Tomorrow's Fuels: Renewable Energy Sources ...

Sooch et al. 2015. International J Ext Res. 3:61-71 http://www.journalijer.com e-Print ISSN: 2394-0301

International

Journal of Extensive Research

Open Access

Review article

Tomorrow’s Fuels: Renewable Energy Sources Sarabjit Singh Sooch1, *, Jasdeep Singh Saini2 and Harpreet Singh1 1

School of Energy Studies for Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004 India 2 Department of Civil Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004 India

Abstract

The present energy generating systems in developing countries depend on local resources: Wood, straw, dung for burning, hydraulic power for water wheels and eclectic power generation and whatever fossil fuel applies are locally available. A country’s energy requirements often are not fully met by these local resources and foreign – currency resources must be expended to import the needed fossil fuel. In most developing countries, the economic base and the majority of the population are still rural and machinery that requires energy (especially fossil fuel) is not heavily utilized. However, the lack of cheap and adequate energy often hampers rural development plans and retards improvement in the quality of rural life.

Keywords: Renewable energy sources, economics benefits, implementation.

Introduction

What is energy? No doubt this question is seemingly simple. However, energy involves implications of great magnitude of both pro and anti-development. The energy potential of a Nation can be regarded as barometer of its economic development. It is difficult to imagine a country making headway in its development efforts to improve the living conditions of its people, unless it can lay hands on adequate and regular sources for supply of energy.

Survey

The sources of energy present in the whole universe are classified in to two categories : • Conventional Energy Sources • Non-Conventional Energy Sources

*Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected]

Open Journal

Conventional Energy Sources Conventional energy sources available in nature are as follows: (i) Oil Oil is a versatile fuel which is used for a variety of purposes in all the sectors if the economy. Besides begins an energy source, oil is also an important raw material for production of petrochemicals and fertilizers. The end of “easy oil” era has already begun. The group of OPEC countries is serious to reap the benefits out of their respective shares of “black gold”. This reality should be understood in no uncertain terms. For the first time since mind 70s, OPEC countries stopped negotiating a price with the oil companies; instead they unilaterally set the price on a take-it-or-have-it basis. The developed countries were only the silent spectators and had no choice but to follow the suit; India is one of such countries. India produces about 40% of its requirements and the rest is imported. Evidently the difference had to be imported which consumed almost 70% of our foreign earnings last year. (ii) Coal In India coal distribution was regulated by the Coal Controller

Copyright © S S Sooch et al. 2015. Licensee IJER 2014. All rights reserved. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.

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Sooch et al. 2015. International J Ext Res. 3:61-71 http://www.journalijer.com

from 1945-1967 in consolation with the various Central and State Governments agencies. Before nationalization of cooking coal mines in May, 1972 and Non-cooking Coal mines in 1973, this industry was fragmented into over 800 mines which were controlled by the dig and-got-rich-quick owners. The total coal reserves in the world are estimated about 466 billion tones which can last at the most for one and a half century at the current level of consumption of 3 billion tones per year. Out of the total world reserves, the USA is having the maximum amount of 158.7, followed by USSR 82.9, and China 80 million tones. The USA represents 35.6%, the USSR 18.6%, China 17.9% and India 5.1% with the amount of 22.6 billion tones and ranks 6th in the world reserves. India and USA can survive for the next two centuries while USSR and China cannot depend on coal more than one century at the level of their present consumption. The increase in population and the increased demand has not been taken into consideration. Coal production in 1979 in USSR was higher by 7 times, USA 6.8 times, China 6.2 times and Poland 2 times compared to the coil production on India. The coal distribution in the country is uneven. It is located 72.7% in the eastern region, 20% in central region. The southern and western regions are having meagerly 4.6 and 2.2% respectively, and so the transportation of coal to other needy areas by road or by rail is inter-energy fuel-dependent in the form of either oil or electricity or coal.

times more energy than that of a breakage of a molecule of natural gas. The reactor, which is used for generating controlled nuclear chain reaction is termed as Nuclear Reactor. These are of several types like Thermal reactor, Breeder reactor, Power reactor etc. Power reactors are used to generate electric energy from nuclear energy. Lithuania fulfils 80%, France 72.9%, Belgium 49.5%, Ukraine 25%, and Russia 11.8% of their electricity demands from nuclear energy. In India, the department of Atomic Energy aims to generate 10,050 MW electricity.

(iii) Electricity The electricity requirements of India have grown enormously in the recent years and the demand has been running far ahead of supply. Electricity cannot be stored, so there is no question of measuring its reserves – although water for power generation can be stored, and it makes sense to talk of hydroelectric power potential. This energy depends on its height above the sea level and the quantity of water stored will vary from year to year depending on the rains. Thermal electricity is generated by transformation of the heat content of fuels such as coal, oil, gas and wood. This convention has the disadvantages that the primary energy equivalent of electricity per watt would decline as the efficiently of thermal power generation increases.

•

1. Thermal Power The bulk of electricity supply in India is produced from fossil fuels. The installed capacity of generation plants in 1947 was only 1,901 MW. It increased to the tune of 2,300 MW in 1950 and a little over 31,000 MW by the end of March, 1980. 2. Hydro Power Being a renewable source the hydel energy that is not produced in any year, is lost forever; whereas the coal that is not mixed is available for the next generation. In the country, 16 million kilometer area is surrounded by the sedimentary rocks and with thick sections of marine sediments, which has potentiality to be exploited for Hydro-power development. The transmission and distribution losses which represent the different between the net energy generated and the energy made available has been continuously rising. (iv) Nuclear Energy Energy released during nuclear fission or fusion reaction is termed as Nuclear Energy. Fission of Uranium atom releases 200 crore

Non-Conventional (Alternative) Energy Sources Fossil fuels are finite and therefore generation based on conventional sources cannot be sustained in the long run. Conventional power generation technologies are polluting and adversely affect global environment and ecology on the other hand, it is being realized that renewable energy in a wide range of applications. The renewable energy technologies use locally available resources, are suitable for decentralized applications have low gestation period and are less capital intensive and therefore, can be effectively used both for augmenting availability of power and as a tool for rural development and social justice. • • •

• •

Advantages of Renewable Energy are: Perennial Available locally and does not need elaborate arrangements for transport Small-scale units and systems can be almost as economical as large- scale ones Environment-friendly Well suited for decentralized applications and use in remote areas.

India is blessed with rich sources of renewable energy in the form of direct solar, wind, biomass, tidal and geothermal power etc. Solar Energy In a tropical country like India, where sunshine’s brilliantly for 250 to 300 days in a year, utilization of solar energy can be very effective. The normal intensity of solar energy at the outer fringes of earth’s atmosphere is 1.35 kW/m2, a value known as solar constant. The amount of radiation actually reaching the ground surface, however is substantially lower as a result of absorption and scattering of solar radiation by gaseous mixture, water vapours and aerosols in the atmosphere. In spite of this depletion, the intensity of solar radiation of horizontal surface varies from 6.5 kWh/m2/day during the month of May and June to 3 kWh/ m2/day during the month of January in most part of India. Solar energy may be harnessed directly as thermal energy, or converted into electricity through photo voltaic all or converted into biomass through photosynthetic process respectively, significant developments are taking place in all these three areas. The most promising of solar energy use has been through biological conversion via photosynthesis producing each year, an amount of stored energy in the form of biomass ten times the world’s annual consumption. Various forms of solar energy are shown in Figure 1. All renewable forms of energy, such as wind, hydroelectric, biomass and direct solar are derived from sun. Solar thermal temperature application requiring heat at temperatures below 100 °C. Such solar water heaters, solar air heaters Page 2 of 11


for crop drying purposes, solar stills for converting brackish water in potable water etc. are technically and economically viable applications. Use of solar energy up to 150 °C for cooking purposes in box type cooker is also technically and economically a viable application. However application, requiring heat energy at temperatures 200 °C and above for thermal power production are not yet economically competitive with existing alternatives. The large scale solar thermal power has been produced in the World (USA) by use of cylindrical parabolic collectors having concentration ratio in the range of 60 to 80 which help to collect solar energy at temperature as high as 380 °C in the form of high pressure superheated steam. This super heated steam is used to run standard steam turbine electric generating system. High values of conversion efficiency from solar to electric in the range of 18 to 22% have been attained in solar thermal power plants of capacities 30 to 80 MW. The cost of electric power production still remains somewhat higher than is obtainable with conventional coal fired and gas-fired power plants. Solar photovoltaic (SPV) conversion of energy is a very attractive way of using solar energy. There is direct conversion of solar energy into electricity. There are no moving parts, there is no noise and there are no adverse environmental effects. You hold the de-

vice in the sun and you get electric power between the two terminals of the device. The efficiencies of conversion of these SPV devices are low, very costly and preparation of these solar cells consumes a lot of energy. The solar cell would produce this energy over a long period (10 years) only after which its production of energy would be really useful. This period called the energy payback period is substantial compared with the life of solar cell which is about twenty years. The power can be drawn from the cell as long as the sun shines on the solar cell. The SPV power supply is economically viable and suitable only in remote and isolated areas where grid electric supply is not available. Solar energy is also very important because it is a very large source of energy. At the same time, it is very clean source and available in wide area. It has some disadvantages also, because it is intermittent, variable and of intensity, so far, quite a few solar devices have been developed. The brief description of different solar gadgets has been explained as: (i) Solar Water Heating Systems One of the popular devices that harness the solar energy is solar water heating system (SWHS). Broadly, the solar water heating systems are of two categories i.e. closed loop system and open loop

Figure 1. Solar Energy and its forms

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system. In the first one, heat exchangers are installed to protect the system from hard water. In open loop system the water directly flows through the collector pipes/tubes and collects in the hot water tank. The thermosyphon systems are simple and relatively in-expensive. These systems are suitable for domestic and small institutions. The forced circulation system employs electrical pump(s) to circulate the water through collector and storage tank(s). Solar water heating systems work efficiently during clear sunny days. For foggy and cloudy days electrical backup is provided in the system. Solar water heating systems can be installed at any shadow free area, near to the point of usage. The collectors are installed with inclination of 450 facing due south. Solar Water Heating Systems can also be categorized as Flat Plate Collector System, Evacuated Tube-Collector System and Parabolic (Dish Type) System. Flat Plate Collector System and Evacuated Tube Collector System can heat water up to 80 oC of temperature on a clear Sunny Day. These systems are used in domestic, institutional, commercial and industrial Sectors where hot water requirement is up to 80 oC. 1. Flat Plate Collector (FPC) based solar water heating system The solar radiation is absorbed by Flat Plate Collector which consists of an insulated outer metallic box, covered on the top with glass sheet. Inside there are blackened metallic absorber (selectively coated) sheets with built in channels or riser tubes to carry water. The absorber absorbs the solar radiation and transfers the heat to the flowing water. Flat Plate Collector (FPC) based solar water heating system is shown in the following Fig. 2.

Figure 3. Evacuated Tube Collector (ETC) System

2. Evacuated Tube Collector (ETC) based solar water heating system Evacuated Tube Collector is made of double layer borosilicate glass tubes, evacuated for providing insulation. The outer wall of the inner tube is coated with selective absorbing material. This helps absorption of solar radiation and transfers the heat to the water which flows through the inner tubes. Evacuated Tube Collector (ETC) based solar water heating system is shown in Fig. 3. 3. Parabolic (Dish Type) solar water heating system This type of solar water heating system consists of a metallic parabola on which high quality mirrors are fitted which reflect and concentrate the solar radiation on a receiver through which cold water flows, resulting in the heating of water at higher temperature. Mainly this type of system is used to produce steam in industries and cooking of food in institutions. (ii) Solar Lantern (12 V/10 W) This is an emergency light charged with sunlight and works for 3 to 4 hours. Its approximate cost is Rs. 3500/- (See Fig. 4). Figure 2. Flat Plate Collector (FPC) System

(iii) Solar Home Lighting System This system consists of one 37 W capacity solar panel, one 40 Ah capacity battery, one charge controller and two lights (9 W each). It works for 4 to 6 hours. Its approximate cost is Rs. 12,000/- (See Fig. 5).

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Figure 4. Solar Lantern

Figure 5. Solar Home Lighting System

(iv) Solar Street Light This system consists of one 40 W capacity solar panel, one 12V/26 Ah battery and one LED light of 18 W. It automatically works from sunset to sunrise. Its approximate cost is Rs. 22000/(See Fig. 6).

(v) Solar Water Pump This system consists of 1800 W D.C motor which operates during the day time with 2 kW solar panel for water pumping of 2-3 inch discharge. It pumps about 1,20,000 to 1,40,000 litres of water daily and works satisfactory upto 35 to 45 feet water level. Its approximate cost is Rs. 2.30 lac to 5.5 lac. (See Fig. 7).

Figure 6. Solar Street Light

Figure 7. Solar Water Pump

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Figure 8. Solar Inverter

(vi) Solar Inverter It consists of two 150 Wp capacity solar panels, one 150 Ah battery and one 600 VA inverter which can operate two fans and two electric tubes for 5 to 6 hours. Its approximate cost is Rs. 45000/(See Fig. 8).

(vii) Solar Cooker It cooks four vegetables in a period of 2-3 hours. Its approximate cost is Rs. 3500/-(See Fig. 9).

Figure 9. Solar Cooker

Figure 10. Domestic Solar Dryer

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Figure 11. Farm Solar Dryer

(viii) Solar Dryers It is used for drying of agricultural product. 1. Domestic Solar Dryer It is a natural circulation solar dryer of 0.36 m2 aperture area. It dries 2-3 kg of product in 3-4 days. Its approximate cost is Rs. 3500/- (See Fig. 10). 2. Farm Solar Dryer It is a natural circulation solar dryer for use at farm. It has aperture area of 3.34 m2. It dries 20-30 kg of product in 4-5 days. It can be disassembled when not in use. Its approximate cost is Rs. 20,000/- (See Fig. 11). Wind Energy In India, wind energy potential is good in coastal areas and hilly areas. Attempts are being made to use wind energy for pumping water for irrigation and generating electricity. Wind power is a function of cube of wind velocity, so highly sensitive to variation in wind velocity. For irrigation purposes water can be lifted from open well or bore wells. Currently two types of wind-mills are available for water pumping, shallow water wind mill and deep well wind mill. Most of wind mills installed are for shallow water. The wind energy has to be requisite characteristics to become source of power for remote areas in the country. The economy of windmill power would depend on cost and depreciation of wind driven generator used and also the total energy it can generate at a particular site. More than 20,000 wind plants are working all over the world. There are more than 3000 wind mills working in India.

Wind energy can also be used in pumping underground water, to grind the grain and to propel the sail boats. There are 1141 wind pumps in India and electric generation by wind energy has reached 17967.15 MW up to March 2014. Tidal Power This is a periodic rise and fall of the water level of the sea which are carried by the action of the sun and moon on water of the earth. Tidal energy can furnish a significant portion of all such energies which are renewable in nature. It has been estimated that about a billion kW of tidal power is dissipated by friction and elides alone. This is slightly less than the economically exploitable power potential of all rivers of the world. It is only indication of the magnitude of tidal power available, all of it is not economically feasible also. The first attempt to utilize energy of the ocean was in the form of tidal mills in the eleventh century in great Britain and later in France and Spain. The possible sites for tidal power generation in India are obviously those where high tidal waves occur, like Gulf of Cambay, Gulf of Kutch and South of Hougly River. There is at present no indication regarding cost of generation from tidal power. Preliminary studies carried out by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for tidal station in Gulf of Cambay indicated higher cost of generation from the conventional sources. The cost of coal and other allied materials is also increasing which may open up possibility of exploitation of this source of power. Adequate data will have to collected for any realistic assessment of tidal power potential and possible impact on environment.

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Geothermal Energy Geothermal implies “the heat of the earth or circle of fire” and it is basically the energy related to the heat content of earth’s surface by the presence of volcanoes, geysers fumaroles and hot spring. The geyser is an area located in the Mayacmas mountains of north eastern Snoma country, about 130 kilometers north of San Francisco. It was discovered by the bear hunter. He was so frightened by the sight that he thought, he had reached the gate of hell. It then become a holiday resort, a tourist attraction. Since 1920 the Geysers is generating electric power and lighting to the resort and in 1974 its production was 5.32 MW. In India the occurrence of over 250 hot springs has been recorded and since 1973 geological survey of India authorities have reported the completion of 11 geothermal wells to an aggregate depth 580 metres and yielding 100 tonnes of steam and water per hour at a maximum pressure of 4.5 kg/cm2 and maximum temperature of 140 °C (boiling temperature of water 80 °C at this attitude). The resources for installation of MW experimental power plant at Puga have been approved. Similarly the analysis of the hot spring at Manikaran has indicated a base temperature of the order of 180 °C to 200 °C is being examined for the feasibility tapping geothermal energy. At present the geothermal resources of the country are nominal. Biomass Energy Biomass generated from forestry, agricultural and agro-industrial operations. Biomass energy is another very attractive area in which lot of Research and Development has been done in the world over. China is making the maximum use of energy from this source. Energy plantations and bio-energy are the two main features of biomass. Energy plantation is an ideal solar collector has already been designed, required virtually no maintenance, so economical and non polluting. It uses an established technology, stores energy which is called plant photosynthesis, occurring naturally. It stores more than ten times, as much energy annually in the plant form that is consumed by the mankind. But a very little of this energy is tapped. Fuel wood accounts for about 60% of all energy consumed in the country. Social forestry programme comprises schemes for planting high energy plants like jojoba ever green shrub. Its seed contains about 50-80% of oil. It can be grown in the semi arid region. Similarly tree species namely acacia, tortilla, lebbak etc. have been identified adaptable to the hot arid regions in our country. Ethyl alcohol, the most promising compound for mixing with gasoline can be easily prepared from starch and carbohydrates available plants and other sources of biomass. But extraction of oils and preparation of alcohol is highly technical job, requires costly machinery which is not possible at village or town level. The conventional combustion based system for thermal power and electricity generation from biomass are in efficient and uneconomical at small scales (< 2 MWe). Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana promotes biomass Power through gasification technology which is fuel efficient and environmentally friendly at small scales (< 2 MWe). PAU has successfully installed the gasifiers in farmers fields and in industrial setup. Gasification is a thermo - chemical conversion process where fuel column is ignited at one point and exposed to the air blast (30 - 40 % of stoichiometric requirement). The product in the process

is a gaseous fuel called producer gas. The producer gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane as combustible gases and also have nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The heating value of producer gas ranges from 4.5 to 5.5 MJ/m3. The gas burns giving a self sustaining flame and can also be used as engine fuel replacing partially or completely the conventional liquid fuels. The reactor in which the gasification is carried is called gasifier. The gasifiers are usually classified on the basis of direction of fuel and air/gas flow in the reactor. The classification of gasification reactors often referred in the literature are: up draft, down draft, cross draft and fluidized bed. The down draft gasifiers developed in SESA are with throat (Imbert type) for wood and woody biomass materials and without throat (throatless gasifiers) for low density and uniform sized fuels such as rice husk, ground nut shell, maize cobs etc. Imbert type gasifiers of different capacities ranging from 2.5 to 100 kW have been designed and developed in SESA. The producer gas has been used for running un-altered diesel engines in dual fuel mode (producer gas and diesel) replacing about 75% diesel by producer gas. The gasifier have also been used for thermal applications in small industries replacing their oil/coal/wood fired furnaces. The wood consumption in a duel fuel gasifier engine alternator system is estimated to be about 1.1 – 1.2 kg/kWh of electricity generation. Each kg of wood biomass produce about 2.5 m3 of producer gas. Energy Recovery from Waste About 60 million tons of municipal solid waste and about 4400 million cubic meters of liquid waste are generated every year in the country. Most waste that are generated find their way into land and water bodies without proper treatment causing severe water pollution. They also emit green house gases like methane and carbon-dioxide and add to air pollution. The problems caused by solid and liquid waste can be significantly mitigated through the adoption of environmentally waste to energy technologies such as biomethanation, combustion, pyrolysis etc. A number of wastes to energy projects have been set up at distilleries, paper-mills, sugar and starch factories etc. Small Hydro Power Hydro power is the largest renewable energy resource being used for the generation of the electricity. Hydropower is generated from the potential and kinetic energy of water flowing from a height. The energy contained in the water is converted into electricity by using a turbine coupled to a generator. A number of small hydro projects are being set up in the country both on rivers and canals. Hydrogen Energy Hydro energy is a clean gas with highest energy content. It is abundantly available in water, biomass and hydrocarbons. Hydrogen can be used for power generation and also for, transport application. Hydrogen is also used in fuel cells. Hydrogen power Motor Cycles, Auto Rickshaws have been developed and demonstrated in India. Biodiesel Biodiesel is a clean fuel made from natural, renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats for use in a diesel engine for diesel fuel replacement. The typical process that Page 8 of 11


needs to be done to produce biodiesel is called transesterification. The transesterification of refined or waste cooking oil and animal fats can be carried out with short-chain alcohols in the presence of acid or base catalyst, by means of single step or two step batch transesterification process in order to obtain biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel has physical properties very similar to petroleum-derived diesel fuel but its emission properties are superior. Using biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine, substantially reduces emissions of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter. Diesel blends containing upto 20% biodiesel called B20 can be used in nearly all diesel powered equipments, and higher-level blends and pure biodiesel B 100 can be used in many engines with little or no modification. Lower-level blends are compatible with most storage and distribution equip-

ment, but special handling is required for higher level blends. The fuel related characteristics of biodiesel and the petroleum diesel are similar and thus the bio-diesel can be used as diesel engine fuel for continuous long hours. Biogas Energy Biogas, a product of anaerobic digestion of organic wastes, is a very suitable fuel for providing heat and operating Internal Combustion (I.C.) engines. Anaerobic digestion not only provide valuable fuel and enhances the fertilizer value of the waste, but also provide a conventional, safe, aesthetical and economical waste disposal method. The anaerobic digestion of sludge is well known and is often practiced in sewage treatment plants. Indicative Costs of Few Common Renewable Energy Systems and Devices (March, 2014) have been explained in Table 1.

Table 1. Indicative Costs of Few Common Renewable Energy Systems and Devices Sl. No.

Renewable Energy System / Device

Indicative Capital cost (Rs.)

Govt. Subsidy, if any (Rs.)

1

Biogas Plant (4 m3 – 6 m3)

45,000 to 55,000

8,000

2

Domestic Solar Water (100 liter/day)

15,000 to 25,000

4,500

ETC system

22,000 to 25,000

6,600 1,500

FPC system 3

Box type Solar Cooker

3,000 to 4,500

4

Dish Type Solar Cooker

60,000 to 70,000

5

Solar Steam Generating System (300 L)

14,000 to 18,000 per m of collector area

5,400

6

Solar Lantern (12 V/10 kW)

3,500

1,330

7

Solar Home Lighting Systems

5,500 to 6,500

5,000

Model I- One 9W CFL

12,000 to 13,000

5,000

3

Model II- Two 9W CFL 8

Stand alone Solar Street Lighting System

19,000 to 25,000

5,250

9

Solar Inverter

45,000

-

10

Solar Photovoltaic Pumping Systems

2,30,000

-

DC surface pump of 900 W

4,30,000

-

DC surface pump of 1800 W

5,50,000

-

AC submersible pump 1800 W 11

SPV Power Project (per MW)

11 crore to 12 crore

30% of the project cost

12

Wind power Plant (per MW)

5.50 crore to 6 crore

-

13

Water Pumping Wind Mill

45,000 to 1,50,000

-

14

Wind-Solar Hybrid System (per kW)

2.00 lac to 2.50 lac

-

15

Small Hydro Power (per MW)

5 crore to 7 crore

-

16

Biomass Power Plant (per MW)

4 crore to 5 crore

-

17

Bagasse based cogeneration plant

4 crore to 5 crore

-

18

Waste-to-Energy (per MW)

5 crore to 12 crore

-

Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), New Delhi and Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), Chandigarh

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Table 2. Achievement under Different Programmes of Renewable energy in India and Punjab Cumulative achievement in India (as on 31.03.2014)

Cumulative achievement in Punjab (as on 31.03.2014)

No. of projects installed in Punjab

Biomass power (Agro Residues & Plantations)

1209.60 MW

46.50 MW

5

Wind Power

17967.15 MW

-

-

Small Hydro Power (up to 25 MW)

3434.07 MW

Sl. No.

Programmes/ Systems

I

Power from Renewable

A

Grid-interactive Renewable Power

1 2 3

4

Bagasse Cogeneration

5

Waste to Power (Urban & Industrial)

6

Solar Power (SPV)

B

Off-Grid/Distributed Renewable Power

1

Large size biogas plants for cooking/operating diesel engines/power generation

Completed

32

- 39.65 MW Under installation- 31.85 MW

24

2109.73 MW

326.34 MW

37

93.68 MW

-

-

1044.16 MW

6.00 MW

5

Conventional design (IBP/NBP)

531

PAU Design

40

2

Large size biogas plants for Grid Power Generation based on Cattle Dung / Paddy Straw

-

6 MW

4

3

Biogas enrichment and bottling of biogas plants

-

6600 m3

3

4

Energy Recovery from Waste

106.34 MW

-

-

5

Biomass (non-bagasse) cogeneration

398.40 MW

326.34 MW

37

6

Biomass gasifier

153.89 MW

-

-

7

Agro – Generations / Hybrid systems

1.74 MW

-

-

8

SPV decentralized power generation plants

96.61 MW

771 kW

18

2121 (nos)

-

-

45.45 Lakh

Conventional Models

1,25,000

PAU Models

10,000

9

Watermills/ Microhydel

II

Decentralized / Other Renewable Energy Systems

1

Family type Biogas Plant(nos)

2

Solar Photovoltic System Street Lighting System (nos)

1,82,000

Home Lighting system (nos)

8,31,604

-

14995

-

-

1850

5.83 Million m3 Collector area

13.145 lac LPD

-

-

-

16600

Domestic

200

-

-

Farm

40

-

-

-

120 m2 Collected Area

2

8140 Villages and hamlets

-

-

3

Solar PhotoVoltic Water Pumping Systems (capacity 2 HP each)

4

Solar water Heating Systems

5

Solar cookers

6

Solar dryers

7

Solar air heaters

III

Remote Village Electrification

5354

Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), New Delhi and Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), Chandigarh

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The detail of the achievements under different programmes of Renewable Energy in Punjab & India is given in Table 2.

Conclusions

India is implementing one of the World’s largest programmes in Renewable Energy. The country ranks second in biogas utilization, fourth in wind power, fifth in small hydro and seventh in photovoltaic production in the World. Renewable sources already contribute to about 10% of the total power generating capacity in the country. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), Chandigarh and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), New Delhi for their valuable input. Conflict of interests The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests. References 1. Grewal N. S.; Sooch S. S.; Ahluwalia S.; Brar G. S. 2000. Hand Book of Biogas Technology, PAU, Ludhiana. 2. Sooch S.S. 2010. Biogas Plants for Rural Masses. School of Energy Studies for Agriculture, PAU, Ludhiana. 3. Akshyay Urja 2012. ENERGISING THE RE WAY, Ministry of Renewable Energy Government of India, Vol. 5 (6), June 2012, www.mnre.gov.in. 4. Sooch S. S.; Soni R.; Singh S.; Saimbhi V. S.; Gautam A. 2012. Renewable Energy In Punjab: Status and Future Prospects, School of Energy Studies for Agriculture, PAU, Ludhiana. ********** Article Information: Received: 16 February 2015 Accepted: 15 March 2015 Online published: 21 March 2015

Cite this article as:

S S Sooch et al. 2015. Tomorrow’s fuels: Renewable energy sources. International Journal of Extensive Research. Vol. 3: 61-71.

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