VOL- IV(I)
IN BETWEEN ARTICLES: 5
India bridging the CSP gap with two projects--By Heba Hesham
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Concentrated Solar Power--By Staff Writer
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Securing Energy For Low-Carbon Asia: A New Economic Narrative--By Venkatachalam Anbumozhi
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Action plan to harness renewables and energy saving--By Dr. A. Jagadeesh
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The Effect of Wind on Unglazed Transpired Collectors--By Neetha Vasan & Joseph Koruth
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Rethink on India's National Solar Mission--By K. Sivadasan
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Why improving energy efficiency is so important?--By Staff Writer
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Promoting Renewable Energy Adoption and Utilization in Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region By Dr. Krishnan S. Raghavan
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Energy and Efficiency--By Staff Writer
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Decentralization a sustainable solution for urban waste management--By Lt. Col Suresh Rege (Retd)
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Renewable Energy Industry: Highlights of India's Union Budget 2014-2015--By Anmol Singh Jaggi
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Solar Power An Overview--By Staff Writer
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The 'Positive' and 'Negative' effects of various energy choices--By Staff Writer
NEWS: 38 World's first eco-friendly Dh20-million green mosque opened in Dubai 40 Dharnai-India's first fully solar-powered village in Bihar 41
JNNSM sets 20000 MW renewable energy generation target by 2022
42 Scope and local content goals of India solar mission under fire 43 Nearly One Third of Germany Is Now Powered by Renewable Energy 44 Floating Solar Islands on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland
NEW TECHNOLOGY: 45 New solar material goes hole-free for greater durability 46 Fraunhofer ISE announces world record for concentrator photovoltaics:
ENERGY
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2014
Advisory Board Arvind A. Mule | India Dr. A. Jagadeesh | India Dr. Bhamy Shenoy | USA Er. Darshan Goswami | USA Elizabeth H. Thompson | Barbados Pincas Jawetz | USA Ediorial Board Salman Zafar | India Editor & Publisher M. R. Menon Business & Media P. Roshini Design Shamal Nath Circulation Manager Andrew Paul Printed and Published by M.R.Menon at Midas Offset Printers, Kuthuparamba, Kerala Editorial Office 'Pallavi' Kulapully Shoranur 679122, Kerala (E-Mail: editor.energyblitz@gmail.com) Disclaimer: The views expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and the Editorial team | energy blitzdoes not take responsibility for the contents and opinions.energy blitz will not be responsible for errors, omissions or comments made by writers, interviewers or Advertisers.Any part of this publication may be reproduced with acknowledgment to the author and magazine. Registered and Editorial Office 'Pallavi, Kulapully, Shoranur 679122, Kerala, India Tel: +91-466-2220852/9995081018 E-mail: editor.energyblitz@gmail.com Web: energyblitz.webs.com
Energy efficiency and renewable energy are said to be the twin pillars of sustainable energy policy and are high priorities in the sustainable energy hierarchy. In many countries energy efficiency is also seem to have a national security benefit because it can be used to reduce the level of energy imports from foreign countries and may slow down the rate at which domestic energy resources are depleting. Anywhere energy is used, there are opportunities to increase efficiency. In most cases, energy efficiency measures will pay for themselves over time in the form of lower energy bills. How quickly they pay back their investment depends on a lot of factors, such as the cost of energy, and the overall use of the measurefor example, how many hours an appliance is on. Weather is a factor when the measure is related to maintaining environmental conditionsin air conditioning, heating for example. Economic analysis of the cost of various energy efficiency measures, compared with that of building various types of energy sources that emit less GHG (Greenhouse Gas) than fossil-powered plants, shows that most energy efficiency measures are cheaper, and therefore pay for themselves faster, than most kinds of energy generation. Energy efficiency is the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. Improvements in energy efficiency are generally achieved by adopting a more efficient technology or production processes or by application of commonly accepted methods to reduce energy losses. There are many motivations to improve energy efficiency. Reducing energy use reduces energy costs and may result in a financial cost saving to consumers if the energy savings offset any additional costs of implementing an energy efficient technology. Reducing energy use is also seen as a solution to the problem of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), improved energy efficiency in buildings, industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world's energy needs in 2050 by one third, and help control global emissions of greenhouse gases. Currently, renewables are unevenly and insufficiently used, although many renewable energy sources are available in large quantities. Despite their considerable economic potential, they account for an extremely low share of the total, statistically identified gross domestic energy consumption. If we fail to cover a much larger share of our energy requirements by means of renewable energy sources, there will be two consequences: not only will we find it more and more difficult to meet our obligations in the fields of environmental protection and global warming management, at both domestic and international level, but we will also miss out on major economic development opportunities. Renewables are domestic energy sources which can help to reduce our dependence on energy imports, thereby making our energy supply more reliable. Greater use of renewable energy sources will create jobs, especially in the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises, which play a crucial role in the economic structure of the country. Small and medium-sized enterprises are not only an important factor in crafts and trades; they also provide an impetus for a variety of industries, including the metal industry, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, engine and equipment engineering, as well as the building materials industry.
Ramanathan Menon
India bridging the CSP gap with two projects By Heba Hesham Two CSP pilot projects totaling 100 MW are expected to be tendered this year by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). Unlike phase one of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), these projects will be owned and developed by the government entity, who will then invite local and international EPC contractors to bid. So what are the key technical and financial aspects to take into consideration? In another attempt to get CSP projects off the ground in India, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) an institution established under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to facilitate the implementation of the NSM is developing and tendering
profitability and operability of the two projects. Specifically, the first project is characterized as a 50MW CSP plant with hybrid cooling (consumption 25% of water cooling option), and the second as a 50MW CSP plant: with high operating temperature of at least 470°C and wet water cooling. No upper limit has been set on the TES, in order to encourage bidders to optimize the number of storage hours to achieve lower levelized cost of electricity. Back-up hybridization will also be allowed, not only with natural gas but with any other fuel source. “One plant is with TES and hybrid cooling, and the other
Innovative configurations
Image courtesy: EnergyNext with TES and high temperatures in the heat transfer fluid (HTF). The goal is to demonstrate that a plant with such characteristics might be feasible in India,” explains Javier Lopez Carvajal, Product Manager of Renewable Energy Middle East at Tractebel Engineering, which is helping SECI and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) develop the project tenders.
Each of the projects will have a 50MW capacity and a minimum of three hours of molten-salt thermal storage. Auxiliary use of fuel up to 15% of the total generation (off-line and on-line) will be allowed to increase the
Although specific requirements about the maturity of the technology are yet to be defined, SECI and ADB are said to accept all technologies that has been deployed in other markets and are commercially viable Carvajal
two 50 MW CSP projects. Dr. Ashvini Kumar, Director of Solar at SECI, told CSP Today: “The development of the projects is at an advanced stage and various approvals are in process. Tenders for these projects are likely in a couple of months.”
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comments: “The technology has not been decided yet. Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors mainly need to demonstrate that they can build with competitive prices and higher efficiency”. “With regard to solar thermal technology, setting up pilot projects using technologies not covered by commercial projects under JNNSM is one of the windows envisaged to achieve the basic aim of the mission,” notes Dr. Kumar. ADB's Data Sheet states that both projects will have to be developed by 2017, allowing contractors three years for construction, with a two to five-year operation and maintenance period that could be renewed. Financial aspects With funding nearly secured, SECI will soon be tendering the projects through international competitive bidding on the amount of the grant, with a provision of transfer of land on lease to SECI. The delivery method of the project has also been changed, according to Antonio Lopez Martinez, Energy Specialist, South Asia Department, at the Asian Development Bank. “The project's financial structure has been moved from Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to a Design-BuildOperate-Maintain (DBOM) contract as SECI has decided to carry out the project by its own.” As for the proposed financial structure, roughly 10% will be provided as an equity from SECI, 50% through ADB financing (Ordinary Capital Resources & Clean Technology Fund) and 40% through a grant from the National Clean Energy Fund. “SECI is envisaging to own the projects. As per the source of financing, the project is to be financed through debt (Rs. 1200 Crore), equity (Rs. 240 Crore) and the National Clean Energy Fund Grant in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) (Rs. 960 Crore),” explains Dr. Kumar. He adds that it is likely that US$ 250 million will be provided from ADB as debt under sovereign guarantee from the Government of India, comprising US$ 200 million from ADB and US$ 50 million from the Clean Technology Fund. VGF is a once-off or short-term capital assistance that bears a part of the high capital investment required in setting up a CSP project, which could be in various forms, including credit enhancements, supplementary grant funding, loans and interest subsidies. Aggressive tariffs A flat tariff of INR 6.25/kWh has already been assumed for the two pilot plants. Although there is no maximum CAPEX, each plant is expected to cost around US$ 250 million. “The selling tariff for the projects is capped at INR 6.25 per kWh (US$ cent 10.24), which is low compared to recent international CSP transactions.
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The rationale for this tariff is the project's grant
component the lower cost of locally-sourced components,” notes Martinez. Carvajal adds: “SECI wants to push the CSP industry in India, and I think the main reason for these projects is to prove the feasibility of CSP in the country and show they can build more complex solutions.” He advises EPC contractors who want to approach these tenders to have a solid business case, follow the procedures, and source as much local content as they can. “Related to that is the tariff; it's very aggressive, since they want it be as low cost as possible. It is a challenge for the entire CSP sector in India to be competitive with PV.” Luis Crespo, President of the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association, also underlines the financial aspect: “The main thing is to offer solutions under certain price constraints. This is the most important objective of what India is trying to achieve to make innovative concepts happen at competitive prices. It's going to be a good test for whether these plants can be built at the price that SECI has in mind”. Crespo, who has been appointed by ADB to provide consultancy for SECI's business plan in relation to its various solar activities, expects to see bidding consortiums comprise players that have international experience as well as a domestic workforce. “All the labour and engineering capacity of India can be put to the service of these projects. Therefore, this will be one of the main challenges, even for foreign bidders, because to offer plants under the prices that have been announced will require a lot of local content,” highlights Crespo. Similarly, Carvajal notes that EPC contractors should localize as much as possible in India to be competitive. “This is one of the goals of the developer. Finding local partners is another solution”. Implications for India's CSP future By developing these two intermediate projects, SECI is clearly trying to build a stronger foundation for CSP projects in Phase Two. Martinez explains: “The target is to create a link between NSM Phase 1 and Phase 2, since the image of the sector has been damaged. Out of seven CSP projects, only one has been commissioned on time (Godawari) and only two will be commissioned during 2014. If the Government of India wants to promote CSP, they need to do something. This initiative is one of the ways to give some confidence in the technology and to separate it from PV.” Crespo agrees: “SECI wants to support new projects in future development. These two projects are considered as key points to see whether CSP in India has the potential to be deployed on a large scale.” Critical lessons learnt from Phase One, and that are now being applied, include gaining a better understanding of the DNI levels, and exploring the need for some kind of auxiliary support from natural gas to allow new and even existing CSP plants to start up in an easier way and operate more constantly. “The Government of India is working hard with international institutions, such as GIZ, NREL and others, to address the DNI issue and is installing many
meteorological stations across the country. These demo projects will ensure international best practices on solarresource assessments. “On the other hand, with regards to auxiliary back up, the MNRE recognizes the need and this is why they're allowing on these two demo projects the use of it, up to 15%,” highlights Martinez. Svante Bundgaard, CEO of Aalborg CSP, comments: “They are trying to bridge the gap, by taking their time to realize learnings from Phase One.” Aalborg CSP supplied two projects in India with its steam generator systems the Godawari 50+MWe Plant India's first commercial CSP plant and the 25MWe Cargo CSP project in Gujarat. “We are observing to see how the actual projects materialize, because different aspects are going to be included, such as gas proportions and high operating temperatures. There are rumours of different technology
opportunities to meet those requirements. You can do tower, direct steam, new kinds of HTF, molten salt, parabolic trough many different solutions for the same problem,” says Bundgaard. His company, however, will continue to be a technology supplier for India's projects rather than bid as an EPC contractor. “We are there to stay and make improvements, and we have already. We reduced our costs, increased our performance, and added a five year no-leakage guarantee to give the confidence to independent power producers, operators and EPCs that better LCOE achievements can be made”. Indeed, the future of CSP in India, if not worldwide, will boil down to bankable projects, especially considering that financial closure was among the major challenges that faced developers in Phase One. As Carvajal concludes, “these projects could be a milestone because in the end, they are really feasible”.
Heba Hashem is a freelance journalist based in Dubai, reporting regularly on the solar and nuclear energy industries to CSP Today, PV Insider Today, and Nuclear Energy Insider. Her articles have also appeared in the in-flight magazines of Qatar Airways and Emirates Airlines, covering regional business and environmental issues. Holding a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies from Middlesex University, London, and a B.A. in English-Arabic translation from Cairo University, she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists since 2009. Her contact email address: enquiry@hebahashem.com
Concentrated Solar Power By Staff Writer of the process is electricity in the cleanest form. CSP technology uses three alternatives of technological approaches, namely Parabolic Trough Systems, Power Tower Systems and Dish Engine Systems. Out of the above, GGEL supports Parabolic Trough system. The Parabolic trough technology The Parabolic trough technology has the longest commercial track record of all the CSP technologies. The Parabolic trough power plants are congruous for immensescale use in the range of 10 to 300 MW electrical output. This technology can supersede conventional thermal power plants without any qualitative changes in the electrical grid structure. The turbines of CSP plants can generate power in low solar radiation periods at night, distributing power reliably on a orchestrated schedule while keeping the grid stable. (Image Courtesy: Godawari Green Energy Limited, Rajasthan) “Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology is a unique system of using energy of the sun to produce electricity. The technology utilizes focused sunlight converting it into heat and generate electric power. CSP systems range from remote power systems as diminutive as a few kilowatts up to grid-connected power plants of 100's of megawatts (MW). CSP systems work best in bright and sunny locations. The economies of scale and cost of operation and maintenance are comparatively higher than the traditional methods of thermal electricity� CSP technology works best in large power plants, maximizing the returns of the giant investments and attaining a stable and consistent flow of electricity generated. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology uses energy from the sun to generate heat, which is used in steam cycles to produce electricity. The technology is particularly efficient in regions with high direct solar irradiation, encompassing the earth's sunbelt on both sides of the equator to 35 degrees latitude.
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The use of CSP power plants is similar to a conventional steam power plant. The prime difference is that the CSP plants use emission-free and clean solar radiation to produce heat, instead of fossil or nuclear fuels. There is no industrial waste that is released from the power plants. The plants keep the environment safe from carbon emissions and toxins as it generates energy from a renewable source whilst ensuring that all that is released
The method of using parabolic-shaped troughs with reflective surface is done by directing the sun's energy towards a thin pipe running along their focal point. As the sun's rays become concentrated, they reach intensities up to 100 times their original state. As a result, a very high temperature is reached within the focal point. To collect this thermal energy, heattransfer fluids are pumped steadily through the pipes and used to produce power-generating steam. Another variation of this technology is the use of mirrored strips, called Fresnel reflectors in the parabolic reflection system. Parabolic troughs are the most mature form of CSP technology and the most advanced in generating energy with maximum efficiency. The benefits of this technology are far more than any other form of energy production, as this is one of the cleanest forms of engendering power without causing any damage to the environment. The parabolic trough has a very interesting process of ensuring capture of solar energy. To produce the extreme temperatures required in thermal concentration, systems can maximize efficiency and solar concentration by tracking the sun's course throughout the day. Through this, there is no loss in the energy that can be engendered in a day, which furthermore ensures that there is a steady and smooth power generation without interruptions. Parabolic trough systems can be mounted on a single day axis of rotation, typically aligned along a true North meridian that follows the sun's course throughout the day. By incorporating a small array of parabolic troughs with innovative power turbines, we can extract energy efficiently from low vapour quality thermal fluids. This sanctions an incipient breed of
minuscule scale concentrated thermal projects at a low cost. Potential The early stage of the CSP market allows room for innovation in product development, and for a local manufacturing base to develop. There is a need to encourage research, development, and deployment of CSP to allow the technology to fulfill its potential. The CSP ecosystem is at an early stage of maturity, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity. On one hand, stakeholders have experienced difficulty raising finance for projects and finding skilled resources such as engineers and welders. On the other hand, market participants are optimistic that as more projects are commissioned in India, a local manufacturing base for CSP components could develop to cater to both domestic and international markets. When the overall cost of CSP establishing CSP plants will reduce, the investments will be flowing in faster and development in this sector will multiply incredibly. The CSP sector needs long-term signals about the direction of the market, policy priorities and support measures. With Parabolic Troughs optimizing the energy generation, the solar power plant can supply a very stable and continuous flow of energy at all times. With the power to even produce energy at night or during cloudy weather, CSP technology can lead to a flourishing scenario of the solar power in India. As India is a tropical land, there are areas that receive high temperatures of heat from sun rays. These can be sites for solar power plants. The dependability on solar
energy will increase with time and technology and will ultimately lead to less usage of non-renewable resources usage for power plants. The final outcome for all of this is a harmonized eco-system enriched with sustainable methods of daily survival and existence. Indian Scenario “Solar power can play a significant role in a secure and diversified energy future for India as the country becomes a hub for solar projects. More specifically, concentrated solar power (CSP) could have a unique role in India's energy mix. Its potential to use hybrid technologies and easily add storage could unlock dispatch able and base-load power, setting the stage for larger renewable energy penetration. CSP is currently more expensive than photovoltaic (PV) technology, and projects take longer to set up; CSP plants need more water per unit of electricity produced” For a country where access to affordable electricity and the stability of its grid infrastructure are both critical priorities, it would be an error to impose a false choice between PV and CSP technologies. Both are needed to diversify India's electricity sources and make access to electricity more sustainable, affordable, and predictable. The CSP market has to be evaluated on its own merit. The Indian government may have to continue to foster CSP development at this stage, even as PV projects progress on the back of rapidly falling PV module prices. Appreciating the unique roles that both CSP and PV can play in the energy mix is key to ensuring flexible policy emphasis on each solar technology. Using the right mix of energy resources in India, we can ensure a steady grid flow of electricity.
Godawari Solar Project At A Glance Status Date: February 13, 2014 Background Technology:Parabolic trough Status:Operational Country: India City:Nokh Region:Rajhastan Lat/Long Location: 27°36' 5.0? North, 72°13' 26.0? East Land Area: 150 hectares Electricity Generation: 118,000 MWh/yr (Estimated) Contact(s):Webmaster Solar Break Ground: June 26, 2011 Start Production: June 5, 2013 PPA/Tariff Rate:12.2 Rs per kWh PPA/Tariff Period: 25 years Project Type:Commercial Participants Developer(s):Godawari Green Energy Limited Owner(s) (%):Godawari Green Energy Limited (100%) EPC Contractor:Lauren-Jyoti Generation Offtaker(s):NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited Plant Configuration Solar Field Solar-Field Aperture Area: 392,400 m²
# of Solar Collector Assemblies (SCAs):480 # of Loops:120 # of SCAs per Loop: 4 SCA Aperture Area: 817 m² SCA Length:144 m # of Modules per SCA:12 SCA Manufacturer (Model): EuroTrough (ET 150) Mirror Manufacturer (Model):Flabeg (RP3) HCE Manufacturer (Model):Schott (PTR-70) HCE Type (Length):Evacuated (4 m) Heat-Transfer Fluid Type:Dowtherm A HTF Company:Dow Chemical Solar-Field Inlet Temp: 293°C Solar-Field Outlet Temp:390°C Power Block Turbine Capacity (Gross): 50.0 MW Turbine Capacity (Net):50.0 MW Turbine Manufacturer:Siemens Turbine Description:SST-700 Cooling Method:Wet cooling Thermal Storage Storage Type:None (Source: NREL, USA)
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Securing Energy For Low-Carbon Asia: A New Economic Narrative By Venkatachalam Anbumozhi The pattern of energy supply and demand that have prevailed over the last three decades is undergoing transformation, with the consequence for the future of energy security and regional cooperation in Asia. The two main developments causing this are the rise of India along with China and some South East Asian countries like India as the dynamic center of energy consumption and the impressive additions to oil, gas and coal output. The first is driven by population increase, industrial growth and economic ascendance of emerging economies. The second stems from the opening up of new geological formation for the production of conventional fuels at a reasonable cost. ERIA's energy outlook studies show that the East Asia region's final
the gap. We need to find the best strategies to cement energy security with low-carbon energy supply. Here, three components of such an architecture is outlined. Harnessing Energy Efficiency Potentials Recent analysis of energy investment outlook in Asia countries has shown that over the long-term, energy savings from supply side and demand side energy efficiency measures exceed the output of any single fuel source. Meanwhile, energy productivity is also improving rapidly. The amount of energy used to produce a unit of GDP declined by 1.5 percent in 2011, compared with an average annual decline of 0.4 percent between 2000 and 2010. The Alternative Policy Scenarios envisage additional investments of USD 12.7 trillion in electricity for industry as well as the residential and commercial sectors (IEA, 2014). The increased investments could generate cumulative savings of 14 percent in Total Primary Energy Supply and 11 percent in avoided carbon emissions, compared to total final energy consumption. The benefits of energy efficiency are multifaceted as investments in energy efficiency can also contribute to economic growth via new job creation and improved health.
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Figure 1. Energy Outlook of EAS region under BAU scenario (Source: ERIA, 2014) From a conceptual point of view, the opportunities with Energy consumption in the Business-As-Usual (BAU) energy efficiency as a hidden fuel are known, the good will is Case is expected to increase from 3,112 Mtoe in 2011 to there, and the technical solutions exist and are known. But 5,545 Mtoe in 2035, an increase of 2.4 percent per year the main hurdle is implementation on the ground. In this (Figure 1). Carbon emission in this case is projected to respect, planning, standard and target setting, institutional increase from 3,683 Mt-C in 2011 to 6,492 Mt-C in 2035 and human capacity building and innovative business models, (ERIA, 2014). It is, however, estimated that about 40 among others, are basis for implementing a general percent of the 1.6 billion people who lack access to framework to harness energy efficiency potentials. This electricity live in this region. So how to provide and keep framework should be supported by government policies on the lights on? Decarbonizes the energy system, and attain rationalizing energy pricing mechanisms. energy security. Integrating the Energy Markets Asia in general and India in particular, with demand expected to grow by as much as 250 percent by The region faces a sharp increase in reliance on oil imports, Alternative Policy Scenarios (APS), face huge systemwhich will impose high costs and lead to more vulnerability wide investment demands, from energy efficiency to the to potential disruptions in the future. On the other hand, the development of regional interconnected grids and unevenly distributed 229 GW of hydro-power, 1.2 million improved use of low quality coal. It has become clear cubic meters of natural gas, 0.8 billion cubic meters of oil in that business-as-usual policies are not sufficient to bridge
the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) provide an opportunity for the region's emerging economies to tackle energy gaps and security challenges through cross-border power interconnection. Economic analysis of selected ASEAN power-grid interconnection projects indicates that they greatly improve the investment on power system efficiency and bring in an additional 33,125 MW of hydro energy, cutting down carbon emissions by almost 70 Mt/year by the 2030s (ADB ADBI, 2013). While an integrated energy market could drive investment decisions in an efficient way, the current domestic policy environment that favors such mechanisms is far from the ideal. System operators and regulators continue to rely on discretionary decisions that strongly incentivize investments locally and influence capacity prices and power plant revenues, thereupon threatening, however, the bright opportunities available at the regional level. New developments in terms of soft infrastructure such as laws, standards, deregulations and new models of public financing are crucial to allow energy trade and investment to happen regionally on competitive basis. Energizing with Clean Coal ASEAN and East Asia will continue to be an important player in global coal markets in the coming decade. At the end of 2012, the combination of China, India, Indonesia and Australia alone accounted for 64percent of the world's total 7,831 Mt of coal production, with Indonesia being the largest exporter (IEA, 2013). Existing coal reserves in the region would be sufficient to sustain current rates of production and lift hundreds of millions out of energy poverty. But the region's reserves are predominantly sub-bituminous and lignite of low and medium energy content. Hence, clean, affordable electricity from coal is vital for the emerging economies of the region. Today's high efficiency super critical coal plants have the capacity to lower carbon emissions by 25 percent compared to the oldest plants. According to recent studies, if Clean Coal Technologies (CCT) - an umbrella term used to describe a new generation of energy process that sharply reduces carbon emissions and other pollutants from coal power plants are used, some 33 percent of coal consumption for the same amount of electricity generated could be saved. Furthermore, it is
estimated that deployment of clean coal technologies will generate 550,000 new employment in the sector (ERIA, 2014). But the critical element is the high capital cost of the clean coal technologies, a problem shared with other lowcarbon technologies such as hydro-power and offshore wind. A policy or regulatory frame work that requires internalization of externalities such as emissions would help promote the use of cleaner coal, with positive impact on plant efficiencies, emissions and energy security. Japan's Bilateral Offset Credit Mechanism (BOCM),which allows the offsetting of the high costs of technology to guaranteed transfer of carbon credits, is attracting interest from some countries. One thing clear is that attaining energy security and decarbonization of our future energy system requires a change of perspectives, strategies and policies. As we enter an economic era dominated by Asia, we must rethink how to incorporate new and developing elements of low-carbon energy into the economic structure -- from renewables generation to transport based on biofuels to energy saving potential to safety of nuclear power plants. To achieve cost-effective improvement in energy security, we must consider all available options and then transform the system as a whole. This needs working together for mutual benefit. With the historic resilience of existing policies that encourage energy efficiency and new technologies, flexible institutions and the plans in place for market reform, the region in general and India in particular is well-placed to achieve it by 2035. References: ERIA (2014). Energy Outlook and Analysis of Energy Saving Potential in East Asia, Research Project Report 2013, No.19, Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. ADB - ADBI (2013). Low-Carbon Green Growth in Asia: Policies and Practices, Asian Development Bank, Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo ERIA (2014). Strategic Use of Coal in the EAS Region: A Technical Road Map, Proceedings of the ERIA Working Group Meetings, Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. IEA (2014). World Energy Investment Outlook, Paris. International Energy Agency. IEA (2013). Key World Energy Statistics, Paris: International Energy Agency.
Venkatachalam Anbumozhi is a Senior Economist at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. His previous positions include Senior Fellow and Capacity Building Specialist at Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, manager and senior policy researcher at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Kobe, Japan, and Senior Engineer at Pacific Consultants International, Tokyo. He has also advised international agencies on sustainable development projects. He has published several books and numerous articles and reports on environment friendly energy infrastructure design, policies on natural resource management, and public-private partnerships for Green Growth. He obtained his PhD. from the University of Tokyo. His contact email address: v.anbumozhi@eria.org
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Action plan to harness renewables and energy saving By Dr. A. Jagadeesh
Energy is the prime mover of any nation. In our country there is an annual power deficit of about 10,000 MW. Here is an Action Plan to harness Renewables and Energy Saving:
Wind Farms. I had been suggesting Offshore Wind Farms, as India has long coast line. Winds in the sea are about 30% more than on land and since power is cube of velocity, offshore wind farms give higher yields. At least a pilot project can be started by MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) so that private industry follows.
*Starting Offshore Wind Farms. *Wind Farm and Solar Co-operatives *Creating Renewable Energy Fund. *Energy saving by replacing mostly inefficient 2.6 crore agricultural pump sets with efficient ones which can save 30% power. A scheme can be chalked out to give a subsidy of Rs. 15,000 (Out of cost of Rs. 20,000 for a 5 HP Motor). Electricity is a high grade energy which finds extensive use in industry, lighting, computers, etc. In some states power is free or nominal tariff. *Biofuel/Biogas for power generation through massive cultivation of care-free growth regenerative CAM plants like Agave, Opuntia, etc.
Energy Cooperatives
Hitherto depreciation benefits were given to large industries. A RENEWABLE ENERGY FUND can be created and people (Individual Tax Payers) can be exempted if they invest in this fund under Section 80C. This way there will be wide participation of people in renewable energy projects.
“The expansion of renewable energies leads to fundamental changes concerning our energy supply. Wind turbines in the landscape, photovoltaic systems on roofs or farms with biogas plants are visible indications for the development in that sector. Heat pumps, wood pellet and woodchip heating plants provide heat and relieve whole villages from fossil fuels�
12 Another area that needs immediate attention is Offshore
Unemployed youth can be trained in agricultural operations and each can be assigned waste lands of 10 acres and 10 such people can form a cooperative. They can grow fast growing, multiple use plants like Agave and Opuntia in these waste lands. Biofuel/Biogas power plants can be set up at local level as decentralised power. Apart from Solar Co-operatives, Windfarm Co-operatives are the need of the hour in India.
Renewable energies not only protect the climate, but also
improve the security of supply, create new jobs and increase the regional income. The decentralized nature of renewable energy gives every citizen the opportunity to make an active contribution to the transformation of energy supply, either by building their own facilities or by participating in community projects. In the last three decades, people came together in numerous citizens' groups, local councils and regional businesses to establish common renewable energy projects in their region. Energy cooperatives as organisational form are growing a lot in popularity because they offer a variety of possibilities for action and design. Currently, more than 80,000 citizens in Germany hold shares in new energy cooperatives. They can already participate with small amounts. In the last years, more than 500 newly-founded energy cooperatives invested a total of 800 million euros in renewable energy. This is confirmed by a recent study of the DGRV. The move away from conventional sources of energy in Germany is driven primarily by citizens. An increasing number of people work together by forming cooperatives to build wind farms and solar plants. Cooperatives have experienced a revival in Germany. In 2006, eight new energy cooperatives were founded. In 2011 alone, this number was 167. And the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation expect the figure to be even higher for 2012. This kind of growth is vital if Germany wants to phase out its nuclear energy dependency by 2022. By promoting energy policy at the local level, communities all over Germany are profiting from renewable energy sources and the power of cooperatives. A typical example of this growth is seen in the Horb Ecumenical Energy Cooperative in Stuttgart, which has implemented several solar power plants. Bernard Bok was a driving force in this task: before his retirement he was on the board of the local cooperative Volksbank, so he was interested in helping the cooperative. For him there was no question, the development of renewable energy needed the strong legs of a cooperative to stand on. “We are in a country of cooperatives,� said Bok. Nowhere in Germany are cooperatives represented more strongly than in southern German. Small-scale farming was expected to expand so local farmers organized themselves into agricultural cooperatives. Citizen participation instead of anonymous investors. In the mid 19th century, cooperative were born out of necessity. But today, people come together for different reasons: the desire for self-government and citizen participation is growing stronger. People are looking for an alternative to unknown investors and prefer to follow their own agenda instead of being dependent on others. Thus, in times of global economic turmoil, local
communities and civil societies are a deliberate counterpoint to the international financial markets. Often traditional cooperative banks, such as the Volks- and Raiffeisenbank, participate in the funding and financing of local cooperatives. Large projects are possible The range of energy cooperatives is large, and it is not limited to just solar or wind power. For example, a cooperative in the community of St. Peter in the Black Forest last year built a plant for local thermal power. A modern wood heating plant provides heat for the town of 150 houses, which have made oil heaters obsolete. About 8,500 meters of piping were laid in the village for the cooperative. To complete the project, different stakeholders came together from over the region each bringing their own specific professional knowledge. Markus Bohnert, a board member of the citizens cooperative, has worked as a forester. Other supporters had backgrounds in heating construction, building design or marketing. The idea for this cooperative started in 2007. A subsequent survey of all citizens of St. Peter showed that people were very receptive. Above all, the major local consumers wanted to be a part of the project including municipal buildings, church facilities, as well as many hotels and restaurants it the town center. As a result, "People's Energy of St. Peter" was founded. The number of people required to found a cooperative has dropped from seven to three people. Similarly, the required number of board members was reduced for small cooperatives. With these changes, cooperatives have been gaining speed: According to the umbrella organization for cooperatives in Baden-WĂźrttemberg, southern Germany, one in three citizens is a member of a cooperative ( Source: Energy Cooperatives are booming in Germany, DW). Another area that is advancing in Germany is Offshore Wind Farms: The use of the offshore wind energy in German waters predominantly takes place outside the 12 sea mile zone in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). With this, the majority of the planned projects and those still in operation is located in the high seas of the German North and Baltic Sea. At the end of August 2013, 520 MW of offshore wind capacity was being connected to the grid in Germany. By 2030, a capacity of 25,000 MW is to be connected to the grid according to the plans of the Federal Government. Currently, offshore wind farms (OWP) with a total capacity of about 1,600 MW are being constructed; wind farms with a capacity of 9,000 to around 10,500 MW received an authorization. Moreover, further 94 projects with about 6,600 Off WEA and a total capacity of up to about 30,000 MW are in the process of authorization so that all in all, about 40,000 MW are in the planning stage (as at September 2012). The maps of the German North and Baltic Sea provide an overview of both the location and the status of the projects (Source: OFFSHORE - WINDENERGIE.NET).
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I have been advocating starting Wind Farm co-operatives in India on the lines of those in Germany, Denmark, etc. for over a decade. Windfarm Co-operatives are already there in some countries.
electricity comes from wind power and 75% of its heat comes from solar power and biomass energy. An Energy Academy has opened in Ballen, with a visitor education center.
Australia
The Netherlands
The Hepburn Wind Project is a wind farm at Leonards Hill near Daylesford, Victoria, north-west of Melbourne, Victoria. It comprises two 2MW wind turbines which produce enough power for 2,300 households. This is the first Australian community-owned wind farm. The initiative has emerged because the community felt that the state and federal governments were not doing enough to address climate change.
Sixty-three farmers in De Zuidlob, the southern part of the municipality of Zeewolde, have entered into a cooperative agreement that aims to develop a wind farm of at least 108MW. The project will include the installation of three phases of 12 wind turbines with capacities of 3 to 4.5 MW each. The aim is to put the wind farm into service in 2012.The Netherlands has an active community of wind cooperatives. They build and operate wind parks in all regions of the Netherlands. This started in the 1980s with the first Lagerweij turbines. Back then, these turbines could be financed by the members of the cooperatives. Today, the cooperatives build larger wind parks, but not as large as commercial parties do. Some still operate self-sufficiently, others partner with larger commercial wind park developers.
Canada Community wind power is in its infancy in Canada but there are reasons for optimism. One such reason is the launch of a new Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program in the Province of Ontario. A number of community wind projects are in development in Ontario but the first project that is likely to obtain a FIT contract and connect to the grid is the Pukwis Community Wind Park. Pukwis will be unique in that it is a joint Aboriginal/Community wind project that will be majority-owned by the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, with a local renewable energy co-operative (the Pukwis Energy Co-operative) owning the remainder of the project.
United Kingdom As of 2012, there are 43 communities who are in the process of or already producing renewable energy through cooperative structures in the UK. They are setup and run by everyday people, mostly local residents, who are investing their time and money and together installing large wind turbines, solar panels, or hydro-electric power for their local communities.
Denmark United States In Denmark, families were offered a tax exemption for generating their own electricity within their own or an adjoining commune. By 2001 over 100,000 families belonged to wind turbine cooperatives, which had installed 86% of all the wind turbines in Denmark, a world leader in wind power. Wind power has gained very high social acceptance in Denmark, with the development of community wind farms playing a major role. In 1997, Samsø won a government competition to become a model renewable energy community. An offshore wind farm comprising 10 turbines (making a total of 21 altogether including land-based windmills), was completed, funded by the islanders. Now 100% of its
Most of the wind farms in the United States are commercially owned. As of 2011, Iowa has just on community owned wind farm that is Hardin Hill top near Jefferson, Iowa. National Wind is a large-scale community wind project developer, with thirteen families of projects in development or operation. These projects have an aggregate capacity of over 4,000 MW. The vision of the company is to revitalize rural economies by promoting investment in domestic renewable energy resources. National Wind creates shared ownership with communities and allows them participation in decisions which are made.
Dr. Anumakonda Jagadeesh obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Physics from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India, and his Doctorate degree in Wind Energy from the prestigious University of Roorkee {now the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR)}. He has been involved in teaching and research for the last 30 years. He founded "Society of Science for the People" in 1973, an NGO which has been acting to formulate innovative science and technology programs and projects. Dr. Jagadeesh had widely interacted with several global and national organizations in Science and Technology projects; his programs attracted worldwide attention, especially in Appropriate Technology, Afforestation, Renewable Energy, Environment, etc. Dr. Jagadeesh also founded "Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives" in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India in 1994 which has been acting as a think tank in promoting Energy, Environment, and Appropriate Technology programs and projects. He has been Resource person to several organizations connected with Sustainable Development in India and abroad. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Energy Blitz. His contact email address: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com
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The Effect of Wind on Unglazed Transpired Collectors By Neetha Vasan and Joseph Koruth “Solar energy has been used for heating purpose for ages. There has been commendable growth, worldwide, in the solar thermal energy generation capacity an average annual growth of approximately 15% since 2000 due to both the abundance of solar energy in several parts of the world and technological innovations that make this energy accessible�
for modern day solar collectors.
Edward S. Morse is known to have created the first modern air heater in 1881. Morse's design consisted of a simple assembly of a black sheet metal that absorbed the sun's heat, attached to a timber cabinet hung on a
UTCs generally consist of a dark absorber cladding with 0.52% of the area made up of tiny holes. This is installed about 10-20cm from the sun-facing wall of a building, thereby forming a plenum behind the cladding. The absorber cladding transfers absorbed solar heat to air surrounding it, hence a layer of warm air is formed on the either sides of the metal cladding. This warm air from the exterior is drawn in to air ducts through the tiny holes using a fan located behind the cladding. According to the U.S department of Energy, UTCs have been found to have a working efficiency of 75% which makes it the most air efficient air heating technology (Heinrich, 2007).
More than a century later, research has led to tremendous development in photovoltaic (PV) and thermal technology and their use on building facades. The unglazed transpired collector (UTC) was introduced in 1989 and is considered to be the most efficient solar collector today.
UTCs have found their way into many applications, including space heating, crop-drying and commercial laundry drying. The idea of using a transpired collector in a tropical region receiving abundant solar insolation should sound pretty simple. But, like any thermal device, efficiency is dependent on heatloss among a number of other parameters. wall with sufficient distance between the wall and metal for airflow; very similar to the Trombe wall which was introduced in the late 1980s. Cool air from the building entered the bottom of the cabinet in the space created by rising air heated by the metal that moved into the building. Morse's design remains the basic framework
Wind induced heat-loss and its impact on the efficiency of UTCs is a topic of ongoing studies in the engineering research world. The following is the description of a wind tunnel study conducted at Concordia University, Montreal, to assess the effect of wind on UTCs.
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UTCs are typically mounted on the equator facing wall of a building such that there is minimal obstruction to direct solar insolation on the transpired cladding. An existing 54 m tall institutional building in Montreal, which houses a PV/thermal collector was modeled at 1:400 scale for the study. All surrounding buildings within a full-scale radius of 450 m were also modeled in order to achieve a realistic simulation of wind flows around the study building (Figure 2). The terrain roughness beyond this distance was simulated using roughness blocks placed between the model and the fan in the wind tunnel (Figure 3). The wind velocity and turbulence profile developed thus was representative of the full-scale wind profile at the study site. Wind velocities were measured at several locations on a representative UTC installation area on the study building model (marked 'UTC' in Figure 2). A reference velocity was measured at 6.2 mm above the roof of the model (equivalent to 2.5 m above the roof in full-scale). Three wind directions, shown in Figure 4, were studied: 0° winds (perpendicular to the 'UTC' surface), 90° winds (parallel to the 'UTC' surface) and 45° winds (oblique angle to the 'UTC' surface). The measure velocities were then applied to theoretical and empirical relations describing heat-losses and thermal efficiency of a UTC (Kutscher, et al., 1993; Van Decker et al., 2001; Liu & Harris, 2007). The study showed that the local (surface) wind velocity distribution varied with the approach wind direction. Figure 5 shows contour plots of the ratio of wind velocity at the UTC surface to the reference velocity measured above the roof for the three wind directions studied. This ratio shall be referred to as 'velocity ratio' hereafter. It can be seen clearly that the highest velocities generally occur at the top edge of the building (velocity ratios > 1).
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Among the three wind directions studied, 45° winds generate the greatest surface wind velocities. It was also found that winds parallel to the collector (90° wind
angle) yielded the minimal variation over the UTC area. When the local surface wind speeds were averaged over the entire area, 90° winds were found to result in the least surface average speed (with an average velocity ratio of 0.72) with
parallel winds at a close second place (velocity ratio of 0.75). When translated to wind-induced convective heat loss, a proportional trend was observed higher the wind speed, higher the convective losses. Figure 6 shows the variation in the convective heat transfer coefficients for the different wind angles, and a range of probable wind speeds at a typical height of collector installation. The fact that wind does indeed transfer heat away from a solar collector is easily understood. What can be inferred from this study is that UTCs, or any other vertically mounted solar collector for that matter, can be oriented so as to minimize convective heat losses. In a sub-tropical country such as our own, there are many possible applications for the UTC. The primary use would be preheating of air for buildings requiring large volumes of air heating. Such facilities include machine shops, chemical storage facilities or maintenance buildings. One of the high-potential markets for UTCs is the laundry industry there are several stages in the industry where heated air is required, for preheating fiber, drying dyes, general washing and drying etc. A general laundry drying unit uses 3.30 KWh for an air of 40oC temperature. UTC can easily offset this temperature. This is a huge cost savings in this industry. Another major use of UTC is in the field of agriculture and meat products. Dried crop and meat are one of the traditional industries in India. UTC can be implemented in these industries to reduce their operational cost. India is blessed with winter and summer during a year depending on the geographical location. Northern India uses residential heaters for heating up the house. UTC can be effectively be implemented for residential heating. Even during a cloudy day UTC combined with a low power heater can heat a residential building effectively. The installation and setup of UTCs are not so complicated and the only working component in UTC is the blower fan which is used to draw exterior air in. Hence the maintenance cost is significantly less when compared to a traditional heating/drying unit. UTCs are
environmental friendly as well, generating annual CO2 savings of 1 ton for each square meter of UTC, compared to running a heater taking supply from the grid which in turn requires more fossil fuel to be burned (SolarWall). There have been several solar energy harnessing technologies out in the market over the years and some of them have been uneconomical and inefficient in their performances. This might have cast a dark shadow on UTCs before the consumers' eyes, which probably is the biggest hurdle for the widespread implementation of UTCs. Breaking this stigma would require an effective awareness campaign through funded researches and demonstration and application of UTCs. References Heinrich, M., 2007. Transpired Solar Collectors - Results of a Field Trial. BRANZ Study Report 167. Juddgeford, New Zealand: BRANZ Ltd. Kutscher, C.F., Christensen, C.B. & Barker, G.M., 1993. Unglazed transpired solar collectors: heat loss theory. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 115(3), pp.182-88. Liu, Y. & Harris, D.J., 2007. Full-scale measurements of convective coefficient on external surface of a low-rise building in sheltered conditions. Building and Environment, 42(7), pp.2718-36. Van Decker, G.W.E., Hollands, K.G.T. & Brunger, A.P., 2001. Heat-exchange relations for unglazed transpired solar collectors with circular holes on a square or triangular pitch. Solar Energy, 71(1), pp.33-45. Vasan, N. & Stathopoulos, T., 2012. Wind Tunnel Assessment of the Wind Velocity Distribution on Vertical Facades. In Proceedings of eSim 2012: The Canadian Conference on Building Simulation, 1-4 May 2012. Halifax, Canada. Vasan, N., Stathopoulos, T., 2014. Experimental study of wind effects on unglazed transpired collectors. Sol. Energy, 101, pp.138-43. SolarWall. (n.d.). Retrieved 05 12, 2014, from SolarWall: http://solarwall.com/en/products/solarwall-air-
Neetha Vasan: Master of applied science research graduate from Concordia University, Canada. Currently working as Scientist/Engineer at RWDI Inc in Canada, an international specialty consulting engineering firm. Her research on Experimental Study of Wind Effects on Unglazed Transpired Collectors was very effective which gave a clear idea of how wind could affect the efficiency of transpired collectors. Joseph Koruth: Master of Science graduate in Mechanical and Energy engineering from University of North Texas, Texas. Currently working for Kohler Company, USA as a Mechanical Project Engineer. He was awarded as an outstanding graduate student of the University multiple times. He also received accolades from Vestas, a Danish wind turbine manufacturing company, for his case presentation with them. Mr. Koruth continues to spread his work by sharing his skills within his industry and also with other non-profit organizations. His contact email address: joseph.koruth@gmail.com
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Rethink on India's National Solar Mission By K. Sivadasan the policy. We should learn successful stories from around the world and frame policies with modifications. Present slow progress can be attributed mainly to the failure to consider grid connected rooftop potential and defect in the overall vision. It seems the global scenario was not taken into account in its entirety while formulating JNNSM. The contributions of Solar Energy Centre, which was established in 1982, in the policy formulation is not in public domain. India's solar vision should be for sustainable development based on renewable energy in line with the global vision. Introduction It seems the over trumpeted JNNSM 2010 needs a change of track. JNNSM failed to note India's immense solar potential as envisaged in National Policy on Climate Change (NAPCC). It was an omission. As per NAPCC (Original vision) India has to attain a solar installed capacity of 200 GW by 2050. Infrastructure required to accomplish the 2050 target is not adequately incorporated in the JNNSM. JNNSM should have been designated a stepping stone for the run to attain the target of 2050. The Policy should have an element that could encourage entrepreneurs to apply their mind to come up with various business models that are in line with the policy. The present policy document (JNNSM) is described with fine details without giving any option for the entrepreneurs to think creatively. In fact thinking 'off the track' is the quality of intelligent entrepreneurs which should have been promoted.
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Scope of the scheme The scope of JNNSM is described in such a way that producers are enticed to the solar sector with various subsidies and concessions. Entrepreneurs should have been motivated to make PROFIT by increased scale of business. Here, in the solar sector, the commodity is solar power. Let the entrepreneurs generate more power and make larger profit creating a sustainable business growth on commercial basis. Progress achieved so far is just around 3 GW. This slow growth could be attributed to the failure to exploit grid connected rooftop potential through proper policy mechanism. It seems sound policy mechanisms are not in place to speed up the programme. Incidentally, the target fixed as per JNNSM was just 1 GW by 2012 as per the guidelines. This is a shortcoming of JNNSM. India failed to learn from what is going on around the world. Germany was adding around 400 MW every month in 2010. India promoted large size plants (High end technology) giving less importance to rooftop plants (Low end technology). Subsidy regime is one of the causes for slow progress. Entrepreneurs lose enthusiasm to run the enterprise once the benefits are claimed forgetting that the venture is for generating more power throughout the life of plants.
Global vision for solar sector is also to be considered. Most nations visualize a sustainable development based on renewable energy. India committed a factual error in the assessment of solar potential. It is stated in the "Operational Guidelines for Grid Connected Rooftop and small Solar Power Plants Programme" http://bit.ly/Vikmqb issued on 26.6.2014 that solar energy including thermal and PV is second largest renewable energy source after wind energy. India has to take into account the projection of Mr. Mithavachan and Mr. Sreenivasan, two professors from IISc, on India's solar potential. They visualize that by 2070 the energy need of India of 3700 TWhr can be met from solar sources. As such JNNSM need to revise the road map for solar growth.
Implementation of policy is entrusted to Channel Partners Renewable Energy Service Providing Companies (RESCOs), Financial Institutions, Financial Integrators, System Integrators and Programme Administrators. This (Channel Partner) approach created an atmosphere to evolve a monopolistic environment in solar sector which is the handicap now. The policy should provide room for entrepreneurs to apply their mind to make more profit which is the motivating force.
Objectives of JNNSM
Channel Partners
It was in 2010 that JNNSM was formulated when EU was adding solar capacities in Gigawatts every year if not monthly. Growth in installed solar capacity in EU mainly came from grid connected rooftop plants. Against those success stories, India planned to augment solar generation through 'off-grid' plants and large size plants. We have no time to do a trial and error method to finalise
The methodologies for accrediting various channel partners are included in clause 4.3 of the JNNSM. The approach described does facilitate the dreaded 'monopoly' from creeping into the whole process. At present this monopoly creates various types of obstacles, normally behind the screen, in the whole process of power generation in solar sector. New entrants are apprehensive about starting ventures.
Implementation arrangements
Financing
all, POWER is a state subject in our federal system.
According to the guidelines for JNNSM which was published in June 2010, funding is based on 'project mode'. Capital subsidy/accelerated depreciation/rebate on interest/tax concessions/viability gap funding, etc. are based on project cost. This clause provides avenues to manipulate project reports to make undue profit. Thus, the whole exercise gets reduced to management of various subsidies & sops and not enhanced power generation. Actually in public interest, subsidy, etc. should be linked with power generation for the life of the plant.
It seems the MNRE wanted to control everything right from the inception to the running of the projects. This is by no means a helpful stance. MNRE can make guidelines for the states to follow. Appropriate central government agencies can monitor the progress of projects in accordance with the Constitution. Creation of consultancy mechanism is detrimental to solar sector. The whole operation has to be managed with the existing government machineries which will lower running cost. Existing infrastructure can be strengthened to handle additional works.
Funds could be canalized from MNRE to final projects through viable channels at low interests as mentioned in the policy. Let there be an atmosphere of healthy competition in the sector and at the same time there exist a good business relationship between the various partners. Rooftop harvesting and its management are entirely different from that of large projects. It is not capital intensive and is not of high end technology. It involves three partners - ordinary people, utility and financing bank. Specific stipulations for grid connected rooftop installations are to be made in the policy to exploit the huge rooftop potential. Pragmatic Feed in Tariff (FIT) regime in rooftop installations will accelerate solar capacity additions. The 40-50% of revenue accrued from FIT for rooftop solar plants will be circulated within the society which will energize the society in every corner of the country and will create more jobs in other fields. Funding process is described in very great detail in Clause 5 which does not encourage entrepreneurs. This has to be streamlined and made simple to encourage new entrants in the business. Incentive instruments The whole mechanism needs a change. The present mechanism is very laborious requiring lot of monitoring 'nodes'. As already said incentive should be linked to power generation. Interest subsidy combined with feed in tariff is the best option for smooth running of plants. Release of Funds
It is noted that lot of work that is to be carried out by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is being handled by MNRE. This should be avoided. Note that solar plants are to be connected to the power grid which is managed by CEA. It is essential that MNRE's area of involvement to be clearly demarcated. At the same time there should be healthy interaction between the two ministries. Bigger vision for solar Business India should aim to become a 100% renewable nation. It is possible as visualised by scientists. Note that Germany with a lesser solar irradiation (half of India) has a solar generation capacity of 35000 MW whereas India's share is just less than 3000 MW. India's contribution is not commensurate with the size of its economy. India, one of the largest economies, is fifth in energy consumption. 70% of India's power generation is from fossil fuel. It is a known fact that “Our known extractable reserves will not last beyond 2050 if our coal consumption continues to grow as it has been growing over the past 25 years”. As such our national programme needs to take a deviation. At present India's energy programme is mainly related to fossil fuel. To avoid a scary energy crisis, not in the distant future, India should aim to become a 100% renewable nation within the shortest time. It is not impossible as visualised by scientists. Let the Planning Commission prepare a road map for this. They can follow the climate change policy framed by Government of India in 2008. This policy aims to add 200000 MW by 2050. Success stories of various nations can be referred, (Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, etc.) while preparing the road map.
Mechanism for fund release is to be rewritten considering the whole process as a commercial venture. Avoid any bureaucratic delays by streamlining the process. Approval Mechanism Approval for the projects is to be decentralized. Let it be handled by states as per the guidelines of MNRE. After
It is a welcome move that several state governments frame solar policy allowing grid connection to rooftop plants and to follow Feed in Tariff. It is advisable that central government prepare a “model policy document” for the states for reference. Indian Electricity Act 2003 empowers state electricity regulatory commission to decide Feed in tariff.
K. Sivadasan had started his career in Central PWD, Madras in 1967 as Section officer. In 1970 he joined Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) as Junior Engineer and worked in various capacities. He retired from the service in 1997 as Deputy Chief Engineer. In between, he worked abroad for seven years (5 years in Ghana and 2 years in Kuwait). Being a solar energy enthusiast, presently he is working for the promotion of power generation through renewable energy sources. His contact email address: sivadasan.k@gmail.com
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Why improving energy efficiency is so important? By Staff Writer “Energy efficiency is the percentage of total energy input that does useful work (is not converted to low quality, essentially useless heat) in an energy conversion system. The easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get more energy with the least environmental impact is to eliminate much of this energy waste by making lifestyle changes that reduce energy consumption: walking or biking for short trips, using mass transit, putting on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat, and turning off unneeded lights�
In office buildings and stores, waste heat from lights, computers, and other machines can be collected and distributed to reduce heating bills during cold weather; during hot weather, this heat can be collected and vented outdoors to reduce cooling bills. Waste heat from industrial plants and electrical power plants can be used to produce electricity (cogeneration); it can also be distributed through installed pipes to heat nearby buildings, greenhouses, and fish ponds. How can we save energy in industry? There are a number of ways to save energy and money in industry. One is cogeneration, the production of two useful forms of energy (such as steam and electricity) from the same fuel source. Waste heat from coal-fired and other industrial boilers can produce steam that spins turbines and generates electricity at roughly half the cost of buying it from a utility company. By using the electricity or selling it to a local power company for general use, a plant can save energy and money.
Why Is Reducing Energy Waste So Important? Reducing energy waste is one of the planet's best and most important economic and environmental bargains. It + Makes no-renewable fossil fuels last longer; +Gives us more time to phase in renewable energy; +Decreases dependence on oil imports; +Lessen the need for military intervention in the Oil-rich but politically unstable Middle East; +Reduces local and global environmental damage because less of each energy resource would provide the amount of useful energy; +Is the cheapest and quickest way to slow projected global warming; +Saves more money, provides more jobs, improves productivity, and promotes more economic growth per unit of energy than other alternatives, +Improves competitiveness in the international marketplace. How can we use waste heat?
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Could we save energy by recycling energy? No. The second law of energy tells us that we cannot recycle energy. However, we can slow the rate at which waste heat flows into the environment when high-quality energy is degraded. For a house, the best way to do this is to insulate it thoroughly, eliminate air leaks, and equip it with an air-to-air heat exchanger to prevent buildup of indoor air pollutants.
Replacing energy-wasting electric motors is another strategy. It would be cost-effective to scrap virtually all such motors and replace them with adjustable-speed drives. Energy can also be saved by switching to high-efficiency lighting. Additionally, computer-controlled energy management systems can turn off lighting and equipment in non production areas and make adjustments during periods of low production. recycling and reuse and making products that last longer and that are easy to repair and recycle also saves energy compared with using virgin resources. How can we save energy in producing electricity? Traditionally, utilities make more money by increasing the demand for electricity. This process encourages the building of often unnecessary power plants to send electricity to inefficient appliances, heating and cooling systems, and industrial plants. To make more money, many utilities encourage their customers to use (and thus waste) even more electricity - a classic example of harmful positive feedback in action. A small but growing number of utility companies are trying to reverse this wasteful process by reducing the demand for electricity. By helping customers use electricity more efficiently, these companies do not need to finance and build expensive new power plants. This new approach is known as demand-side management or the negawatt revolution. The reduce demand, utilities give customers cash rebates for buying efficient lights and appliances, free home-energy audits, low-interest loans for home weatherisation or industrial retrofits, and lower rates to households or industries meeting certain energy-efficiency standards. To make demand-side management feasible, utility regulators must allow utility investors to make a reasonable return on their money, based on the amount of energy the utilities save. Such a policy allows utility companies to shift
their emphasis from producing megawatts to energyVIEW POINT: saving negawatts.
efficient trains and ships. The fuel efficiency of other means of transport can also be increased. With improved aerodynamic design, turbo charged diesel engines, and radial tires, new transport trucks can be 50% more fuel efficient than today's conventional trucks.
Stake Holding Capitalism To Reduce The Project Cost And One Full Equityoil)To Execute Renewable The most important way toProject save energy (especially How can we save energy in buildings? and money in transportation is to increase the fuel Energy Projects In India efficiency of motor vehicles. Existing technology could How can we save energy in transportation?
By current Praveen Kulkarni raise fuelKumar efficiency to 35 miles per gallon by 2010. Doing this would cause a sharp drop in emissions of CO2 and other air pollutants, cut oil imports in half and create new jobs. Since 1985 at least 10 automobile companies have made nimble and peppy prototype cars that meet or exceed current safety and pollution standards, with fuel efficiencies of 67-138 miles per gallon. If such cars were mass produced, their slightly higher costs would be more than offset by their fuel savings. The problem is that there is little consumer interest in fuel-efficient cars when the inflation-adjusted price of gasoline today is the lowest it has been since 1920. This under pricing of gasoline encourages energy waste and pollution by failing to include in its market price the many harmful social and environmental costs of gasoline, which consumers ultimately end up paying anyway. To encourage consumers to buy energy-efficient vehicles, a system of revenue-neutral rebates and "freebates" be established for motor vehicles. Buyers of a new vehicle would pay a fee or receive a rebate depending on its fuel efficiency. The fees on inefficient vehicles would be used to pay for the rebates on efficient ones. Conventional battery-powered electric cars might help reduce dependence on oil, especially for urban commuting and short trips. Electric vehicles are extremely quiet, need little maintenance, and can accelerate rapidly. The cars themselves, called zeroemissions vehicles, produce no air pollution. However, using coal and nuclear power plants to produce the electricity needed to recharge their batteries daily does produce air pollution and nuclear wastes - something called elsewhere pollution. Greatly increased manufacture, disposal, and recycling of lead batteries for widespread use of electric vehicles could also greatly increase the input of toxic lead into the environment. If solar cells or wind turbines could be used for recharging the car's batteries, CO2 and other air pollution emissions would be virtually eliminated. On the negative side, today's electric cars are not very efficient; they are equivalent to gasoline powered cars that get about 16-25 miles per gallon. Current electric cars can travel only 50-100 miles. Their batteries must be recharged for 3-8 hours and must be replaced every 30,000 miles. This requirement, plus the electricity costs for daily recharging and buying a charger, means that today's electric cars have twice the operating cost of gasoline powered cars. Another way to save energy is to shift to more energyefficient ways to move people and freight. More freight would be shifted from trucks and planes to more energy-
Heating, cooling, and lighting buildings consume about onethird of the energy used by modern societies, which much of this energy unnecessarily wasted. There are a number of ways to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. One is to build super-insulated houses. Although such houses typically cost more money to build than conventional houses of the same size, this extra cost is paid back by energy savings within 5 years and can save a homeowner ÂŁ30,000-80,000 over a 40-year period. Another way to save energy is to use the most energyefficient ways to heat houses. The most energy-efficient ways to heat space are to build a super insulated house, use passive solar heating, and use high-efficiency (85-98% efficient) natural gas furnaces. The most wasteful and expensive way is to use electric resistance heating with the electricity produced by a coal-fired or nuclear power plant. Heat pumps can save energy and money for space heating in warm climates, bit not in cold climates; at low temperatures they automatically switch to wasteful, costly electric resistance heating. Some heat pumps in their air conditioning mode are also much less efficient than many individual air conditioning units. Most heat pumps also require expensive repair every few years. However, manufacturers have developed some improved models that produce warmer air and more efficient than older models. The energy efficiency of existing houses can be improved significantly by adding insulation, plugging leaks, and installing energy-saving windows. We can also use the most energy-efficient ways to heat household water. An efficient method is to use tank less instant water heaters fired by natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). These devices, widely used in many parts of Europe, heat the water instantly as it flows through a small burner chamber and provide hot water only when it is needed. A well-insulated, conventional natural gas or LPG water heater is also fairly efficient. The most inefficient and expensive way to heat water for washing and bathing is to use electricity produced by any type of power plant. Setting higher energy-efficient standards for new buildings would also save energy. Another way to save energy is to buy the most energy-efficient appliances and lights. Improvements in energy efficiency could be encouraged by giving rebates or tax credits for building-energy efficient buildings, for improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings, and for buying high-efficiency appliances and equipment. (Courtesy: www.GlobalEnvironment.co.uk.)
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Promoting Renewable Energy Adoption and Utilization in Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region By Dr. Krishnan S. Raghavan Despite the recent growth in the sustainable and lowcarbon energy sources, fossil fuels are the primary sources of energy for countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Since 1980, the world has doubled its use of primary energy and most of this increase has come from Asia and the Pacific region. It has been estimated that the countries in Asia and the Pacific region already consume around three times more oil than they produce, and the rate of oil consumption is increasing twice as fast in the region as in the world as a whole. This is heavy dependence on fossil fuels is the biggest challenge for
the economic performance and political stability of countries in the Asia Pacific region. With the convergence of environmental concerns and
22 development objectives, the world is witnessing a greater
emphasis on processes, practices and products which do less damage to the environment. In this context, renewable energy offers great possibilities. Renewable energy is thus the key to achieving the three key global energy goals: energy security, cost efficiency and environmental protection. Their deployment and dissemination is of utmost significance. Future energy systems must therefore, have a greater proportion of renewable energy to meet these goals. Despite the growing expansion in the development and use of renewable sources of energy in developed countries, most
developing countries have not benefited from such expansion due to lack of information on technologies, policies, market opportunities and best practices, lack of adequate institutional and policy frameworks, lack of trained human resources, limitation on financial resources and lack of effective market
linkages. Quantifying the renewable energy resource is an important aspect of developing capacity to plan and
implement renewable energy technology (RET) transfer projects. It involves various methodologies, tools and techniques for estimating with precision the potential for the generation of renewable energy using solar, wind or other natural resources, in a specific location. Accurate resource assessments are crucial to the successful development of appropriate renewable energy systems that best suit the local conditions. Detailed knowledge of the temporal and spatial distribution of renewable energy resources can guide project siting, technology choices and can provide the confidence needed for large scale investments. Policymakers can use this knowledge for land use planning, formulation of renewable energy policy measures and targeted investment attraction. The availability of detailed and accurate renewable energy resource assessments can allow investment maps to be generated. These can cover several technologies and overlay factors such as power generation profiles, local electricity market price profiles, proximity of power lines, land costs and support policies to give a detailed insight into the economics of renewable energy projects across each country. From these efforts, investors in renewable energy projects will be able to determine which technologies will operate more effectively in a particular region. For example the nature of the local wind regime will not only determine the annual energy generation but also the type
of wind turbine required. Detailed data of the type of solar radiation is critical to technology selection as solar project developers will have to choose between several types of solar generation technology which perform differently depending
on whether the solar energy is direct beam or diffuse radiation. Developers will be able to reach the project feasibility stage quickly with minimal cost and can progress to investmentready proposals if the quality of the resource assessment work is high. Thus the process of mobilizing private investment into renewable energy can be accelerated and derisked through comprehensive resource assessments. For policymakers, this capability will provide insights into which technologies are more viable than others in their countries. This permits broader policy development to maximize economic benefits by localizing the value chain, supporting local SME industry participants and developing the indigenous skills and expertise to support the development of this industry. Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have a huge potential for using renewable energy resources. Yet, these countries have very limited technical expertise available for identifying potential renewable energy resources, developing effective policy instruments for supporting renewable energy as well as identifying potential market opportunities for renewable energy technologies. Hence, it is imperative that these countries need to collaborate with other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region through South-South Cooperation to benefit from cross-border transfer of skills, knowledge and technologies that can directly contribute to the growth of renewable energy generation, in a manner that
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leads to sustainable and inclusive development. Given the important role that renewable energy technologies can play in fostering sustained and balanced socio-economic development, the latest initiative of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) - the promotion of renewable energy technology transfer and utilization in the Asia-Pacific region assumes great importance. This initiative was launched in response to Resolution E/ESCAP/64/L.13 titled, “Promoting renewables for energy security and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific,” at the 64th Commission Session of ESCAP in Bangkok in April 2008. This resolution proposed the establishment of an institutional cooperation mechanism with the active engagement of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology, its focal points in member countries, Ministries of New and Renewable Energy in member countries, UN-EPOC, and expert research institutions in the region by identifying activities on development, demonstration and capacitybuilding pertaining to various renewable energy technologies. In accordance with this resolution, APCTT has established a network known as Renewable Energy Cooperation-Network for the Asia Pacific (RECAP) for facilitating cross-border cooperation in renewable energy transfer, adoption and utilization. has established an institutional cooperation mechanism entitled, “Renewable Energy Cooperation-Network for the AsiaPacific” (RECAP) with the active involvement of countries in the Asia-Pacific region namely, Bangladesh, China, Fiji Islands, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam. This cooperation mechanism is envisaged to facilitate the following functions:
renewable energy technologies (RETs) from countries in the Asia-Pacific region, (2) sharing best practices on renewable energy (RE) promotion and utilization among countries in the region, (3) developing capacity to plan and implement RET transfer projects, and (4) promoting research and development (R&D) collaboration in renewable energy technologies among countries in the region. APCTT has also developed a Renewable Energy Technology Bank (RET-Bank) as an on-line repository of information on tested and proven renewable energy technologies in the following sectors: solar, biomass, wind, hydro power. It is envisaged that this public repository of information will assist countries in the region to accelerate the transfer and adoption of tested and proven green technologies that can contribute to energy security and sustainable development in the recipient countries. As at today, there are 50 tested and proven renewable energy technologies available with the RET-Bank for commercial transfer. About APCTT APCTT is a Regional Institution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) servicing the Asia-Pacific region. It was established in 1977 with the objective of facilitating technology transfer in the Asia-Pacific region. The Centre is headquartered in New Delhi with host facilities provided by the Government of India. The activities of APCTT are focused on three specific areas of activity: Science Technology and Innovation, Technology Transfer and Technology Intelligence. The objectives of the Centre are to assist the members and associate members of ESCAP through strengthening their capabilities to develop and manage national innovation systems; develop, transfer, adapt and apply technology; improve the terms of transfer of technology; and identify and promote the development and transfer of technologies relevant to the region.
(1) collection and dissemination of information on Dr. Krishnan S. Raghavan holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Biotechnology from TERI University, New Delhi, India and a Masters in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA. He manages the technology transfer portfolio of the United Nations APCTTESCAP since March 2007. Besides, he is also responsible for APCTT's programme of work in the areas of renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Prior to joining APCTT, he served as Assistant General Manager in a public sector organization of Government of India and was part of the senior management team that successfully negotiated the transfer of Zinc tablet manufacturing technology from France to India. As a Science Specialist with the Australian Government, he played a key role in the management of Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, an A$ 40 million joint initiative by Australia and India to promote research collaboration between the two countries. Dr. Krishnan also worked for the internationally renowned The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India for more than five years in various capacities.
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He was also a Visiting Researcher at the Waseda University, Tokyo during 2004-2005. He is a recipient of four international awards including the prestigious UNESCO-ASM Award and also a gold medal in Masters Degree in Microbiology. He has authored five research articles published in peer-reviewed international journals and contributed to several flagship publications of United Nations ESCAP in the areas of sustainable development, trade and environment. His contact email address: srinivasaraghavan@un.org
Energy and Efficiency By Staff Writer “Except in the form of food, no one needs or wants energy as such. That is to say, no one wants to eat coal or uranium, drink oil, breathe natural gas or be directly connected to an electricity supply. What people want is energy services those services which energy uniquely can provide. Principally, these are: heat, for warming rooms, for washing and for processing materials; lighting, both interior and exterior; motive power, for a myriad of uses from pumping fluids to lifting elevators to driving vehicles; and power for electronic communications and computing�
When Thomas Edison set up the world's first electric power station in New York in 1882, it was not electricity he sold, but light. He provided the electricity and light bulbs, and charged his customers for the service of illumination. This meant he had a strong incentive to generate and distribute electricity as efficiently as possible, and to install light bulbs that were as efficient and long-lasting as possible. Unfortunately, the early Edison approach did not survive, and the regulatory regime under which most utilities operate today simply rewards them for selling as much energy as possible, irrespective of the efficiency with which it is used or the longevity of the appliances using
it. In a few countries, however, governments have changed the way energy utilities are regulated by setting up mechanisms to reward them for providing energy services rather than mere energy. In this case, customers benefit by having lower overall costs, the utility makes as much profit as before, and the environment benefits through reduced energy wastage and the emission of fewer pollutants. Linking supply and demand The efficiency with which humanity currently uses its energy
sources is generally very low. At present, only about onethird of the energy content of the fuel the world uses emerges as 'useful' energy, at the end of the long supply chains we have established to connect our coal and uranium mines, our oil and gas wells, with our energy-related needs for warmth, light, motion, communication, etc. The remaining two-thirds usually disappear into the environment in the form of 'waste' heat. One of the reasons for our continuing inefficiency in energy use is that energy has been steadily reducing in price, in real terms, over the past 100 years. Supply side measures On the supply side of our energy systems, there is a very large potential for improving the efficiency of electricity
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generation by introducing new technologies that are more efficient than older power plants. The efficiency of a power plant is defined as the percentage of the energy content of the fuel input that is converted into electricity output over a given time period. Since the early days of electricity production, power plant efficiency has been improving steadily. The most advanced form of fossil-
fuelled power plant now available is the Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT). CCGTs are more than 50% efficient, compared with the older steam turbine power plants that are still in widespread use, where the efficiency is only about 30% and thus about 70% of the energy content of the input fuel is wasted in the form of heat, usually dumped to the atmosphere via cooling towers. CCGTs are more “climate friendly” than older, coal-fired steam turbine plants, not only because they are more efficient but also because they burn natural gas, which on combustion emits about 40% less CO2 than coal per unit of energy generated. Overall, taking into account both
the higher efficiency and natural gas's lower CO2 emissions, when compared with traditional coal-fired plant CCGT-based power plants release about half as much CO2 per unit of electricity produced. Most of the reductions that occurred in Britain's CO2 emissions during the 1990s were due to the so-called “dash for gas” as a substitute for coal in power generation.
In some countries, the “waste” heat from power stations is widely used in district heating schemes to heat buildings. In 2000, around 72% of Denmark's electricity was produced in such 'Combined Heat and Power' systems. After fuels have been converted into electricity, whether in CCGTs or steam turbine-only plants, further losses occur in the wires of the transmission and distribution systems that convey the electricity to customers. In the UK, these amount to around 8%. Overall, this means that even when a modern, high-efficiency CCGT is the electricity generator, less than half the energy in its input fuel emerges as electricity at the customers' power sockets. In the case of older power stations the figure is around 25%. Clearly, there is room for further improvements in the supply-side efficiency of our electricity systems, by further increasing the efficiency of generating plant and by ensuring that whatever “waste” heat remains is piped to where it can be used. Coal, oil and gas, when they are used directly rather than for electricity generation, are also subjected to processing, refining and cleaning before being distributed to customers. Some energy is also lost in their distribution, for example in the fuel used by road tankers or the electricity used to pump gas or oil through pipelines. However, these losses are much lower, typically less than 10% overall. This means that over 90% of the energy content of coal, oil and gas, if used directly, is available to customers at the end of the processing and distribution chain. The scope for further supply-side efficiency improvements is obviously much more limited here than in the case of electricity. (Courtesy: The University of Nottingham)
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Decentralization a sustainable solution for urban waste management By Lt. Col Suresh Rege (Retd.) A fast-growing population and rapid urbanization of most Indian cities has resulted in enormous amounts of waste being generated on a daily basis. Urban India generates about 68.8 million tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per year or 188,500 tonnes per day. If these figures are anything to go by, it appears that only a sustainable waste management solution can help resolve the problem of increasing waste dumps and eliminate the dependency on landfills to manage solid waste. Decentralized waste management solutions may very well be the answer disposing wet garbage on a daily basis by setting up biogas plants based on source segregated MSW can help effectively handle waste disposal in cities and urban local bodies. Why is a decentralized biogas plant - a viable option for effective waste management? Decentralization of waste management is feasible in
most Indian cities owing to several factors. *Space constraints in urban areas: There is an increasing demand for housing in urban India, on account of people migrating to cities in search of employment. Hence, allotment of land for centralized / large waste management projects becomes difficult. However, decentralized waste management plants require less land and can be set up in small areas available within urban localities. *High CAPEX and maintenance costs of large projects: Centralized waste management projects involve huge CAPEX incurred on plant setup, machinery, and construction. Then again, machinery installed in such plants requires regular maintenance and backups to ensure project continuity. Decentralized plants however,
require small machinery and civil structures that have low CAPEX and maintenance costs. *Long gestation periods in executing large-size plants: Large-size waste management projects require a long gestation period for design finalization, construction, procurement, installation, and project testing; as the parameters involved such as capacity, substrates, analysis reports, site details, soil and water data, logistics, etc. are not easily available. Small plants can be designed quickly and by allotting implementation to multiple contractors, project execution can be speedy and within targeted deadlines. *Delays in project implementation of large biogas plants: Despite finalizing contracts to execute large-scale waste management projects, several factors cause unnecessary delays in project implementation. Few of
these include: #Legal complications in contracts pertaining to handover of land #Over dependence due to presence of multiple specialized agencies #Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY)mindset #Lack of adequate support and assistance in sale of byproducts, leading to loss of revenue #Disputes among centralized waste management partnerships between consortiums, resulting in project closure #Delays caused due to clearing of existing dump sites to set up large-scale plants #Insistence by urban local bodies that contractors pay royalty for waste treatment rather than taking it on tipping fee basis
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#Non-availability of large areas in the close vicinity of the cities Advantages of setting up decentralized waste to energy plants A decentralized waste to energy plant offers several benefits. *Waste disposal at source: Daily organic waste segregated and collected from households can be treated in the same locality in a hygienic manner. *Reduced transportation and labor costs: Decentralizing of waste treatment plants at source of generation within urban localities reduces costs of transporting waste to
Solar power station in Spain that works at night too!!
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dump sites outside city limits. Limited labor required at decentralized plants reduces labor costs. *Less requirement of setup space: Decentralized plants require less area and can be easily set up within city limits. *Low burden on landfills: Disposing waste at source reduces the burden on landfills by limiting the quantity being dumped. Also, leachate generation (which is mostly from organic waste) is reduced considerably, thereby controlling ground water pollution in dumping
to meet day-to-day consumption needs. *Other notable advantages: #Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions #No foul smell and flies / mosquito nuisance #Easy maintenance of plants and machinery and less wear and tear of equipment #Only semi-skilled operators required for basic plant operations Several innovative solutions in waste management are being developed today, which not only help combat the
sites/landfills. *Increased support from local people: Decentralized waste management plants offer employment opportunities to the local population, thereby garnering their support and assistance. *Effective utilization of energy and by-products generated: Electricity and other by-products such as fuel and organic manure generated from biogas can be used
problem of waste, but also provide sustainable employment to urban communities. Treating waste at source is the key driver to effective waste management and adopting decentralized waste management techniques will go a long way in resolving major issues arising from organic waste generated in large quantities in a highly urbanized India.
Lt. Col Suresh Rege (Retd.) had graduated from the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, PUNE, INDIA with Science background and commissioned into the Indian Army in 1969. Served in the Indian Army in various capacities for 20 years. In 1990 took a premature retirement, and set up a small unit to manufacture and set up Biogas plants for treatment of Biodegradable Organic Solid and Liquid Wastes. Slowly but surely, with dedicated R & D efforts in field of Biogas and increasing orders, culminated in promoting Mailhem Engineers Pvt. Ltd. in 1996 as founder director. Today Mailhem Engineers are considered pioneers in the field of anaerobic digestion both in solid and liquid waste. Mailhem has been credited with developing Modified Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket technology to treat liquid as well as solid waste with high percentage of suspended solids. Having specialized in Biomethanation projects - solid and grey water (sewage), Lt. Col. Rege is now a strong supporter of the concept of Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management. He has been the CEO of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Waste Management and Urban Services Ltd for two years from Apr 2007 till Apr 2009, since then he was associated with Mailhem Group as Executive Chairman. He played a key role to form Mailhem Ikos, a Joint Venture between Mailhem and French Group Lhotellier Ikos in April 2014. He, now being the Executive Director and a Board Member, will guide the whole team of Mailhem Ikos. He is a regular invitee of the Committees formed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India and FICCI for policy formation. His contact email address: sureshrege@mailhem.com
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Renewable Energy Industry: Highlights of India's Union Budget 2014-2015 By Anmol Singh Jaggi (The Union Budget 2014-2015 was tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament on Thursday July 10, 2014 excerpts from FM's budget speech) 1. Para 118
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locations would entail a cost of Rs. 25,000 Crores which has to be financed & constructed by BHEL, SJVN & other PSU's. Rs. 500 Crores sanctioned in the budget shall go in providing the feasibility reports and creating basic corporate structures for these behemoth projects.
New and Renewable energy deserves a very high priority. It is proposed to take up Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Laddakh in J&K. I have set aside a sum of ` 500 crores for this. We are launching a scheme for solar power driven agricultural pump sets and water pumping stations for energizing one lakh pumps. I propose to allocate a sum of ` 400 crores for this purpose. An additional ` 100 crore is set aside for the development of 1 MW Solar
Solar Park on Banks of Canals - Unlike the solar projects which have been installed on top of the solar canals, these
Parks on the banks of canals. Implementation of the Green Energy Corridor Project will be accelerated in this financial year to facilitate evacuation of renewable energy across the country.
ones are proposed on the banks. May be these would be clubbed with another mission announced in the current budget of making the banks of Canals & Ghats cleaner and augmenting tourism.
Impact
Implementation of Green Energy Corridor - Though the funds for these have been allocated in previous budgets, the mention intents that the work shall be brought upto speed. Green Corridor shall bring a lot of stranded renewable energy resources in mainstream.
Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects - While there has been talk about it since the last 6-8 months, it is good that this has found mention in the budget. The estimated total cost of the proposed 1000 MW solar projects at each of the 4
Energising 1 Lac Solar Pumps - There can be no greater good than having the diesel guzzling agriculture pumps being replaced by clean solar energy. There has already been a sanction for 14,500 pump sets for FY14-15 by MNRE and the funds for the same have been sanctioned from the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF).
2. Para 200
Concessional Custom Duty on Plant & Machinery for Solar Energy Production - This goes with the intent of the government to create India as a vibrant manufacturing hub for solar. With so much of solar demand being created, it would be ideal to have Indian companies supply & meet the demand rather than imports.
Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help Utilities
Supply of power continues to be a major area of concern for the country. Therefore, instead of annual extensions, I propose to extend the 10 year tax holiday to the undertakings which begin generation, distribution and transmission of power by 31.03.2017. This stability in our policy will help the investors to plan their investments better. Impact This was more or less a given and taken for granted provision, however extending the provision till 2017 provides greater clarity. 3. Para 218 & 219 "218. We need to maximize our utilization of solar power. The existing duty structure incentivizes imports rather than domestic manufacture of solar photovoltaic cells and modules. Therefore, I propose to exempt from basic customs duty: *specified inputs for use in the manufacture of EVA sheets and back sheets; *Flat copper wire for the manufacture of PV ribbons. A concessional basic customs duty of 5 percent is also being extended to machinery and equipment required for setting up of a project for solar energy production. 219. To promote wind energy, I propose to reduce the basic customs duty from 10 percent to 5 percent on forged steel rings used in the manufacture of bearings of wind operated electricity generators. Also, I propose to exempt the SAD of 4 percent on parts and raw materials required for the manufacture of wind operated generators. Further, I propose to prescribe a concessional basic customs duty of 5 percent on machinery and equipment required for setting up of compressed biogas plants (Bio-CNG).
Reduction in Basic Custom Duty on Forged Steel Rings & Exemption of SAD on other raw materials for Wind - Shall lower the capital expenditure required for setting up wind projects, it needs to be seen whether this particular initiative would boost life into the ailing wind sector or do we need much greater incentives. 3. Para 233: *To develop renewable sources of energy, I propose to exempt from excise duty: *EVA sheets and solar back sheets and specified inputs used in their manufacture; *solar tempered glass used in the manufacture of solar photovoltaic cells and modules; *flat copper wire for the manufacture of PV ribbons for use in solar cells and modules; *machinery and equipment required for setting up of a project for solar energy production; *forged steel rings used in the manufacture of bearings of wind operated generators; *Machinery and equipment required for setting up of compressed biogas plants (Bio-CNG). Impact All of the above are essentially a counter-balance to the reduction in basic custom duty provided for the above mentioned items in Para 218 & 219 of the budget speech. Apart from the above there have been other important initiatives like raising the coal cess from Rs. 50 to Rs. 100 per tonne of coal to finance clean energy & clean environment. Sanctioning of funds for setting up of coal washeries.
Impact Exemption of Basic Custom Duty on EVA & Back Sheets, Coppers Wire - A long standing demand of the solar manufacturers, it is indeed commendable that the Finance Minister has observed and got the anomaly fixed. This would lead to a cost reduction by Rs.0.50 0.75 for the domestic manufacturers.
All the above shall be of importance to make renewable energy more attractive & get more investments made into the sector which directly impacts our way of living. There would be many smaller items which shall be as a part of the Finance Bill, will keep readers updated on them after going through the Finance Bill in detail.
As lead consultant, he has been responsible for creation of more than 10 million Certified Emission Reduction (CERs) across 400 renewable energy projects in India. Further, in solar power sector in particular, he is accredited with assisting Project Developers, Lending Institutions and EPC Contractors on more than 600 MW in project management and engineering services. Under his able guidance, Power Trading business was successfully incubated, as a result of which, Gensol is currently managing a portfolio in excess of 80 MW. Anmol is widely respected for his ability to understand and interpret the width and depth of Indian Power Sector. He has been a significant part of various conferences and seminars like Intersolar, Solarcon, IVCJ, FICCI and CII to name a few and has been a source for considerable insight into the present complexities and future prospects of renewable energy in general and solar industry in particular. He was bestowed with several awards and recognitions. His contact email: anmoljaggi@gensol.in
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Solar Power An Overview By Staff Writer to form photovoltaic modules, or solar panels.
“The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere of which approximately 30% is being reflected back to space while the rest is being absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet. Solar energy refers primarily to the use of solar radiation for practical ends. All other renewable energies other than geothermal derive their energy from the Sun” Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive or active depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Active solar techniques use photovoltaic panels, pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into useful outputs. Passive solar techniques include selecting materials with favorable thermal properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air, and referencing the position of a building to the Sun. Active solar technologies increase the supply of energy and are considered supply side technologies, while passive solar technologies reduce the need for alternate resources and are generally considered demand side technologies. Sunlight can be converted into electricity using photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and various experimental technologies. PV has mainly been used to power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to offgrid homes powered by a photovoltaic array. Photovoltaic is best known as a method for generating electric power by using solar cells packaged in photovoltaic modules, often electrically connected in multiples as solar photovoltaic arrays to convert energy from the sun into electricity by directing photons from sunlight to knock electrons into a higher state of energy, thereby creating electricity. Almost all photovoltaic devices are some type of photodiode.
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The first practical application of photovoltaic was to power orbiting satellites and other spacecraft, but today the majority of photovoltaic modules are used for grid connected power generation. In this case an inverter is required to convert the DC to AC. There is a smaller market for off grid power for remote dwellings, roadside emergency telephones, remote sensing, and cathodic protection of pipelines.Cells require protection from the environment and are usually packaged tightly behind a glass sheet. When more power is required than a single cell can deliver, cells are electrically connected together
A single module is enough to power an emergency telephone, but for a house or a power plant the modules must be arranged in arrays. Although the selling price of modules is still too high to compete with grid electricity in most places, significant financial incentives in Japan and then Germany and Italy triggered a huge growth in demand, followed quickly by production. Perhaps not unexpectedly, a significant market has emerged in off-grid locations for solar-power-charged storage-battery based solutions. These often provide the only electricity available.Some of the applications of PV are in power stations, buildings, transport, in standalone devices, in areas of rural electrification and on solar roadways. Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. The concentrated light is then used as a heat source for a conventional power plant or is concentrated onto photovoltaic surfaces. Concentrating solar thermal (CST) is used to produce renewable heat or electricity (generally, in the latter case, through steam). CST systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. The concentrated light is then used as heat or as a heat source for a conventional power plant (solar thermoelectricity). A wide range of concentrating technologies exist, including the parabolic trough, Dish Stirling, Concentrating Linear Fresnel Reflector, Solar chimney and solar power tower. Each concentration method is capable of producing high temperatures and correspondingly high thermodynamic efficiencies, but they vary in the way that they track the Sun and focus light. Due new innovations in the technology, concentrating solar thermal is being more and more costeffective. A parabolic trough consists of a linear parabolic reflector that concentrates light onto a receiver positioned along the reflector's focal line. The receiver is a tube positioned right above the middle of the parabolic mirror and is filled with a working fluid. The reflector follows the Sun during the daylight hours by tracking along a single axis. A working fluid (e.g. molten salt) is heated to 150-350° C as it flows through the receiver and is then used as a heat source for a power generation system. Trough systems are the most developed CSP technology. The Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) plants in California, Acciona's Nevada Solar One near Boulder City, Nevada, and Plataforma Solar de Almería's SSPSDCS plant in Spain are representatives of this technology.
Some CSP-plants use many thin mirror strips instead of parabolic mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto two tubes with working fluid. This has the advantage that flat mirrors can be used and those are much cheaper than parabolic mirrors, and that more reflectors can be placed in the same amount of space, allowing more of the available sunlight to be used. Concentrating Linear Fresnel reflector can come in large plants or more compact plants. A Dish Stirling or dish engine system consists of a standalone parabolic reflector that concentrates light onto a receiver positioned at the reflector's focal point. The reflector tracks the Sun along two axes. The working fluid in the receiver is heated to 250-700 째C and then
used by a Stirling engine to generate power. Parabolic dish systems provide the highest solar-to-electric efficiency among CSP technologies, and their modular nature provides scalability. The Stirling Energy Systems (SES) and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) dishes at UNLV and the Big Dish in Canberra, Australia are representatives of this technology. A Solar chimney consists of a transparent large room (usually completely in glass) which is sloped gently up to a central hollow tower or chimney. The sun heats the air in this greenhouse-type structure which then rises up the chimney, hereby driving an air turbine as it rises. This air turbine hereby creates electricity. Solar chimneys are very simple in design and could therefore be a viable option for projects in the developing world.
A solar power tower consists of an array of dual-axis tracking reflectors (heliostats) that concentrate light on a central receiver atop a tower; the receiver contains a fluid deposit, which can consist of sea water. The working fluid in the receiver is heated to 500-1000 째C and then used as a heat source for a power generation or energy storage system. Power tower development is less advanced than trough systems, but they offer higher efficiency and better energy storage capability. The Solar Two in Daggett, California and the Planta Solar 10 (PS10) in Sanlucar la Mayor, Spain are representatives of this technology. Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) is the main
technology proposed for a cooperation to produce electricity and desalinated water in the arid regions of North Africa and Southern Europe by the TransMediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation DESERTEC. Concentrating photo-voltaics (CPV) systems employ sunlight concentrated onto photovoltaic surfaces for the purpose of electrical power production. Solar concentrators of all varieties may be used, and these are often mounted on a solar tracker in order to keep the focal point upon the cell as the Sun moves across the sky. The generating ability of a solar updraft power plant depends primarily on two factors: the size of the collector area and chimney height. With a larger collector area, a greater volume of air is warmed to flow up the chimney; collector areas as large as 7 km in diameter
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have been considered. With a larger chimney height, the pressure difference increases the stack effect; chimneys as tall as 1000m have been considered. Heat can be stored inside the collector area greenhouse to be used to warm the air later on. Water, with its relatively high specific heat capacity, can be filled in tubes placed under the collector increasing the energy
manufacture of its construction materials, particularly cement. Net energy payback is estimated to be 23 years. A solar updraft tower power station would consume a significant area of land if it were designed to generate as much electricity as is produced by modern power stations using conventional technology. Construction would be most likely in hot areas with large amounts of
storage as needed.
very low-value land, such as deserts, or otherwise degraded land. A small-scale solar updraft tower may be an attractive option for remote regions in developing countries. The relatively low-tech approach could allow local resources and labor to be used for its construction and maintenance.
Turbines can be installed in a ring around the base of the tower, with a horizontal axis, as planned for the Australian project and seen in the diagram above; oras in the prototype in Spaina single vertical axis turbine can be
Thermo-electric generators (TEG) are devices which convert heat (temperature differences) directly into electrical energy. For the most part, this term is synonymous with “thermo-electric generator� and rarely used in English. They most commonly work on the principle of the Seebeck effect, with typical efficiencies of around 5-10%. Older Seebeck-based devices used bimetallic junctions and were bulky while more recent devices use bismuth-telluride semiconductor p-n junctions and can have thicknesses in the millimeter range. These are solid state devices and unlike dynamos have no moving parts other than sometimes a fan.
installed inside the chimney. Carbon dioxide is emitted only negligibly while
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Thermo-electric generators were later used in the US space program as an energy conversion technology for powering deep space missions such as Cassini, Galileo and Viking. Research in this area is focused on raising the efficiency of these devices from 78% to 1520%.
The 'Positive' and 'Negative' effects of various energy choices By Staff Writer usage means additional radioactive waste that must be managed. On the security level, the plutonium byproduct of some nuclear reactors can be used in manufacture of bombs. The more plutonium that exists, the higher the risk that it can fall into the hands of militants, extremists or terrorists. Additionally, the uranium used in nuclear reactors undergoes an enrichment process to prepare it, but additional enrichment can generate weapons grade uranium. According to the 'The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation', the enrichment process is openly shared between nations. In addition to those risks, as nuclear technologies become more widespread the risks of accidental contamination of people and the environment increases.
NUCLEAR The gross effects are the extremely long half life of nuclear waste and the necessity to transport and store it safely. There is also the huge cost of decommissioning at the end of the useful life of the plant. Recent disasters aside, nuclear plants offer a viable alternative to fossil fuelled. power plants. Nuclear Meltdown: In a nuclear reactor, the fission of radioactive materials produces additional neutrons, which leads to a self-sustaining fission process. A nuclear meltdown occurs if the material undergoing fission is no longer properly cooled and begins to melt. The threat occurs from the possibility that the heat or melting fuel will compromise the containment of reactor, thereby releasing radioactive material into the surrounding area. This can have environmental consequences, like the radioactive contamination of soil and water. This contamination can render an area uninhabitable, kill the local flora and fauna, or render them sterile. The affect on local human populations could include radiation sickness, increased rates of cancer or death. It should be noted that the perception of the threat is greater than the realistic probability. Nuclear reactor designs include redundant systems specifically to avoid a meltdown. Nuclear Waste: Unlike nuclear meltdowns, which have low probability and frequency, nuclear waste represents a tangible and present negative effect of nuclear energy. Nuclear fuel rods have a limited usability lifespan. The fission process alters the atomic composition of fuel rod material. One consequence of this alteration in uranium fuel rods is the creation of plutonium, another radioactive material. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation reported that the plutonium created in nuclear reactors can remain dangerously radioactive for as long as 240,000 years. Methods exist to reprocess spent fuel rods so they can be used again, but the United States does not employ them due to security concerns. At present, nuclear waste remains stored on-site at nuclear power plants. Initiatives to create long-term, underground storage have been proposed, but none have been initiated. The impossibility of a guaranteeing containment of the waste in the event of a transportation accident or at the underground site represents two major reasons for this. Nuclear Proliferation: Nuclear proliferation refers to the expansion of nuclear technologies and weapons. The expansion of nuclear technology represents several related negative effects. On one level, additional nuclear technology
WIND ENERGY Cost: The cost of a windmill will probably keep your average person out of the electricity-producing business. For a windmill that will power a home, the cost starts around $10,000. Location: In real estate, the old adage is "location, location, location." With windmills, it is the same thing as there are several issues with location. First, locations where there is high volumes of wind tend to be far away from areas with high electrical needs. As a result, the cost of transporting the electricity over power lines is high. Second, due to government restrictions and community pressures, finding appropriate sights for windmills is getting more difficult. SOLAR Since solar power systems generate no air pollution during operation, the primary environmental, health, and safety issues involve how they are manufactured, installed, and ultimately disposed of. Energy is required to manufacture and install
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solar components, and any fossil fuels used for this purpose will generate emissions. Thus, an important question is how much fossil energy input is required for solar systems compared to the fossil energy consumed by comparable conventional energy systems. Although this varies depending upon the technology and climate, the energy balance is generally favorable to solar systems in applications where they are cost effective, and it is improving with each successive generation of technology. According to some studies, for example, solar water heaters increase the amount of hot water generated per unit of fossil energy invested by at least a factor of two compared to natural gas water heating and by at least a factor of eight compared to electric water heating. Materials used in some solar systems can create health and safety hazards for workers and anyone else coming into contact with them. In particular, the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells often requires hazardous materials such as arsenic and cadmium. Even relatively inert silicon, a major material used in solar cells, can be hazardous to workers if it is breathed in as dust. Workers involved in manufacturing photovoltaic modules and components must consequently be protected from exposure to these materials. There is an additional-probably very small-danger that hazardous fumes released from photovoltaic modules attached to burning homes or buildings could injure fire fighters. None of these potential hazards is much different in quality or magnitude from the innumerable hazards people face routinely in an industrial society. Through effective regulation, the dangers can very likely be kept at a very low level. The large amount of land required for utility-scale solar power plants-approximately one square kilometer for every 20-60 megawatts (MW) generated-poses an additional problem, especially where wildlife protection is a concern. But this problem is not unique to solar power plants. Generating electricity from coal actually requires as much or more land per unit of energy delivered if the land used in strip mining is taken into account. Solar-thermal plants (like most conventional power plants) also require cooling water, which may be costly or scarce in desert areas.
Large central power plants are not the only option for generating energy from sunlight, however, and are probably among the least promising. Because sunlight is dispersed, small-scale, dispersed applications are a better match to the resource. They can take advantage of unused space on the roofs of homes and buildings and in urban and industrial lots. And, in solar building designs, the structure itself acts as the collector, so there is no need for any additional space at all.
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GEOTHERMAL Geothermal energy is heat contained below the earth's surface. The only type of geothermal energy that has been widely developed is hydrothermal energy, which consists of trapped hot water or steam. However, new technologies are being developed to exploit hot dry rock (accessed by drilling deep into rock), geopressured resources (pressurized brine mixed with methane), and magma. The various geothermal resource types differ in many respects, but they raise a common set of environmental issues. Air and water pollution are two leading concerns, along with the safe disposal of hazardous waste, siting, and land subsidence. Since these resources would be exploited in a highly centralized fashion, reducing their environmental impacts to an acceptable level should be relatively easy. But it will always be difficult to site plants in scenic or otherwise environmentally sensitive areas. The method used to convert geothermal steam or hot water to electricity directly affects the amount of waste generated. Closed-loop systems are almost totally benign, since gases or fluids removed from the well are not exposed to the atmosphere and are usually injected back into the ground after giving up their heat. Although this technology is more expensive than conventional open-loop systems, in some cases it may reduce scrubber and solid waste disposal costs enough to provide a significant economic advantage. Open-loop systems, on the other hand, can generate large amounts of solid wastes as well as noxious fumes. Metals, minerals, and gases leach out into the geothermal steam or hot water as it passes through the rocks. The large amounts of chemicals released when geothermal fields are tapped for commercial production can be hazardous or objectionable to people living and working nearby. At The Geysers, the largest geothermal development, steam vented at the surface contains hydrogen sulfide (H2S)accounting for the area's "rotten egg" smell-as well as ammonia, methane, and carbon dioxide. At hydrothermal plants carbon dioxide is expected to make up about 10 percent of the gases trapped in geopressured brines. For each kilowatthour of electricity generated, however, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted is still only about 5 percent of the amount emitted by a coal- or oil-fired power plant. Scrubbers reduce air emissions but produce a watery sludge high in sulfur and vanadium, a heavy metal that can be toxic in high concentrations. Additional sludge is generated when hydrothermal steam is condensed, causing the dissolved solids to precipitate out. This sludge is generally high in silica compounds, chlorides, arsenic, mercury, nickel, and other toxic heavy metals. One costly method of waste disposal involves drying it as thoroughly as possible and shipping it to licensed hazardous waste sites. Research under way at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York points to the possibility of treating these wastes with microbes designed to recover commercially valuable metals while rendering the waste nontoxic. Usually the best disposal method is to inject liquid wastes or re-dissolved solids back into a porous stratum of a geothermal well. This technique is especially important at geopressured power plants because of the sheer volume of wastes they produce each day. Wastes must be injected well below fresh water aquifers to make certain that there is no communication
between the usable water and waste-water strata. Leaks in the well casing at shallow depths must also be prevented. In addition to providing safe waste disposal, injection may also help prevent land subsidence. At Wairakei, New Zealand, where wastes and condensates were not injected for many years, one area has sunk 7.5 meters since 1958. Land subsidence has not been detected at other hydrothermal plants in long-term operation. Since geopressured brines primarily are found along the Gulf of Mexico coast, where natural land subsidence is already a problem, even slight settling could have major implications for flood control and hurricane damage. So far, however, no settling has been detected at any of the three experimental wells under study.
Most geothermal power plants will require a large amount of water for cooling or other purposes. In places where water is in short supply, this need could raise conflicts with other users for water resources.
New England and the Northwest, there is a growing popular movement to dismantle small hydropower plants in an attempt to restore native trout and salmon populations. That environmental concerns would constrain hydropower development in the United States is perhaps ironic, since these plants produce no air pollution or greenhouse gases. Yet, as the salmon example makes clear, they affect the environment. The impact of very large dams is so great that there is almost no chance that any more will be built in the United States, although large projects continue to be pursued in Canada (the largest at James Bay in Quebec) and in many developing countries. The reservoirs created by such projects frequently inundate large areas of forest, farmland, wildlife habitats, scenic areas, and even towns. In addition, the dams can cause radical changes in river ecosystems both upstream and downstream. Small hydropower plants using reservoirs can cause similar types of damage, though obviously on a smaller scale. Some of the impacts on fish can be mitigated by installing "ladders" or other devices to allow fish to migrate over dams, and by maintaining minimum river-flow rates; screens can also be installed to keep fish away from turbine blades. In one case, flashing underwater lights placed in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania direct night-migrating American shad around turbines at a hydroelectric station. As environmental regulations have become more stringent, developing costeffective mitigation measures such as these is essential.
The development of hydrothermal energy faces a special problem. Many hydrothermal reservoirs are located in or near wilderness areas of great natural beauty such as Yellowstone National Park and the Cascade Mountains. Proposed developments in such areas have aroused intense opposition. If hydrothermal-electric development is to expand much further in the United States, reasonable compromises will have to be reached between environmental groups and industry. HYDROELECTRIC The development of hydropower has become increasingly problematic in the United States. The construction of large dams has virtually ceased because most suitable undeveloped sites are under federal environmental protection. To some extent, the slack has been taken up by a revival of small-scale development. But small-scale hydro development has not met early expectations. As of 1988, small hydropower plants made up only one-tenth of total hydropower capacity. Declining fossil-fuel prices and reductions in renewable energy tax credits are only partly responsible for the slowdown in hydropower development. Just as significant have been public opposition to new development and environmental regulations. Environmental regulations affect existing projects as well as new ones. For example, a series of large facilities on the Columbia River in Washington will probably be forced to reduce their peak output by 1,000 MW to save an endangered species of salmon. Salmon numbers have declined rapidly because the young are forced to make a long and arduous trip downstream through several power plants, risking death from turbine blades at each stage. To ease this trip, hydropower plants may be required to divert water around their turbines at those times of the year when the fish attempt the trip. And in
Despite these efforts, however, hydropower is almost certainly approaching the limit of its potential in the United States. Although existing hydro facilities can be upgraded with more efficient turbines, other plants can be refurbished, and some new small plants can be added, the total capacity and annual generation from hydro will probably not increase by more than 10 to 20 percent and may decline over the long term because of increased demand on water resources for agriculture and drinking water, declining rainfall (perhaps caused by global warming), and efforts to protect or restore endangered fish and wildlife. BIOMASS Biomass power, derived from the burning of plant matter, raises more serious environmental issues than any other renewable resource except hydropower. Combustion of biomass and biomass-derived fuels produces air pollution; beyond this, there are concerns about the impacts of using land to grow energy crops. How serious these impacts are will depend on how carefully the resource is managed. The picture is further complicated because there is no single biomass technology, but rather a wide variety of production and conversion methods, each with different environmental impacts.
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News
World's first eco-friendly Dh20-million green mosque opened in Dubai
The Khalifa Al Tajer Mosque on Bur Saeed Street in Deira Dubai Deira saw some 3,500 worshippers attending the first Friday Renewable energy solutions have been sermon by Sheikh Salih Al Maghamsi, imam of Madina's incorporated into the design of the mosque, Quba Mosque.
which is the brainchild of Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation(AMAF)
The doors of the first environment-friendly mosque in the Islamic world were opened for worshippers here on Friday 25th July, 2014 by Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF).
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The Khalifa Al Tajer Mosque on Bur Saeed Street in
Located on 105,000 square feet of land, the new green mosque was designed with energy efficiency in mind and was built with environment-friendly material. The building, which covers 45,000 square feet, uses thermal-insulation systems for lowering energy consumption and air conditioners that emit reduced greenhouse gases. "Environmental awareness is a pillar in Islam", Tayeb Al Rais, secretary-general of AMAF, a Dubai government body,
said in remarks at the opening ceremony. He expressed the hope that similar green projects would be implemented in line Dubai's vision for a sustainable future. "The new mosque was built to meet guidelines set out by the US Green Building Council Standards and Specifications," he said.
Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities (DDIACA) told Khaleej Times that all mosques to be built in Dubai in the future will be environment friendly. “We want to set an example. Eco-mosques save water consumption by 20 per cent and electricity by 25 per cent.”
“The Dh20 million eco-mosque, donated by Emirati
Indicating that his department is to manage the mosque affairs, Dr Shaibani said green buildings standards have been adopted in all the facilities of the mosque. “These
philanthropist Khalifa Al Tajer, integrates cutting-edge green technologies, including sensor-operated water mixers to reduce consumption and moderate water flow while the used water is recycled for irrigation purposes.”
include the two-floor mosque including the 600worshipper women hall, the houses of the imam, Muazen and cleaning worker, the 25m long minaret, and the ablution area.”
"The mosque integrates renewable energy solutions in its design. This is illustrated in the exterior lighting poles that are fitted with solar panels, battery storage system that is powered by solar energy, and the use of solar panels instead of energy draining electric heaters for the purpose of water heating."
Marwan Abu Ismael of Siwa Oasis, the landscape company of the Green Mosque project, told Khaleej Times that the local plants have been carefully chosen for the water treatment process. “The 200-gallon amount used for ablution is exactly the same consumed by our plants.”
The mosque also meets recent legislation in Dubai that requires new buildings to include green standards in the design, construction and operation of buildings, he noted.
Dr Qutb Abdulhameed, adviser to DDIACA, and also imam of the Green Mosque, said the eco-mosque does have a positive impact on worshippers. “The mosque shall be internationally certified as the first green mosque in the world soon.”
Latest techniques of thermal insulation have been used in the materials of the roofs and exterior walls to reduce heat transfer while the three-layer, double-glazing, and big windows with metal coating minimise the intensity of solar radiation into the mosque, he elaborated. “Technologically advanced equipment is also fitted for improving indoor air quality and the performance of the air-conditioning system.” Dr. Hamad Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Dubai
Wishing all mosques to be green, Mohammed Al Kamzari, Emirati, considered the mosque an exceptional achievement in Dubai and the UAE. “The area is a critical addition to the busy area of Port Saeed.” (Source: Khaleej Times, Dubai www/khaleejtimes.com)
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Dharnai-India's first fully solar-powered village in Bihar Built within three months and on a test-run since March, the quick-toinstall micro-grid launched by Greenpeace India with the help of NGOs BASIX and CEED takes care of 60 street lights, energy requirements of two schools, one health centre, one Kisan Training Centre (Farmer Training Centre) and 50 commercial establishments. It required a heterogeneous village for this project where agriculture was the main occupation along with basic social infrastructure like a school, healthcare facility, an anganwadi (communal childcare centre), a commercial zone and around 400 households, according to Greenpeace. Local women of Dharnai sing on roof of a house where solar panels are installed (Photo credit: Subrata Biswas/Greenpeace) Surrounded by stories of gloom, doom and disappointment, we do not often get to hear news worth celebrating and sharing. Here, however, is one truly worth story of being happy and proud about! Even as more than 300 million people wait for electricity in India, Dharnai in Bihar unshackled from darkness and declared itself as an energy-independent village on 20 July, 2014. With the launch of Greenpeace's solarpowered 100 kilowatt micro-grid, quality electricity is being provided to more than 2,400 people living in this village in Jehanabad district. The people of Dharnai village used to have a facility supplied by the state Government, which provided electricity, but this hasn't been available for the last 33 years and diesel generators were the only source of electricity. "While India was growing leaps and bounds, we were stuck here for the last 30 years, trying everything in the book to get electricity. We were forced to struggle with kerosene lamps and expensive diesel generators," said Kamal Kishore, a resident of Dharnai. "The Greenpeace Organisation came here in 2014. Within two months, streetlights were installed. Since then, it does not feel like we are living in darkness. And children are studying well. Villagers have many benefits from this venture," Ashok Kumar Singh, another resident says.
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"The village happens to be on a NH, it has a railway halt. It has pretty much all the social infrastructure that should be available in a village. And, the only thing that sort of was missing was energy," says Manish Ram, senior campaigner/analyst, Renewable Energy Greenpeace India. The project did not just provide electricity for the village, but also the mandate to a better life and ambition. Youngsters like Santan Kumar, 19, had little opportunity in Dharnai, nor did they have the resources to go out of the village and carve a future. In September 2012, though, opportunity knocked. "I heard that an organization called Greenpeace had come to our village and they were going to bring us electricity," Santan said. "They were going door-to-door with forms. I thought it was a good idea to get involved." Now Santan is an electrician and is responsible for the wiring of households that apply for an electrical connection from the recently installed solar microgrid in his village. From womb to tomb, women of villages like Dharnai struggle every day to fulfill the basic necessities of food, water and fuel for their families. With the commencement of solar power, they are saved from the long walks enduring natural hardships, abuse, and fear of rape and death. "The coal-fired and nuclear-fired power plants of the country will not be able to reach the Dharnais of the country. Nor will they be able to address global climate concerns and India's commitments towards those concerns. India needs to seriously reconsider its energy strategy and prioritise renewable energy for social and climate justice," said Samit Aich, Executive Director, Greenpeace India, at the launch of the micro-grid attended by more than 3,000 villagers and community leaders from 25 villages.
JNNSM sets 20000 MW renewable energy generation target by 2022 The Government of India (GoI) is working in full fledge as it carries on with the project called the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission or simply the National Solar Mission that focuses on making India the leader in Solar Power Generation. The target set by the government is that they will produce about 20000 MW of solar power by the year 2022. The project is said to be in its second phase now. A few years back, when it was first introduced, it was targeted that the government would produce about 1000 MW in the first phase i.e. 2010-2013. In the second phase i.e. 2013-2017, it is planned that about 10000 MW of Solar power will be produced by the end of 2017. And in the last phase, i.e. by the end of 2022, the government has targeted a production of 20000 MW of Solar power that will be evenly distributed in areas where there is less electricity.
The Government has already begun its work of inviting companies to bid for this majestic project that is one of India's largest solar Power capacities. It is already observed that the northern region of the country already faces low power supply. Thus, the introduction of this project promises brighter days for all the rural and the urban areas in the country. With the increase in the amount of solar power generation, the considerable cost that one would have to pay for the power will also decrease. It is already found that the price of solar power that was Rs. 17 per unit has come down to Rs. 8 or Rs. 10 per unit and is expected to decrease further up to Rs. 4 per unit. Thus, with the promise of spreading solar power to light up rural as well as urban areas, the government of India has also tried its best to reduce the cost of power.
A 100% solar-powered boat that cost less than $3,000 to build! China-US solar issue: WTO directive could have impact in India Was the United States wrong in imposing anti dumping duties on China-made solar modules? Yes, says the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This will have an echo in India, where domestic manufacturers of solar modules have often cited the US (and the EU) precedent to strengthen their case for bringing in anti-dumping duties against Chinese products. For those who have been saying, “See? Even the US has found China to be dumping their products; India should do the same”, the WTO panel's findings take the stuffing out of their case a bit. The trade body's findings relate not only to solar modules, but to a range of products from China. However, the inclusion of solar products in the list is of interest in India. The countervailing duties were brought in by the US Department of Commerce. China felt that the duties were inconsistent with an agreement signed under the WTO, called 'Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures', or SCM Agreement. The WTO panel that examined the USDOC action at China's behest “recommended that the United States bring its measures into conformity with its obligations under the SCM Agreement. What the United States would now do is as yet unclear, but that is another matter. Right now, the US-based solar power producers are behaving like they have won the soccer World Cup. Tony Clifford, CEO of an American solar power producer called Standard Solar, who has been among the most vocal opponents of duties against Chinese modules, noted after the WTO announcement that the US was already paying too high a price for solar modules due to the USDOC action. He has graphically observed that a Chinese solar
module is delivered to the west coast of Mexico at 58 cents a watt; and to the west coast of the United States at 76 cents a wattthe 18 cent difference arising out of US duties on Chinese products. Jigar Hasmukh Shah, an Indian American who founded the solar energy company, SunEdison and who is the CEO of Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy, has also observed that the USDOC duties were “hurting American solar industry”. In India, the Directorate General of Anti-dumping, a body of the Ministry of Commerce concluding its investigations in alleged dumping of solar modules by China and recommended anti dumping duties ranging from 11 cents to 81 cents different duties against different exporters. (The duties are also on exporters from Taiwan, Malaysia and the US, but China is the leading supplier of solar modules to India.) The Directorate's recommendations will become formal once the Ministry of Finance 'notifies' them. The WTO panels comes at a time when both sides are lobbying hectically for and against anti dumping action. Not surprisingly, those who oppose anti dumping duties are happy. “This should be an indicator for Indian Ministry of Commerce and not to resort to an Anti Dumping Duty on Solar Modules in the name of protecting the domestic industry, which is non existent and incompetent to fulfil India's Solar Mission,” said Anil Jain, Managing Director of Chennai-based Refex Energy, a solar power plant constructor.
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Scope and local content goals of India solar mission under fire Concerns over time and capacity constraints might be over for India's domestic manufacturing industry, but Goel argues it still cannot compete with foreign subsidies. The domestic content requirement (DCR) for the latest batch of tenders under India's JNNSM national solar programme is a “step backwards” and should be “short term” until antidumping duties are implemented. According to Ajay Goel, CEO of Tata Power Solar, an Indian solar module manufacturing arm of the
In March 2014, a letter from industry body, the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) expressed concern that India's manufacturing capacity is too low to meet the DCR demand. NSEFI claimed the capacity quotes from domestic manufacturers are exaggerated to be higher than actual nameplate capacity which NSEFI estimated in March, stood at a maximum of 150MW. NSEFI claimed some manufacturers are running at zero capacity, and would take months to ramp operations, with instability because of a lack of finance. According to Solar energy analyst for Bridge to India, Jasmeet Khurana, Indian manufacturers “don't match up to their international counterparts on either scale or technological improvements.” But Goel challenged these claims. “People were complaining that there was not enough time [for domestic manufacturers to meet demand], but now that is not an issue, it is misinformation.” Anti-dumping Khurana also added that the government officials had privately indicated that if anti-dumping duties are introduced, then the 500MW DCR in the second batch of round two would be removed.
multinational Tata Group, the JNNSM DCR is lower than last year's allocation, and that anti-dumping duties would be a preferable means of bolstering India's solar market. India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) published its guidelines for developers bidding in the second batch of the second round of the JNNSM during last July. As part of the JNNSM's objective to advance domestic manufacturing, 500MW of the second batch of round two is to be under DCR 250MW for 2014 and 250MW in 2015. All solar cells and modules under the DCR element must be made in India. “It's a step backwards,” said Goel, as the DCR for JNNSM last year was a much more ambitious 375MW. Goel said there was an expectation that the ministry would reserve at least 50% of the national solar mission for DCR. The full allocation of solar tenders available under the NSM for 2014-2015 is 1,500MW. There should be “at least 750MW of DCR allocated”, said Goel. As the national solar mission is separated into two six month blocks, spread over 2014 and 2015, Goel's proposed 750MW of DCR would result in 375MW of demand for domestic manufacturers a year, the same as in the current first batch of round two. “The DCR has gone from 375MW a year, to 250MW,” he said.
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Goel argued against reports of domestic manufactures struggling to meet that 375MW local content goal in batch one. “Domestic cell manufacturers have the capacity, lowering the DCR will make manufacturers very unhappy,” he said.
In May 2014, India published proposals for anti-dumping duties on US, Chinese and Malaysian solar manufacturers, for up to US$0.81 per watt. A final decision on the proposed duties is expected this August. “Anti-dumping would be preferable to DCR; it puts India on a level playing field,” said Goel. DCR should be a “short-term solution until anti-dumping is implemented, then get rid of DCR, so it is an open market”, said Goel. Anti-dumping would encompass all imports, for private, and public state and national solar programmes, whereas DCR would only affect solar developments that are part of the national solar mission. “Anti-dumping would be easier to administer, whereas DCR is just for the national solar mission,” Goel explained. JNNSM criticism Meanwhile, the scope of the next phase in the JNNSM just announced has come under more general fire for lacking ambition. India's new prime minster Narendra Modi campaigned on a ticket to increase access to power in India through massive investment in solar. According to Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group, a clean-tech communications and research firm, the new JNNSM guidelines are “just status quo”. “I am surprised, we have been saying that this new administration's going to do something, and everything is going to change, but it looks as if nothing has changed in terms of policy--it is just status quo, so I am very surprised,” said Prabhu. “There is strong support for [Modi] for whatever he wants to do now, so should take advantage of the current situation and push through [new policies] because solar in India needs help.”
Nearly One Third of Germany Is Now Powered by Renewable Energy Germany is now producing 28.5 percent of its energynearly a thirdwith solar, wind, hydro, and biomass. In 2000, renewables accounted for just 6 percent of its power consumption. This is further proof that Germany is, essentially, the world leader in renewable energy. No other country has demonstrated such a dedicated, accelerated drive toward transitioning to clean powerin Germany's case, away from nuclear to solar and wind. It has done so by intensely incentivizing private and commercial solar, aggressively pursuing wind power contracts, and, yes, by raising, slightly, the cost of energy in the process.
A couple years ago, Germany broke a record when, for a day, its wind and solar plants generated enough clean power to meet half the country's energy needs. This year, it broke a new one when they whipped up enough power to meet 75 percent of demand. That's three-fourths of a nation, running on clean energy. And not just any nation, either. Germany is one of the largest energy consumers in the world, with one of the most powerfully industrialized economies. And it is running on an immense amount of clean power. Today's milestone is important because it's not a spike from an exceptionally windy or sunny daywhich are rare in
Germanybut routine, average generation. The Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) issued a release explaining the gains this morning: "The share of renewable energies in gross domestic energy consumption is expected to rise to 28.5 percent in the first half of 2014,� BDEW reports, citing its own estimates. By way of comparison, "In the first half of 2013 the share of renewable energies in gross domestic energy consumption was still at 24.6 percent." BDEW also details where the gains came from: Wind
power grew by 21.4 percent in the first half of 2014, and produced 31 billion kWh. "Photovoltaic plants produced 18.3 billion kWh," and grew by 27.3 percent. Biomass was also up by 5.2 percent. All told, clean energy generated 22 billion kWh in 2014 so far. China is perhaps the only other nation building out clean energy so rapidly, but it is also building an immense fleet of polluting coal and gas plants, too (remember that LAsized 'coal base'?). If it's possible to transition away from the dirty energy of the past in time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, that road is being paved by Germany right now.
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Floating Solar Islands on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland Two Swiss companies have teamed up to build three floating “solar islands”, each with 100 photovoltaic panels, on Lake Neuchâtel during last year. Each of the floating islands made by energy company Viteos and photovoltaics specialist Nolaris will measure 25 metres in diameter, are to be used as laboratories to test
tributaries to provide power for local areas. Wind and solar energy only provide us with power as nature allows, but solar-wind hybrid towers could soon overcome this limitation. The company Solar Wind Energy, based in Maryland, has now received the necessary startup capital for the construction of a 2,250-foot-high tower in San Luis, Arizona, which would be the tallest freestanding structure in the US. The idea for solar-wind-towers goes back to a patent from 1975 by Dr. Phillip Carlson, then at Lockheed Aircraft Corp., and the concept was brilliantly illustrated in Popular Science in 1981. The concept is simple. A mist of water droplets is sprayed over the opening of the tower. The fog evaporates and absorbs the heat of the surrounding air. The denser cooled air then falls to the bottom, and that wind speed can get up to 50 miles per hour. At the base of the tower the horizontal downdraft is diverted through the wind turbines, which then generate electricity.
concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. CSP plants concentrate sunlight onto boilers to produce steam, which is sent via a pipeline to a shore-based plant where it drives steam turbines, which generate power.
The advantage of this method is that the downdraft can be produced around the clock, as long as the air is warm and dry enough. For this reason, the first tower will be built near San Luis, Arizona, planned for 2018.
Each of the 100 solar panels on the islands are positioned at a 45 degree incline. The entire island can then rotate 220 degrees in the direction of the Sun to optimise the amount of solar energy it can harness throughout the day.
The overall cost of the plant is estimated at around $1.6 billion. The company received $1.6 million in this latest funding round, and hopes the company's rising stock value
The idea has been in the pipeline for several years, with a Swiss researcher called Thomas Hinderling telling Wired in 2008 that he could build solar islands several miles across to produce hundreds of megawatts of “relatively inexpensive power”. At the time he was the CEO of R&D company Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) and he said he had already received funding from the UAE for the project. A prototype of the solar island was launched on land in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and has been rotating and tracking the Sun since then. In 2010, Hinderling left CSEM to launch his solar laboratory company Nolaris, attracting CHF 100 million (£70 million) in investment from Swiss energy company Viteos. The three solar will launch in August 2013, with three floating laboratories testing the feasibility of the technology and the infrastructure required to deliver the power to the mainland at scale. They will be anchored to the lake-bed and will float near the Neuchâtel sewage treatment plant, away from swimmers and boaters.
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The project echoes a similar initiative by UK company ZM Architecture that has proposed a concept of solar “lily pads” that could be placed in unused canals, rivers and
A 2,250-Foot Tall Tower in Arizona Will Usher in the Future of Wind Energy And the project's impressive "simplicity of the principle" will continue to interest In a promotional video, Solar Wind Energy promises CO2free power production around the clock, throughout the whole year. It will generate an average of 435 megawatts, coming close to that of the smallest nuclear power plant in the US, which averages 502 megawatts.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
New solar material goes hole-free for greater durability Perovskites are appealing in part because you can adjust the areas of the spectrum they absorb by changing their composition Right now, silicon-based photovoltaics rule the production lines. That's good, in the sense that the silicon is cheap and abundant. But the form used in photovoltaic panels has to be exceptionally pure and processed heavily, which adds significantly to its cost. For that reason, research has continued into alternative materials for use in solar cells.
degrade in sunlight, limiting the effective lifespan of the material. The new perovskite material simply leaves the holes in place while clearing out the electrons quickly. The perovskite itself is formed in pores of a layer of titanium dioxide simply by infusing a solution into the pores and allowing crystals to grow in place. The crystals are formed of lead and iodine atoms, coordinated with
Based on the frequency that they appear in scientific journals, there's a class of substances that have materials scientists excited: perovskites. Originally named after a mineral, "perovskite" is now used to refer to any material that adopts the same crystalline structure as calcium titanium oxide. Perovskites have some significant advantages, in that they can also be made from abundant and cheap elements, and many types of perovskite crystals will form spontaneously from a saturated solution. There are some downsides, however, as one of the best photovoltaic materials contains lead, which is toxic. Another problem is that one of the layers in perovskite cells tends to degrade rapidly in use. All photovoltaics work according to the same basic principle: a photon strikes with enough energy to free an electron from an atom. This creates a free charge and a positively charged atom, termed a "hole." While the electron is obviously mobile, so is the hole, which can migrate as atoms steal electrons from their neighbors. In most cases, the electron and hole rapidly recombine. The challenge of making an efficient solar cell involves keeping this from happening before the electron can be harvested as electrical current. The simplest way to do this is to separate the charge and hole as quickly as possible. In perovskite photovoltaics, this has traditionally involved a layer dedicated to moving the hole. Unfortunately, that layer has traditionally relied on an organic material that tends to
methyl ammonium. The researchers found that spiking this solution with a bit of a second ammonia-based compound (ammoniumvaleric acid) increased crystal growth. They suggest that the second chemical coated the titanium dioxide, creating an environment that encouraged crystal formation. This structure allows the electrons that are ejected from the perovskite to quickly move to the titanium dioxide, where they can be harvested. The key to keeping them from recombining with holes is a layer of zirconium dioxide, which has a band gap that keeps the electrons away from the layer where the holes gather. The resulting solar cell isn't as efficient as silicon; it has a conversion efficiency of 12 percent, while silicon is above 20 percent. But the ability to lay down photovoltaic materials from solution makes perovskites pretty appealing, and all the materials involved are made from what the authors term "Earth abundant" elements. But the best news is that the material is durable, with performance being stable for more than 1,000 hours of operation, at which point the researchers stopped testing. (Source: Arstechnica.com)
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Fraunhofer ISE announces world record for concentrator photovoltaics: 36.7 conversion efficiency with CPV module using multi-junction solar cells Newest CPV module (FLATCON) with an efficiency of 36.7%
2012, together with Hansjörg Lerchenmüller of Soitec Solar. Solar cell world record of 44.7 % under concentrated light
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Freiburg Germany) has been successfully developing concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology for many years. In this technology Fresnel lenses are used to bundle sunlight and focus it onto miniature, highly efficient solar cells.
Only several months ago, Fraunhofer ISE together with Soitec, the French research center CEA-Leti, and the
The “FLATCON” CPV module technology originates from Fraunhofer ISE and is continually under further development at the Institute. Now with their newest CPV module technology, the Freiburg researchers announce a world record module efficiency of 36.7 %, achieved by adapting the concentrating lens to a new solar cell structure. Best conversion efficiency ever achieved for a PV module The high module efficiency was measured under Concentrator Standard Testing Conditions (CSTC), and marks the best value ever achieved for a solar photovoltaic (PV) module. Decisive in this achievement was Soitec's newly developed four-junction solar cell based on the wafer bonding technology and developed in cooperation with Fraunhofer ISE. Sunlight concentrated by a factor of 230 suns Recently this four-junction solar cell could be implemented into the Institute's “FLATCON” module concept. The CPV module aperture area, defined as the surface area of the module exposed to light, is 832 cm². The sunlight is concentrated by a factor of 230 suns onto fifty-two 7 mm² miniature solar cells with the help of fifty-two 16 cm² Fresnel lenses.
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“Naturally we are incredibly excited about this high module efficiency. This success shows that the high efficiencies of Soitec's novel four-junction solar cells can be transferred to the module level”, says Dr. Andreas Bett, who has led the CPV research at Fraunhofer ISE over many years. For his efforts Bett has received many awards, among them the German Environmental Award
Helmholtz Center in Berlin announced a new solar cell world record of 44.7 % under concentrated light. This record cell consisted of four sub-cells made up of the compound semiconductors GaInP, GaAs, GaInAs and InP respectively. In comparison to standard silicon solar cells, the manufacture of four-junction solar cells is more expensive so that up to now their terrestrial applications have been exclusively in concentrator systems. Solar electricity for less than 8 eurocents per kilowatt-hour Concentrator photovoltaic systems (CPV) are installed in sun-rich regions, where such systems produce solar electricity for less than 8 eurocents per kilowatt-hour. Key to this technology is the solar cell efficiency and the concentrating optic. In the record module, the newly developed four-junction solar cell was combined with Fresnel lenses, which were manufactured by the industry partner ORAFOL Fresnel Optics based on a new design developed at Fraunhofer ISE. The successful transfer of this high module efficiency to commercially manufactured modules is expected within one to two years. (Source: Fraunhofer ISE 2014-07-14 | Courtesy: Fraunhofer ISE: Image:Fraunhofer ISE; Alexander Wekkeli | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH)