29-12-2012, 06:15 PM
Renewable energy in India
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INTRODUCTION
Renewable energy in India is a sector that is still underdeveloped. India was the first country in the world to set up
a ministry of non-conventional energy resources, in early 1980s. However its success has been very spotty. In recent
years India has been lagging behind other nations in the use of renewable energy (RE). The share of RE in the
energy sector, as on March 2011, is 10.63%[1] of total generation capacity of India. Renewable energy in India
comes under the purview of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Solar power
India is densely populated and has high solar insolation, an ideal
combination for using solar power in India. Much of the country does
not have an electrical grid, so one of the first applications of solar
power has been for water pumping, to begin replacing India's four to
five million diesel powered water pumps, each consuming about
3.5 kilowatts, and off-grid lighting. Some large projects have been
proposed, and a 35,000 km² area of the Thar Desert has been set aside
for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 gigawatts.
The Indian Solar Loan Programme, supported by the United Nations
Environment Programme has won the prestigious Energy Globe World
award for Sustainability for helping to establish a consumer financing
program for solar home power systems. Over the span of three years
more than 16,000 solar home systems have been financed through
2,000 bank branches, particularly in rural areas of South India where
the electricity grid does not yet extend.[3][4]
Wind power
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 US, domestic policy support for
wind power has led India to become the country with the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world.[26]
As of December 2010 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 13,065.37 MW, mainly spread across Tamil
Nadu (4132.72 MW), Maharashtra (1837.85 MW), Karnataka (1184.45 MW), Rajasthan (670.97 MW), Gujarat
(1432.71 MW), Andhra Pradesh (122.45 MW), Madhya Pradesh (187.69 MW), Kerala (23.00 MW), West Bengal
(1.10 MW), other states (3.20 MW) [27] It is estimated that 6,000 MW of additional wind power capacity will be
installed in India by 2012.[28] Wind power accounts for 6% of India's total installed power capacity, and it generates
1.6% of the country's power.[29]
Waste to energy
Every year, about 55 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) and 38 billion liters of sewage are generated in
the urban areas of India. In addition, large quantities of solid and liquid wastes are generated by industries. Waste
generation in India is expected to increase rapidly in the future. As more people migrate to urban areas and as
incomes increase, consumption levels are likely to rise, as are rates of waste generation. It is estimated that the
amount of waste generated in India will increase at a per capita rate of approximately 1-1.33% annually. This has
significant impacts on the amount of land that is and will be needed for disposal, economic costs of collecting and
transporting waste, and the environmental consequences of increased MSW generation levels. Waste Energy In India
[30][31]