Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1
Current status of the renewable energy in India
(
http://www.mnre.gov.in
)
Renewable energy
program/systems
The term renewable energy is not always syn-
onymous with what is often called “green”
energy. Typically, green energy refers to energy
from renewable sources that leave smaller envi-
ronmental footprints than conventional large-
scale generation, including some renewable
energy sources. For instance, although they uti-
lize renewable energy and do not contribute to air
pollution, some large-capacity hydroelectric
projects require huge dams and reservoirs, which
fl ood thousands of hectares of wilderness and
disrupt the migration patterns of fi sh and wildlife.
In contrast, some low-capacity, run-of-the-river
hydroelectric projects use the fl ow of the water as
it runs downstream to generate electricity and
may result in little disruption to the environment
or to local ecosystems.
Cumulative
achievement up to
31.12.2012
I. Power from renewables:
A. Grid-interactive power (capacities in MW)
Wind power 18,420.40
Small hydropower 3,496.14
Biomass power 1,248.60
Bagasse cogeneration 2,239.63
Waste to power—urban/industrial 96.08
Solar power (SPV) 1,176.25
Total
26,677.10
B. Off-grid/captive power (capacities in MW
EQ
)
Waste to energy—urban/industrial
113.60
Biomass (non-bagasse)
cogeneration
426.04
Biomass gasifi ers—rural 16.696
Biomass gasifi ers—industrial 138.90
Aerogenerators/hybrid systems 1.74
SPV systems (>1 kW) 106.33
Water mills/micro hydel 2,121 Nos.
Total
803.306
MWeq.
Megawatt equivalent,
MW
megawatt
1.2
Why Renewable Energy
and Why Now?
All of the countries in the world are taking a new
interest in renewable energy for several reasons.
First, electricity from renewable energy produces
fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which are asso-
ciated with changing climate, than electricity
produced from burning fossil fuels. Similarly,
renewable energy generally adds fewer other pol-
lutants to the air, including the following:
• Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that form
acid rain
• Particulate matter, which along with ground-
level ozone forms smog on hot, sunny summer
days
• Mercury, which can be transformed in the
environment to become highly toxic to people
and animals
The supply of renewable energy is not only
virtually unlimited (at the right price); it also
offers the possibility of relatively stable prices. In
the late 1990s and early years of the twenty-fi rst
century, all countries in the world watched as the
prices of oil and gas soared, plummeted, and then
soared again, in part because of the weather and
in part because of world politics. Increasing the
use of locally generated renewable energy can
help protect us from dramatic price swings.
Another major incident that has brought into
focus the need for safer and cleaner energy options
is the tsunami that struck Japan in 2011. The havoc
created by the tsunami and the huge nuclear disas-
ter at the Fukushima power plant have raised seri-
ous doubts about the use of radioactive materials
for energy generation in our country. India is prone
to earthquakes, and the large coastlines make the
country vulnerable to the threats of tsunami. After
the disastrous situation at the Daiichi power plant
in Japan, there have been calls for reassessment of
nuclear power projects in our country. Thus, it
appears that renewable sources of energy can be a
simpler, safer, and more cost-effective method of
power generation. Table
1
shows the current status
of renewable energy in India.
1.3
Current Renewable Energy
Scenario
Changes in renewable energy markets, invest-
ments, industries, and policies have been so
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