When for the first time, 10 alternative energy vehicles were displayed at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre, there was a sense of pleasant disbelief. However, the drive between the lab and the road is long one and requires the three agencies to work proactively—the Government, the automobile manufactures and the consumers. It holds true not just for cars but for all next-generation frontier technology. It’s a race towards a carbon-free world. Specially this year after the consciousness over climate change has crept in. Scientists all over the world are working for those technological breakthroughs that will harness the wind, the sun and the ocean currents to drive cars, light homes and heat water. In India, there is a whole bouquet of renewable options that the Government is exploring under the 11th Plan. India’s tryst with renewables has an underlying pattern: great technology initially but no follow through. The government subsidies are misdirected, as happened with the initiative on using solar energy, and then quickly followed by official apathy and loss of direction. At present, renewable energy contributes only 3 per cent to the total energy consumption and constitute 6 per cent of installed power generation capacity in India, compared with 13 per cent in the world today. “India must take the lead and not follow or be a recipients of this technology. A long-term vision is required,” said S K Chopra, principal advisor and special secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. . So far, the Government has spent Rs 7,450 crore since 1987 on renewable energy options. Officials are of the view that the money spent has not gone down the drain since no research would go waste in the long run. “It is the combinations that are required now. Solar is the base. It is required to split water into hydrogen for hydrogen to be truly green,” explained Chopra. The Government has come together with the industry in the case of hydrogen. They set up a multi-disciplinary National Hydrogen Board headed by Ratan Tata. If successful, the model can be replicated for other technologies too. Wind is the most visible and successful renewable energy in India. But there are some other resources that are not so well-known. Saying no to sunblockWe started with technology that was at par with the world’s best. Then the Government came with subsidies that were pocketed by middlemen. Solar photovoltaic panels, though expensive, were not freely available in the market for normal, interested citizens. The result: despite the best solar resource in the whole world and a headstart, it is Japan that is the largest manufacturer of photovoltaic cells. China is fast catching up. Germany has the largest deployment, based on a large government subsidy programme. Now it awaits another lease of life in India. In energy efficiency, they could still hold a candle to the best—they are able to convert 12-14 per cent of energy into light. Nearly 40 per cent was exported last year of what was produced by Central Electronics Limited (CEL). It is the cost of silicon that is the stumbling block. Cartels in the US control the supply of this precious material. Solar energy costs Rs 15 per unit, compared to Rs 4-5 per unit for thermal energy to produce. “The other limiting factor is that the we do not have the urban infrastructure to promote it,” said S K Kaicker, CMD of CEL. The grid is “unstable” with voltage fluctuations and solar energy cannot be stored and transmitted through it. The high costs prevent these from being used to produce large power plants. After converting the abundantly available solar light into electricity, it has to be stored somewhere. The result is smaller applications are now becoming popular—solar lanterns, torches, streetlights and hoardings. The other big thing that has taken off is the solar water heaters. A typical domestic solar water heater of 100-litre capacity can save electricity up to 1,500 kwh a year and pay back its cost in 3-4 years. Infosys has put up water heaters capable of heating 2 lakh litres for the Mysore campus of its Global Education Centre Mysore and will save 10 MW of energy every day. Subsidised loans have been made available through banks and financial institutions to make this popular. Fifteen states, including Delhi, have already issued orders for mandatory installation of these systems. There is a long way to go in this: 80 per cent of China’s solar energy comes from solar photovoltaics. This market is growing at the rate of 41 per cent globally. The seed of green powerBiofuels are produced from waste from sugarcane (ethanol) and non-edible seeds (biodiesel) in India. This bio product is used to dope petrol or diesel, thus saving huge costs incurred in importing crude petroleum. With the debate over food versus fuel getting hotter, the Government has, however, become overcautious. The National Biofuel Policy is now being considered by a Group of Ministers and awaits its decision for its final shape. While private processing plants have been set up in anticipation, it is the policy that will determine the minimum support price for plants that are currently under research for productin of biofuels. These include the seeds of the jatropha and karanja plants from which biodiesel can be extracted. The Rural Development Ministry has demanded a budgetry support of Rs 1,340 crore for five years to set up the National Mission on Biodiesel. It aims at a target of 20 per cent blend with conventional fuels in the next five years. Many in the Government, however, think this is too ambitious. The four million hectares of land required for cultivation of these seeds would be difficult for a country like India, despite the wastelands. There was a view in the Planning Commission that ethanol and biodiesel should be imported from countries where land is surplus. The industry wanted permission to process sugarcane juice directly to make into ethanol. Some sections felt that mixing should not be made mandatory. Scientists have come up with another alternative: second generation biofuels based on biomass. This involves using waste from various industrial processes to create bio-oil or bio-dimethyl ether. This would mean that there would be no competition from food. India may catch up with the rest of the world for the second-generation fuels. At the moment, the US, France and Europe already have large biofuels programme for their automobiles and mix 5-20 per cent of it in their crude oil. The earth as a boosterThis is energy derived from the natural heat inside the earth, stored at more than 150 degree centigrade. Geothermal power is generated by drilling wells into the ground that tap into the Earth’s natural heat. Like other new technologies, there are some problems that are not yet solved.Geothermal sources range from shallow, hot-water springs to rocks several miles beneath the Earth’s surface that can be engineered to produce energy for a variety of uses. Countries like Finland, Iceland and Norway are leaders in this area. A survey was done where 340 hot springs were studied in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. Two projects are being prepared—Tattapani in Chhattisgarh and Puga valley in Jammu and Kashmir. Some international experts have been drafted in recently to help with project development. Shallow drilling has already been done. Once approved, the Government intends to carry out deep drilling.
