In perhaps the first decision taken by our new power minister, Mr PM Sayeed, he deserves congratulations. Let us hope that there is no pressure to roll back this tough stand, asking States to provide subsidised power to farmers from their funds.
One hopes that this will see the end of the "drug regime" where cash subsidies, like wonder drugs are injected ostensibly into the food sector by bleeding another artery in the economy to reduce food costs. Such a regime rarely benefit few other than rich farmers, it leads to side effects, addictions and withdrawal symptoms, as we have seen in several States. Ironically, these "addicted" States happen to be large food-grain producers, enjoying the best of the irrigation, fertiliser and power policies.
Here is an excellent chance for innovation: Instead of viewing the farmer as an energy guzzler and food producer, the farmer should be seen as a fuel and compost supplier, to be given wheeling or energy credit against supplies of biomass.
In the food-grain sector, every 1.5 Kg of husk and 1 kg of most types of wood each result in delivery of 1 KwHr of electricity, when fed to gassifier-generators. Similiarly, the calorific values of most varieties in grass, twigs, leaves and plants have been well established as viable feedstock for biomass composting and gassification. Further, plenty of documentation is available to suggest that, in fertile lands as the grain-producing states have, as little as 3 to 5% of land holdings over 20 Acres set aside for 'energy plantation' can make these holdings self-sufficient in energy, by deploying the right equipment and techniques.
The MNES and its SNAs have done extensive work in promoting and developing biomass-based power projects, while IREDA and other bodies also provide international institutional funding for biomass-based power generation projects. As per MNES's 2002 figures, biomass accounted for 11% i.e. 381 MW out of 3513 MW totally generated from renewable sources - solar, wind and small hydro comprising the remainder. As for employement, biomass provides 1905 jobs out of 19985 jobs in the RE sector and these are slated to grow proportionately.
Additionally, India is the largest sugar cane producer while 60% of bagasse or spent cane is wasted. Its ability to yield economically attractive amounts of fuel gases is also well known. Some initiatives have already been taken in this direction. Bagasse-based power plants are coming up with public-private sector partnerships in several locations and MNES therefore projects a 28% share for biomass in 2012 including bagasse, at 3000 MW out of a total expected 10680 MW of power after adding waste-to-energy, solar, wind and small hydro based systems.
Likewise, vermiculture and other composting techniques for production of organic fertilisers are also very well documented and have been implemented on a reasonably widespread scale, though not intensively, for lack of a policy and administrative direction. Ill-effects of chemical fertilisers are being increasingly reported. While not promoting a mono-culture, a farmer may gain by using a mix of both types. Alternately, farmers can be alloted chemical fertilisers in exchange of compost supplied by them to a central or cooperative pool - or a higher level of energy credit for composted biomass.
Energy cooperatives are not a new concept, as experiments since the late 80s at Khandia Village in Baroda Distt in Gujarat under the aegis of GEDA and execution by Jyoti Ltd have shown. If the Power and Nonconventional Energy ministries join hands, say through the SEBs and SNAs in each state, farmers can avail of energy credit against all bio-wastes collected from them, which will incentivise them to produce more. The state administrations can aslo club together smaller holdings under a single command area. This way, energy cooperatives can be formed, possibly linked by the PDS infrastructure as well to distrubute and exchange produuce from one command area to another.
We have the capabilties for self-reliance in power, we have proven these in a number of scatterred ways and it is now time to consolidate these as the only way forward and make the Indian food sector a great power in itself.
Sincerely,
Udit Chaudhuri - Director
The microPower Initiative
MAXIMISE YOUR MILLIWATT
http://microPower.blogspot.com
6 Roop Kala, 128 West Avenue
Santacruz West, Mumbai 400 054
INDIA
Tel (+91-22)26045595; e-mail uditnc@gmail.com
http://unika.freehomepage.com
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Renewables 2004
Please refer my earlier posted base document "Fusion of Positive Energies" drawing attention to the people's solidarity initiatives in renewable energy and India's critical role in it. Unfortunately, it seems that the Indian RE administrator and govt-controlled establishment of Nodal Agencies, etc are far too inward-looking and a perspective change is very essential.
The programme of Renewables 2004 is pasted below this message for your reference. It is a culmination of a global process of peoples support for RE and for developing countries to apply pressure on the developed world, which has been responsible for the GHG emissions, which has dumped inappropriate solutions at high cost and debt burden on the 3rd world.
I would appreciate the Indian media particularly the EPW taking this seriously and tracking this event, preferably with a issue focus after the ensuing summit and features at regular review intervals.
Beginning with JREC, followed by the CURES Declaration and now at this summit, the agenda will be now to put place a mechanism to assist, monitor and guide the incorporation of clean and effective RE technologies by the developed world for the benefit of the developing one.
India's RE experience has been a lesson to both the developing and developed world. As a proving ground and model in its 30 year old program going back to 1974-75, its present power generation levels at nearly 4000 MW from solar, wind, microhydel and biomass as well as its 2012 projection at 10680. India can play a technical experts' role to the entire developing world and stem the infusion of 'recycled' inefficient products and systems that cost the beneficiary industry dearly besides imposing a large debt burden, in the form of gigantic outdated windmills and hydro-turbines, high-power photovoltaics and inefficient (re-modelled marine) engine-driven generators re-adapted from their earlier dubious avatars.
Indian industry includes about 100 SSI units manufacturing solar-thermal absorber panels, water-heating systems for homes and industry, the hugely popular absorptive solar cookers, solar lanterns, biomass gassifier-generators, micro-hydro-electric generators and small-power windmills. These are over-shadowed by two giants promoted by influential local industrialists through JVs with Macs, in the form of Tata BP the world's largest solar products manufacturer and Suzlon among the top 5 wind-mill manufacturers. The public sector has a residual presence due to the earlier tight protection given to PSUs in photovoltaics.
The former industry has come up through in-house R&D, very limited Nodal Agency backed assistance and marketing, lot of local talent and risk-taker local entrepreneurs. Despite the original and appropriate products, the further assistance required through enhanced R&D facilities, access to more raw materials from overseas where needed and a better marketing infrastructure to upscale their production and cover larger populations, is being choked by our bureaucracy against the large packaged offers of ineffective over-priced equipment with finance. In many cases, these are sanctioned by ministries not related to the MNES. A lot of such situations would be redressed, as the CURES mechanism will require compliance to transparency and accountability norms.
The EPW can play a part here, as can the rest of the Indian media, by covering and highlighting these issues, not necessarily what I have written of them.
Regards
Udit Chaudhuri
MAXIMISE YOUR MILLIWATT
http://microPower.blogspot.com
renewables 2004
June 1 to 4, 2004
The International Conference for Renewable Energies, Bonn 2004 - renewables 2004 - will be held in Bonn, Germany, from June 1 to 4, 2004.
From June 1 to 4, 2004, Germany will host the International Conference for Renewable Energies, as announced by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 in Johannesburg. renewables 2004 will lend further impetus to the dynamic process launched in Johannesburg for the global development of renewable energy. It will also take up and add to the momentum generated by the coalition of like-minded countries for promotion of renewable energy (known as the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition, JREC).
Currently, conference participants are expected to address the following themes in particular:
Financing (instruments) and market development
Formation of enabling political framework conditions
Capacity building (education, research, networks, cooperation, etc.)
These will be treated in a country-specific context.
Additional information:
contact: International Conference for Renewable Energies, B
e_mail: info@renewables2004.de
internet: http://www.renewables2004.de
The programme of Renewables 2004 is pasted below this message for your reference. It is a culmination of a global process of peoples support for RE and for developing countries to apply pressure on the developed world, which has been responsible for the GHG emissions, which has dumped inappropriate solutions at high cost and debt burden on the 3rd world.
I would appreciate the Indian media particularly the EPW taking this seriously and tracking this event, preferably with a issue focus after the ensuing summit and features at regular review intervals.
Beginning with JREC, followed by the CURES Declaration and now at this summit, the agenda will be now to put place a mechanism to assist, monitor and guide the incorporation of clean and effective RE technologies by the developed world for the benefit of the developing one.
India's RE experience has been a lesson to both the developing and developed world. As a proving ground and model in its 30 year old program going back to 1974-75, its present power generation levels at nearly 4000 MW from solar, wind, microhydel and biomass as well as its 2012 projection at 10680. India can play a technical experts' role to the entire developing world and stem the infusion of 'recycled' inefficient products and systems that cost the beneficiary industry dearly besides imposing a large debt burden, in the form of gigantic outdated windmills and hydro-turbines, high-power photovoltaics and inefficient (re-modelled marine) engine-driven generators re-adapted from their earlier dubious avatars.
Indian industry includes about 100 SSI units manufacturing solar-thermal absorber panels, water-heating systems for homes and industry, the hugely popular absorptive solar cookers, solar lanterns, biomass gassifier-generators, micro-hydro-electric generators and small-power windmills. These are over-shadowed by two giants promoted by influential local industrialists through JVs with Macs, in the form of Tata BP the world's largest solar products manufacturer and Suzlon among the top 5 wind-mill manufacturers. The public sector has a residual presence due to the earlier tight protection given to PSUs in photovoltaics.
The former industry has come up through in-house R&D, very limited Nodal Agency backed assistance and marketing, lot of local talent and risk-taker local entrepreneurs. Despite the original and appropriate products, the further assistance required through enhanced R&D facilities, access to more raw materials from overseas where needed and a better marketing infrastructure to upscale their production and cover larger populations, is being choked by our bureaucracy against the large packaged offers of ineffective over-priced equipment with finance. In many cases, these are sanctioned by ministries not related to the MNES. A lot of such situations would be redressed, as the CURES mechanism will require compliance to transparency and accountability norms.
The EPW can play a part here, as can the rest of the Indian media, by covering and highlighting these issues, not necessarily what I have written of them.
Regards
Udit Chaudhuri
MAXIMISE YOUR MILLIWATT
http://microPower.blogspot.com
renewables 2004
June 1 to 4, 2004
The International Conference for Renewable Energies, Bonn 2004 - renewables 2004 - will be held in Bonn, Germany, from June 1 to 4, 2004.
From June 1 to 4, 2004, Germany will host the International Conference for Renewable Energies, as announced by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 in Johannesburg. renewables 2004 will lend further impetus to the dynamic process launched in Johannesburg for the global development of renewable energy. It will also take up and add to the momentum generated by the coalition of like-minded countries for promotion of renewable energy (known as the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition, JREC).
Currently, conference participants are expected to address the following themes in particular:
Financing (instruments) and market development
Formation of enabling political framework conditions
Capacity building (education, research, networks, cooperation, etc.)
These will be treated in a country-specific context.
Additional information:
contact: International Conference for Renewable Energies, B
e_mail: info@renewables2004.de
internet: http://www.renewables2004.de
SPV In India
We in India have a 30 year old solar energy programme, which very much
includes SPV or solar photovoltaics. See www.mnes.nic.in,
www.greenpeaceindia.org and www.winrockindia.org for more information. About 55-60 MW of power is generated from SPV instalations all over India.
Critical lighting and communications are major applications, even though you
see these being used for applications like rail signalling, cathodic
protection of underground pipelines & vessels, geophysical/oilfield
instrumentation, etc. Very few civilian use installations exceed 100 Watts.
Production has reached 20 MW annually, between nine manufacturers. Yet,
considering a total renewable energy production of 3500 MW, SPV has a very
small share. Its high cost and poor conversion efficiency make it affordable
only where the cost of not having any power is greater than the cost of a
SPV system. Here too, wind and biomass provide better alternatives in cost
terms.
SPV is excellent for low-power-high-quality power in remote locations, esp.
where fuel is not available as in a desert, or where noise and cables are
not affordable for safety/security reasons, like military and mobile
installations.
Reliability is no major issue - plenty of information and tech resources are
available. While silver solder materials are locally availed and importable,
I have made panels using very crude processes in the 80s, which continue to
embarass me by their living presence! It is however critical to ensure that
silicon cells do not get exposed to oxygen, being highly reactive, from the
time they are unpacked. And here lies a difficulty in producing panels. The
controlled environment means a scale for economy.
Before Liberalisation of the 90s by the Narsimha Rao govt., no one outside
the public sector was even allowed to sell a development, let alone produce
anything photovoltaic, except at system level. This has since changed
radically.
Solar cells are largely imported while Mettur Industries manufactures
silicon and few companies like Udhaya Semiconductors Ltd, CEL, BHEL,
RES/Microsol etc 'cut' the silicon sheets into strips and fabrcate the solar
cells. Panels are also made by these companies. As for total systems, Tata
BP Solar is about the world's largest producer, with a turnover of Rs 200 Cr
as of 2001-02.
Hence, SPV in India is a mature and growing industry, with plenty of upward
scope.
Udit Chaudhuri uditnc@gmail.com
includes SPV or solar photovoltaics. See www.mnes.nic.in,
www.greenpeaceindia.org and www.winrockindia.org for more information. About 55-60 MW of power is generated from SPV instalations all over India.
Critical lighting and communications are major applications, even though you
see these being used for applications like rail signalling, cathodic
protection of underground pipelines & vessels, geophysical/oilfield
instrumentation, etc. Very few civilian use installations exceed 100 Watts.
Production has reached 20 MW annually, between nine manufacturers. Yet,
considering a total renewable energy production of 3500 MW, SPV has a very
small share. Its high cost and poor conversion efficiency make it affordable
only where the cost of not having any power is greater than the cost of a
SPV system. Here too, wind and biomass provide better alternatives in cost
terms.
SPV is excellent for low-power-high-quality power in remote locations, esp.
where fuel is not available as in a desert, or where noise and cables are
not affordable for safety/security reasons, like military and mobile
installations.
Reliability is no major issue - plenty of information and tech resources are
available. While silver solder materials are locally availed and importable,
I have made panels using very crude processes in the 80s, which continue to
embarass me by their living presence! It is however critical to ensure that
silicon cells do not get exposed to oxygen, being highly reactive, from the
time they are unpacked. And here lies a difficulty in producing panels. The
controlled environment means a scale for economy.
Before Liberalisation of the 90s by the Narsimha Rao govt., no one outside
the public sector was even allowed to sell a development, let alone produce
anything photovoltaic, except at system level. This has since changed
radically.
Solar cells are largely imported while Mettur Industries manufactures
silicon and few companies like Udhaya Semiconductors Ltd, CEL, BHEL,
RES/Microsol etc 'cut' the silicon sheets into strips and fabrcate the solar
cells. Panels are also made by these companies. As for total systems, Tata
BP Solar is about the world's largest producer, with a turnover of Rs 200 Cr
as of 2001-02.
Hence, SPV in India is a mature and growing industry, with plenty of upward
scope.
Udit Chaudhuri uditnc@gmail.com
And Now - A Sun-size Scam!
[Please click on the link http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?msid=640963
"Punjab to get BHEL's solar powered pumps" about 700 SPV pumps to be supplied by Punjab Energy Devp Agency at a cost of Rs 19 Crore.]
This is indeed a scandalous profligacy and perhaps so timed to evade attention, given the election time issues. To spend such resources on freebies within the country's most prosperous agro belt and in a 100% electrified region, abundant with biomass and resources for power generation from more cost-effective technologies like waste-to-energy and gassifier-based generation is indeed state-sponsored blasphemy of the highest order!
India's SPV production is barely 20MW a year, while about half of this goes to critical applications in 'non-subsidy' sectors of defence, railways, oil exploration, telecom etc. This leaves less than 10 MW of panels for basic needs like village lighting, communication/ICT and safety annunciation in no-power zones.
At a system-level cost of Rs 500-600 per Peak-Watt and a high import content, these solutions need be spared only where the cost of NOT having ANY power is greater. Further, the effective 24-hr capacity is less than 20% of that installed, given that a SPV module delivers its rated power for only 4-5 hours on an average day in these regions. System efficiency is never better than 5%. The large starting currents of motors, multiple series-parallel interconnections and joints make SPV highly unreliable for large one-spot power requirements. These facts are well known and documented, given our 30-year old solar energy programme.
On the other hand, given Punjab's production of food-grain and therefore husk, that produces 1 KwH for every 1.5 Kg of it fed to a biomass gassifier, is itself a more economical and efficient alternative to driving engines of pumps or generators, let alone the other agricultural wastes like bagasse, that are anyway burnt to cause fire and pollution hazards.
Not only is this choking development, but thousands of women and children die or get blind and sick from kerosene fumes of lanterns and monoxides of crude hearths. The PM's 2002 I-Day promise of a solar lantern in every no-power village home remains largely fulfilled.
Such a profligacy can only be the result of a callous ego-centric bureaucracy that must sanction Crores if at all, if not the work of wheels within wheels. A thorough investigation and exposure is warranted.
"Punjab to get BHEL's solar powered pumps" about 700 SPV pumps to be supplied by Punjab Energy Devp Agency at a cost of Rs 19 Crore.]
This is indeed a scandalous profligacy and perhaps so timed to evade attention, given the election time issues. To spend such resources on freebies within the country's most prosperous agro belt and in a 100% electrified region, abundant with biomass and resources for power generation from more cost-effective technologies like waste-to-energy and gassifier-based generation is indeed state-sponsored blasphemy of the highest order!
India's SPV production is barely 20MW a year, while about half of this goes to critical applications in 'non-subsidy' sectors of defence, railways, oil exploration, telecom etc. This leaves less than 10 MW of panels for basic needs like village lighting, communication/ICT and safety annunciation in no-power zones.
At a system-level cost of Rs 500-600 per Peak-Watt and a high import content, these solutions need be spared only where the cost of NOT having ANY power is greater. Further, the effective 24-hr capacity is less than 20% of that installed, given that a SPV module delivers its rated power for only 4-5 hours on an average day in these regions. System efficiency is never better than 5%. The large starting currents of motors, multiple series-parallel interconnections and joints make SPV highly unreliable for large one-spot power requirements. These facts are well known and documented, given our 30-year old solar energy programme.
On the other hand, given Punjab's production of food-grain and therefore husk, that produces 1 KwH for every 1.5 Kg of it fed to a biomass gassifier, is itself a more economical and efficient alternative to driving engines of pumps or generators, let alone the other agricultural wastes like bagasse, that are anyway burnt to cause fire and pollution hazards.
Not only is this choking development, but thousands of women and children die or get blind and sick from kerosene fumes of lanterns and monoxides of crude hearths. The PM's 2002 I-Day promise of a solar lantern in every no-power village home remains largely fulfilled.
Such a profligacy can only be the result of a callous ego-centric bureaucracy that must sanction Crores if at all, if not the work of wheels within wheels. A thorough investigation and exposure is warranted.
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