Shirish Garud, Senior Fellow, Energy Environment Technology Applications, TERI, speaks about the work his organization is doing in the renewable energy space and what currently ails India's power sector
Q: TERI has been working in the renewable energy and solar thermal power plants sector for a while now. Tell us a bit about how your projects in this space will benefit people and is the common man actually aware of the benefits of alternative energy?
A: TERI is working in renewable energy sector for couple of decades now. Further, it has established village level solar minigrids and biomass gasifier and solar PV technology based power plants in villages. These projects not only provide basic lighting but also power internet enabled computers and printers used for knowledge gain, provide power for running small business or income generation activities such as bamboo splitting, turmeric grinding and so on. These projects provide the beneficiaries with the opportunities for economic activities and avenues for income generation. Our experience is that the common man is getting aware of the benefits of these activities and renewable energy power plants.
Q: With pressure on coal and natural gas increasing, will renewable's be able to meet India's energy needs?
A: Our demand for energy, both for power generation and for other applications such as industrial processes, heating and cooling, agriculture etc., is very high compared to the potential of renewable energy resources except solar energy, which has huge potential provided we can have access to the land for solar installations. However, in practice, the renewable energy applications will be limited and currently I don't foresee renewables will be able to meet India's all energy needs. However, in future we have potential to achieve about 15-30 % of India's energy needs in power sector through renewables.
Q:What according to you is the single biggest factor ailing India's power sector today? A: I think inefficient distribution network, infrastructure and uneconomical and inefficient operations of the distribution companies are the biggest factors ailing India's power sector. Q: Most of our power is thermally generated. Why do we still lag when it comes to harnessing renewable energy sources?
A: We need huge investments in renewable sector and more progressive policies for integration with conventional grid network for renewable sector to grow rapidly. The policy environment is reasonably positive, however, long term policies are needed which can help to take it forward.
Q: What are the challenges the renewable energy sector in India faces?
A: Renewable energy sector is rapidly evolving and major challenges faced by the sector can be summarized as under
- Lack of stable long term policies for promotion.
- Difficulties in getting latest technologies and efficient process knowhow
- Inadequate support for research and development and commercialization of home grown technologies
- Resistance from conventional power sector players to adopt and integrate the renewables.
- For higher percentage of RE integration we need to have latest technologies in energy storage and control to improve dispatchability of the renewable power plants. I think this area will be of great interest in coming years.
- Hurdles in land acquisition and spiraling land costs
Having said this, I must mention that in recent years both the central and state governments have been promoting large scale integration of renewables especially for power generation and National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) and National Solar Mission, one of the eight missions identified under NAPCC, along with Electricity Act 2003 are major drivers for renewable power sector. Progressive regulatory measures such as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO), Renewable Energy certificate (REC) scheme, tax incentives, preferential tariffs are also providing required impetus to the sector.
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