed in Denmark. The model has also spread to Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, with isolated examples elsewhere. The key feature is that local community members have a significant, direct financial stake in the project beyond land lease payments and tax revenue. Projects may be used for on-site power or to generate wholesale power for sale, usually on a commercial-scale greater than 100 kW.In India also Wind Farm Co-operatives can be set up with people’s participation. The Government can consider to give tax exemption under Section 80C so that the amount can be invested in Wind Farms with People as share holders. Biofuel/Biogas power from Agave and Opuntia: Another area which yields immediate results and gainful employment is to grow care-free growth plants like Agave and Opuntia in waste lands. There are millions of hectares of waste lands. In the debate Food Vs Fuel the alternative is to grow plants with multiple uses which have care-free growth. Yet another option is Biofuel from Agave and Biogas from Opuntia and power generation. Agave is a care – free growth plant which can be grown in millions of hectares of waste land and which produces Biofuel. Already Mexico is using it. Another Care free growth plant is Opuntia which generates Biogas. Biogas can be input to generate power through Biogas Generators. Biogas generators of MW size are available from China. Yet another option is Water Hyacinth for biogas. Water Hyacinth along with animal dung can produce biogas on a large scale and then power. In Kolleru lake in Godavari and Krishna Delta in Andhra Pradesh in India it is available in 308 Sq. Km for nearly 8 months in a year. Crassulacean acid metabolism, also known as CAM photosynthesis, is a carbon fixation pathway that evolved in some plants as an adaptation to arid conditions In a plant using full CAM, the stomata in the leaves remain shut during the day to reduce evapotranspiration, but open at night to collect carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 is stored as the four-carbon acidmalate, and then used during photosynthesis during the day. The pre-collected CO2 is concentrated around the enzyme RuBisCO, increasing photosynthetic efficiency. Agave and Opuntia are the best CAM Plants. Researchers find that the agave plant will serve as a biofuel crop to produce ethanol. Agave has a huge advantage, as it can grow in marginal or desert land, not on arable land, and therefore would not displace food crops, says Oliver Inderwildi, at the University of Oxford.The majority of ethanol produced in the world is still derived from food crops such as corn and sugarcane. Speculators have argued for years now that using such crops for fuel can drive up the price of food. Agave, however, can grow on hot dry land with a high-yield and low environmental impact. The researchers proposing the plant’s use have modeled a facility in Jalisco, Mexico, which converts the high sugar content of the plant into ethanol. Another plant of great use is OPUNTIA for biogas production. The cultivation of nopal((OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA), a type of cactus, is one of the most important in Mexico. According to Rodrigo Morales, Chilean engineer, Wayland biomass, installed on Mexican soil, “allows you to generate inexhaustible clean energy.” Through the production of biogas, it can serve as a raw material more efficiently, by example and by comparison with jatropha. Wayland Morales, head of Elqui Global Energy argues that “an acre of cactus produces 43 200 m3 of biogas or the equivalent in energy terms to 25,000 liters of diesel.” With the same land planted with jatropha, he says, it will produce 3,000 liters of biodiesel. Another of the peculiarities of the nopal is biogas which is the same molecule of natural gas, but its production does not require machines or devices of high complexity. Also, unlike natural gas, contains primarily methane (75%), carbon dioxide (24%) and other minor gases (1%), “so it has advantages from the technical point of view since it has the same capacity heat but is cleaner, “he says, and as sum datum its calorific value is 7,000 kcal/m3. In the fields where Jatropha is being grown,Agave and Opuntia can be grown as Inter cropping. Energy Conservation in Electric Pump sets for Agriculture Also Energy conservation yields quick results than energy generation. In India Agricultural pumpsets consume power next only to Industry. There are about 26 Million Agricultural Electric Motors. Many of them are quite old and inefficient. For Agricultural pumpsets the power tariff is nominal or nil in some states. A scheme can be chalked out By both Central and State Governments to replace the old and inefficient agricultural pumpsets with efficient ones by giving a subsidy. Electricity is a high grade energy which finds use in Industry,lighting etc. As such it must be judiciously used especially in the agricultural sector. Often energy studies aim at benefitting the rich but rarely concentrate on poor. A simple example is Box Type Solar Cooker. Box Type Solar Cooker is almost 60 years old. Why it has not taken off especially in a populous country like India? Only 0.6 million Box Type Solar Cookers sold but not used. Technology is culture specific while science is universal. There is no provision for frying in box type solar cooker ,only boiling. One cannot have two cooking systems one for boiling and another for frying. In Innovation theory there are two approaches,Technology Push Vs Demand pull. The Box type solar cookers belong to Technology Push category. There are small wind mills for water pumping developed by Centro La Gaviotas,Bagota,Colombia. I wonder still why such a fine water pumping windmill has not spread to other countries. I have had been involved in the research and development of Renewables for over 3 decades. Our basic approach is 3D: Design,Demonstrate and Disseminate. We have over 20 Innovative Renewable Energy Gadgets. I have an action plan for India on Renewables to bring in Rural Prosperity: 1. Promote Offshore Wind Farms. 2. Promote small wind generators as decentralised systems 3. Roof Top PV Solar 4. Creating Renewable Energy Fund. Investment by Income Tax Payers to be exempted under Section 80C. 5. Wind Farm Co-operatives on the lines of those in Germany,Denmark etc. 6. Solar Co-operatives on the lines of those in US. 7. Energy Conservation by replacing most of the inefficient 2.6 million irrigation electric pump sets(About 30% power can be saved). Agriculture consumes much power next only to Industry 8. Reading lights with reliable and quality dual powered(Solar/Electricity/USB) to save enormous energy. 9. Biofuel/Biogas for power generation and cooking from Agave/opuntia care-free growth,regenerative and CAM plants. In China Biogas for cooking is supplied trough pipes. In the vast vacant land in India Agave and Opuntia can be grown and power generation established as decentralised locally. 10. Simple Box Type Solar Cooker with frying facility( 3D approach,Design,Demonstrate and Disseminate) 11.Cost effective vertical and cylindrical,mobile solar water heater design. 12. Low head Micro hydro device to generate power from the head of falling water from the delivery pipe of Electric/diesel pumpsets. 13. KW size Biogas power/cooking plant for villages. 14. Simple solar drier 15. Growing CAM Plants in Waste and Vacant lands which act as Carbon Sink. Energy Conservation https://scribd/doc/250077351/Energy-Conservation Put the RENEWABLES to WORK: To get inexhaustible,Pollution- Free Energy which cannot be misused. Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP) India Renewable Energy Expert E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:42:55 +0000
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