Green Energy for India’s Sustainable Future

Any energy, which can be generated from natural sources such as sunlight, water or wind, is known as green energy. India ranked third in the 2021 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) conducted by Ernst & Young’s (EY).[1]

What distinguishes green energy and fossil fuels is the fact that they do not produce direct pollution. The increasing global demands for fossil fuels has shifted our focus to alternative source of energy. This is where all the eyes are turned to green energy. It provides a kind of energy that doesn’t pollute the environment, can be usually naturally replenished and are often readily available.[2] The economic benefits of green energy includes employment generation with skilled and unskilled laborers.

All green energy methods are renewable but not all renewable energy methods are green. For instance, nuclear energy is often not considered green because the construction of a nuclear plant is a long and complex process that obviously releases CO₂ and the nuclear fuel cycle produces large volumes of radioactive waste that can harm the environment.

Green energy in India

Solar energy –

The Sun has always been worshipped in the Indian mythological culture. However, only recently the full potential of sun has been realized.. India is endowed with 300 days a year of clear, sunny weather, which could be advantageous for developing solar energy. Most parts of India receives about 4-7 kWh per sq. m per day. as 5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over India. The biggest challenge, however, is to capture the incident solar energy effectively.[3]

In the rural parts of India, positive impacts have been quite visible. Examples include solar products like those that solar lanterns and solar cookers used as an alternative.

According to Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) India targets to reduce its emissions intensity by 33 – 35% between 2005 and 2030 and to focus on increasing the use of clean energy by 40% by 2030. Solar expansion program seeks to enhance the capacity to 100 GW by 2022. By June 30, 2022, the country’s total solar power generation capacity was 57.7 GW. Top PV installation states include Rajasthan (14.4 GW), Gujarat (7.8 GW), and Karnataka (7.6 GW).The Government of India has developed some schemes like 25 solar parks, one hundred thousand solar pumps and Mega Solar power plants.[4]

Case study of Bhadla Solar Park, Rajasthan –

Recently, solar parks have attracted investors in India as they are considered to be the key to India’s transition to green energy. One such example of the biggest solar park as of March 2020 is Bhadla Solar Park with a capacity of 2,245 MW. Located in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, it is spread across 14,000 acres. Several different establishments like Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited, Rajasthan Solar Park Development Company Limited, Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan, Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan and various others, have developed this solar park. It has attracted lowest ever solar tariff in India in the range of ₹2.44-2.62 per kilowatt-hour. [5]

Location can be defined as dry, arid and sandy. The land in the park is uncultivable due to the presence of sand dunes. It is mainly a deserted area with little or no source of water for irrigation or for drinking purposes, which makes it almost uninhabitable.[6]

An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has been conducted and a detailed report has been published on 25 October 2019. [7] AdaniWatch has also reviewed executive summaries of ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Analysis) studies for two of the Adani projects within the Fatehgarh solar project. In these summaries, impacts related to soil & water contamination, safety of workers, ecology & biodiversity and air quality has been assessed. Accordingly, key mitigation measures have been highlighted such as use of bird diverters to make the powerlines more visible.[8]

Solar Parks helps in creating employment, attracting foreign investments and fuels the growth in renewable energy sector. They can also offer farmers and locals with less carbon footprint and fewer economic risks. When installed properly, they pose no risk to soil and water contamination. During installations, they have long-term impact on the productivity of the land.

However, as the project was starting they faced some land acquisition challenges, as Solar Parks require large amount of area. Even though, government owned most of the plots, the locals and farmers were protesting against the development, claiming that some position belonged to them. This issue arose because of lack of administrative support and negativity among the locals. Another concern was the non-availability of required grid infrastructure. These standalone projects often fall apart because without government intervention it becomes tough to source land. Fortunately, in this case help was provided.[9]

Managing these big solar parks have itself become a problem. It requires technical expertise, workforce management, understanding legal framework and community engagement. Keeping track of community welfare activities can be a Hercules task. Number of Bhadla Solar Park Plants required to replace coal power in India is 100, according to Jan-Erik Lane [10].

Wind energy

Wind energy is converted into electrical energy using the wind turbines. The wind turns the blades of turbine, which turns internal rotor, which in turn moves shaft to spin generator and create electricity. Currently, India has fourth highest wind installed capacity with total capacity of 39.25 GW in the world (as of 31^st March 2021). Tamil Nadu has the highest amount of wind energy installed, with Gujarat being the second highest. However, to make an impact strong enough to generate electricity large wind farms are required.[11]

India is well endowed with abundant number of wind sites suitable for electricity generation through wind energy. The share of electricity that comes from wind is only 4.01% in India in 2021. This is because of the high production cost per unit (kW) and long gestation periods.[12]

Case study of Muppandal Wind Farm, Tamil Nadu –

Muppandal wind farm, located in Kanyakumari district is India’s largest operational onshore wind farm. It was developed by Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency and its installed capacity is 1,500 MW making it 3rd largest in the world. One of the biggest advantage of developing wind farm in Tamil Nadu is that all of Tamil Nadu is served by one power grid. Tamil Nadu’s landscapes are well suited for generating wind power.

Location was so chosen because it provided adequate amount of wind velocity and infrastructural facilities were available required to build a wind farm. Sometimes the wind at the Muppandal pass is so menacing, it has been known to overturn two-wheelers.[13] [14]

However, the turbines in the wind farm are 20 years old and hence they can only capture constant winds. They are unable to catch low or high winds. There has been a tremendous shift in focus to solar energy. The wind energy sector has to bear the consequences such as less policy initiatives and high cost towards this sector. Hence, the project to re-power the turbine has been put aside. The Central government could frame some policies to attract foreign investments in order to modernize the outdated installations. Currently, government and distributors are under debt. Re-powering of older turbines should be made top priority.

Hydro energy

This type of energy uses the flowing water in rivers and dams to produce electrical energy. It is also known as hydroelectricity and it is considered to be one of the most efficient green energy. They can be further divided into small and large hydro projects. Hydro power plants of capacity 25MW or below 25 is known as small hydro projects. As of 2021, Karnataka has the highest installed capacity i.e. 1,280 MW followed by Himachal Pradesh which has the capacity of 936.11 MW. The share of electricity that comes from hydropower as of 2021 is 10.09% in India. There has been a significant increase in the production of hydro power plant.[15]

Case study of Himachal Pradesh –

Himachal Pradesh is one of the smallest state with very less population; most of whom live in rural areas and their livelihood depend upon agriculture. Many areas in Himachal Pradesh is highly inaccessible due to rugged terrain and high level of forest cover. In Himachal Pradesh, the water system depends on complex mountain hydrological processes. Precipitation may occur in form of rain or snow.[16]

According to Pandit and Grumbine (2012) report, 90% of valleys would be affected by dam building process. 54,117 ha of forests would be submerged due to dam-related activities. [17]

However, some of the hydro power plant had developmental issues like technical and administrative difficulties. Sometimes the grid connections are not available at reasonable cost for developers. The independent power producers (IPPs) are unable to obtain loans for construction of power plants due to lack of cost recovery.

Problem related to land acquisition while rehabilitation and resettlement of locals are observed.

Biomass

Biomass uses wood waste, sawdust and combustible organic agriculture waste to generate electricity. Burning of biomass releases greenhouse gas. These emissions however are far lower than fossil fuels. It is one of the most important fuel in developing countries for cooking and heating purposes. It helps to avoid CO₂ emissions caused by fossil fuels. It includes wood processing wastes like firewood, wood pellets; Agricultural waste like soybeans, sugarcane; Municipal solid waste like paper, cotton; animal manure and human sewage.[18]

It contains 18% of total primary energy use in India. One problem with this energy is that it is used in an inefficient manner creating high levels of indoor pollution. Because of this, government of India has started a number of programs. Current capacity of biomass energy in India is 4.4 GW.[19]

Case study of Kasai village, Madhya Pradesh[20]

Kasai is a remote village, which contains tribal population of about 392 locals. To generate electricity, village has abundant source of biomass like wood from forest, crop residues from farmland and cattle dung. Villagers maintain the plant’s costs by collecting 120 rupees from each household. The village has also made up a committee comprising of 11 members to look over the whole operation. Some important application includes electricity to households and schools, which lets the students study even at night, installation of television for entertainment purpose and supplying electricity to flourmill and milk-chilling unit. The availability of electricity has helped in the advancement of livelihood of the villagers.

Case study of Gosaba Island, West Bengal –

The Gosaba Island is one of the 54 inhabited islands in the Sundarbans. It is situated near dense mangrove forests, which makes it very difficult to provide electricity. As a result, overall progress of people living has affected. A biomass power plant was authorized on 20 June 1997; the project was considered a success because of involvement of locals in every step of the way. The generation of electricity has helped students, small-scale factories and farmers. The farmers have gained electric pumps, which are used for irrigation.

Conclusion

As India begins to progress towards urbanisation and industrialisation, it should also bend towards clean and green energy. We must find innovative and sustainable solutions to create minimal amount of pollution. Green energy, however, comes with its own pros and cons. There is still a long way to go in terms of development of these sources of energy.

Nevertheless, green energy is still a better alternative as it is readily available, easily replenished and environment friendly. Choosing a more natural and greener option instead of fossil fuels will definitely help in long term with respect to global warming and climate change.

Involvement of community always creates positive outcome when it comes to Green Energy schemes. Despite their contribution to sustainability, such schemes were sometimes considered an unwelcome intrusion from outsiders, exploiting local resources and offering little in return to the community. As a result, many communities are now becoming more closely involved in the development and operation of projects to ensure that they too can directly benefit from renewable energy.

Written by

Sonal Chaudhary

Junior Analyst – Biodiversity

Terracon Ecotech Private Limited

[1] https://www.ey.com/en_sg/recai

[2] https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-green-energy

[3] https://mnre.gov.in/solar/current-status/

[4] https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/ndcstaging/PublishedDocuments/India%20First/INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf

[5] https://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Indias-Utility-Scale-Solar-Parks-Success-Story_May-2020.pdf

[6] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301894873_Rajasthan_Solar_Park_-_An_Initiative_Towards_Empowering_Nation

[7] https://www.aiib.org/en/projects/approved/2019/_download/india/ESIA-Report_250-MW-Solar-PV-Project_Noore-Ki-Bhoorj_CSPPL.pdf

[8] https://www.adanigreenenergy.com/-/media/Project/GreenEnergy/Corporate-Governance/Others/Executive-Summary-ESIA-450-MW-Hybrid-Power-Project.pdf