Renewable Energy Resources:

Indian Scenario

Pradeep Kumar
Chemical Engineering & Technology
Institute of Technology
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi - 221005
Energy is all around us

 We use energy every day. It surrounds us in different

forms, such as light, heat, and electricity.
 Our bodies use the energy stored in molecules of
substances like carbohydrates and protein to move,
breathe, grow, and think. We also use energy to do
work and to play.
Humans have invented thousands of
 machines and appliances that use energy to make our work
easier, to heat our homes, and to get ourselves from place to
place.
 Some of these machines use electricity, while others, like
automobiles, use the energy stored in substances such as
gasoline.
Energy is all around us

 We use energy every day. It surrounds us in different

forms, such as light, heat, and electricity.
 Our bodies use the energy stored in molecules of
substances like carbohydrates and protein to move,
breathe, grow, and think. We also use energy to do
work and to play.
Humans have invented thousands of
 machines and appliances that use energy to make our work
easier, to heat our homes, and to get ourselves from place to
place.
 Some of these machines use electricity, while others, like
automobiles, use the energy stored in substances such as
gasoline.
World Energy Consumption (2000 – 2030)
1 mbdoe = 624 TWh
Non-renewable Energy
 Coal, oil, natural gas, or radioactive elements, they are
considered non-renewable because once they are removed from
the ground and used, they are not immediately replaced.
 In fact, the world’s natural gas, crude oil and coal deposits took
millions of years to form.
 Uranium, which is used for nuclear energy, has limited
supply as well.

 Humans will have used up most of these deposits in less than

200 years.
 Once they are gone, non-renewable energy supplies cannot be
replaced within human time scales.
What Is Renewable Energy?

"Renewable Energy is energy that is derived

from natural processes that are replenished
constantly. In its various forms, it derives
directly or indirectly from the sun, or from
heat generated deep within the earth."
WHAT IS RENEWABLE ENERGY?

 IT is called renewable because the sources harnessed to create

the energy renew and replenish themselves constantly and within
a reasonably short period of time (i.e., months or years, not
centuries).
 These sources of energy include water, wind, sun, biomass and
heat from the Earth’s interior.
 The term renewable energy excludes energy created by nuclear
fuels, such as uranium, and fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) for two
reasons. First, fossil fuels take millions of years to form, and
once removed, require as many years to form again.
 Indeed the world’s supplies, of uranium and fossil fuels are
limited.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
 The term renewable energy is not always synonymous with what
is often called “green” energy.
 Typically, green energy refers to energy from renewable sources
that leave smaller environmental footprints.
 Large-capacity hydroelectric projects require huge dams and
reservoirs, which flood thousands of hectares of wilderness and
disrupt the migration patterns of fish and wildlife.
 Although quickly replenished, some of these forms of energy are
intermittent on either a daily or a seasonal basis.
 There are days when the sun does not shine or the wind does
not blow, and certainly it’s rare that sunshine and wind are
consistent throughout the day.
Why Renewable Energy and Why Now?

 Energy Price Stability

 Clean Air
 Protecting Global Climates
 Protecting Landscapes and Watersheds
 Unlimited Supplies
 Jobs and the Economy
 Why Renewable Energy and Why
Now?
 Fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which are associated with a
changing climate, than electricity produced from burning fossil
fuels.
 Similarly, renewable energy generally adds fewer other pollutants
to the air, including the following:
• sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that form acid rain;
• particulate matter, which along with ground-level ozone forms
smog on hot, sunny summer days.
 Low-impact renewable energy, help to protect the land and
water. When large-scale energy projects are developed, they
have the potential to drastically alter watersheds, migration
routes, and wildlife and fish habitats.
Price Stability
 Further, the supply of renewable energy is not only
virtually unlimited (at the right price), it also offers
the possibility of relatively stable prices.
 In the late 1990s and in the near past, Indians
watched as the prices of oil and gas soared,
plummeted and then soared again, because of
world politics.
 Increasing the use of locally generated renewable
energy can help protect us from dramatic price
swings.
Global Renewable Energy Markets and Policies

 Global renewable energy markets have grown tremendously in the past

decade.
 Annual investment in renewable energy was an estimated USD 6 trillion
annually by 2050, up from $6 billion in 1995.
 Cumulative investment in the energy system between 2015 and 2050
will need to increase around 30%, from USD 93 trillion according to
current and planned policies, to USD 120 trillion to enable the energy
transition.
 This growth has been driven first and foremost by supportive national
and local policies, many of which have effectively overcome the barriers
that continue to put renewable energy at a competitive disadvantage to
fossil fuels.
 Aggressive technology improvements and cost reductions, better
market information, growing awareness of global climate change, local
environmental concerns, and rural development needs in the poorest
countries have also been important drivers of this growth.
History
History
History
Types of Renewable Energy
 Water ( Jal)
 Wind (Samir)
 Biomass (Pawak)
 Sun (Gagan)
 Earth (Kshiti)
Indian Perspective
 Indian energy sector fulfills 90% requirement
 Majority is contributed by coals
 The inadequacy is fulfilled by imports
 Now we are looking towards energy conservation,
conversion and harnessing more & more renewable
resources
Available Renewable Resources:
Solar Energy, Hydroelectric Energy, Wind Energy,
Tidal Energy, Hydrogen Energy, Wood Energy,
Energy from Biomass or Bio-fuel, Chemical Energy
and Geothermal Energy
Energy resources being used
 Fossil fuels providing petroleum and natural gas and coal mining that cater to
the coal energy demands in India.
 The sun is the source for solar energy that is converted to electrical energy
using solar panels.
 The vast water resources in and around India are utilized by conversion of the
kinetic energy from the flowing water as in waterfalls and the dams built on
various rivers into electric energy.
 The energy of the tides and tidal waves is also utilized for electrical energy
harvesting.
 The usage of wind energy comes in the form of windmills and huge wind energy
farms for generation of usable energy forms by transformation of the kinetic
energy of the wind into energy units. India leads the developing world in wind
power and continues to expand wind, although not as aggressively as in the
1990s.
 Other sources of energy in India include biomass energy by burning bio-fuels
available in large quantities owing to the huge domestic cattle population in
India.
Energy being used
 Energy is also derived from the vast timber resources of the
country. This forms the wood energy.
 Nuclear energy or atomic energy from radioactive materials has
been developed into a vast industry in itself.
 Geothermal energy is an unlimited natural energy source that
utilizes the steam from hot water springs that acts as energy
boosters to drive turbines of power plants.
 The various chemicals are used for chemical energy generation
used in batteries.
 Even the hydrogen available in large quantities in the
environment has been captured and utilized as an energy source
by reacting hydrogen with oxygen.
Energy policy of India
 The India energy policy act clearly mentions development of
newer energy sources that are more efficient and non-perishable.
 Since the energy sources levels are dropping with each passing
day the energy of light (energy of a photon), energy of motion
from the flowing water and geothermal energy and energy of an
electron in chemical energy and other forms is the new energy
units tapping solutions.
 The energy policy of India lays stress on the research for finding
solutions to the perishing energy sources and also the
skyrocketing energy prices in the country.
 Special energy labs have been set up for the development of
energy generation and transformation kits for the harvesting of
energy units.
Solar Thermal Energy
 FOR POWER-HUNGRY INDIA, solar energy is a source that has not been
adequately tapped. India receives solar energy equivalent to over 5000
trillion kWh/year, which is far more than the total energy consumption of
the country.
 Rapid advances have been made and advanced solar technologies can be
leveraged to power at least the remote and inaccessible parts of the country.
Heating cooking and cooling
 The heat energy from sun has been used for many domestic and commercial
purposes. Approximately, 500 000 million square m of space in India is being
utilized for solar water heating.
 There are many sophisticated solar products now available in the market. Solar
water heater is most widely used in domestic and commercial applications.
 The other most commonly used product is the solar cooker. Everyday,
approximately 487, 000 families have their meals prepared in a solar cooker in
India.
 The other very useful product available is the solar air-conditioner. This is a
promising innovation.
Solar Energy
 Photovoltaic cells and heat engines
There are many gadgets now available in the market that can be powered by
photovoltaic cells. Among them is the dual-powered solar calculator, smallest
device. There are also lanterns, water pumps, street and garden lights, home
systems, satellites and telecom base stations that utilize the solar power. The
Indian defense establishments have also adopted solar power in various
applications.
 Government incentives
The Ministry of State for Non-conventional Energy Sources supports the
development and utilization of solar energy resources. Additionally, a
commission has been set-up for additional sources of energy to plan and
oversee the implementation of programs relating to solar other renewable
energy sources.
 The result of 20 years support to research work by the ministry, an indigenous
technology and manufacturing base has been established in the country.
 A number of solar energy systems for lighting, water pumping,
telecommunications, remote power generation, water heating, solar cooking,
drying and other applications have been developed and commercialized in the
country.
Solar Energy
 Currently, the focus of research is on further
reductions in the cost of solar energy products and
improvement in their quality, reliability and life.
 To popularize its usage the government has been
offering rebate on electricity bills to those who install
solar systems. Some banks provide soft loans to
buy solar equipment. There are many big names
that have entered the solar industry. Tata being one
of them. It sells approximately 30,000 kw of
power. Tata BP Solar India Ltd claims to export
approximately 60 per cent of its solar products.
 Soon most of houses will be powered by solar
energy.
ENERGY COMPANIES IN INDIA
The major energy companies in India engaging in mass energy
development, transformation and generation include:
 Cairn Energy India
 Reliance Energy India
 Suzlon Energy India
 GE Energy India
 Focus Energy India
 Unitron Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd.
 Eri- Tech Limited
 Synergy Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd
 Goldwyn Limited
 Zenith Birla India Limited
 Star Energy Group PLC
Some of the initiatives
 BPCL is looking at making Punjab a major hub for producing
non-conventional energy, equating Punjab with Uttar Pradesh,
where BPCL has launched a pilot project to produce bio-diesel
from Jatropha.
 In Punjab the company is looking at harnessing solar power.
 To explore ground waters, the company has announced setting
up of a 1-MW power plant at Lalru, taking the total solar
production to 18 MW in the state.
 Initially BPCL would build the 1-MW power plant with an
investment of Rs 240 million in a 7-acre area.
 A 140 MW integrated solar power plant being set up in Jodhpur
but the initial expense incurred is still very high.
Biomass

 Biomass does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as it

absorbs the same amount of carbon in growing as it releases
when consumed as a fuel.
 Its advantage is that it can be used to generate electricity with the
same equipment or power plants that are now burning fossil fuels.
 Biomass is an important source of energy and the most important
fuel worldwide after coal, oil and natural gas.
 Half a kilo of dry plant tissue can produce as much as 1890 KCal of
heat which is equivalent to the heat available from a quarter of
kilogram of coal.

 Biomass fuels used in India account for about one third of the total
fuel used in the country, being the most important fuel used in
over 90% of the rural households and about 15% of the urban
households.
Geothermal
 Geothermal manifestations are wide spread in India in the
form of 340 hot spring sites.
 In India, Northwestern Himalayas and the western coast are
considered geothermal areas.
 The Geological Survey of India has already identified more than
350 hot spring sites, which can be explored as areas to tap
geothermal energy.
 The Puga valley in the Ladakh region has the most promising
geothermal field. An experimental 1-kW generator is already in
operation in this area.
 It is being used mainly for poultry farming, mushroom cultivation,
and pashmina-wool processing, all of which need higher
temperature.
Co-generation
 Co-generation is the concept of producing two forms of energy from
one fuel.
 One of the forms of energy must always be heat and the other may be
electricity or mechanical energy.
 In a conventional power plant, fuel is burnt in a boiler to generate high-
pressure steam. This steam is used to drive a turbine, which in turn
drives an alternator through a steam turbine to produce electric power.
The exhaust steam is generally condensed to water which goes back to
the boiler.
 Even at conservative estimates, the potential of power generation from
co-generation in India is more than 20,000 MW.
 Since India is the largest producer of sugar in the world, bagasse-based
cogeneration is being promoted.
 The potential for cogeneration thus lies in facilities with joint
requirement of heat and electricity, primarily sugar and rice mills,
distilleries, petrochemical sector and industries such as fertilizers, steel,
chemical, cement, pulp and paper, and aluminum.
Wind energy
 Five nations – Germany, USA, Denmark, Spain and India –
account for 80% of the world’s installed wind energy
capacity.
 Wind energy continues to be the fastest growing renewable
energy source with worldwide wind power installed capacity
reaching 93 GW in 2020.
 India ranks 5th in the world with a total wind power capacity
of 39 GW of wind energy has been installed out of which
1025Mw have been established in commercial projects.
 In India the states of Tamilnadu and Gujarat lead in the field
of wind energy.
 The centre has a new renewable energy target of 175 GW by
2022 which also includes the 60 GW onshore wind energy.
 The south Indian state of Tamil Nadu tops the list, with an
annual wind power output of around 9,000 MW per annum —
recording 8,631 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2018 and
9,075MW in 2019
Summary & Conclusions
 Critical energy issues facing us today need a
viable and sustainable long-term strategy
with contributions from
– Fundamental Technology Development
– Energy Efficiency
– Clean and/or Renewable Generation
– Public Policy and Financial Incentives
– Education & Outreach