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Volume 9 • Issue 3 • December 2015

INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE launched in Paris

December 2015 | Akshay Urja | 1

Shri Tarun Kapoor, IAS, is the Joint Secretary (National Solar Mission), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. During an interview with Akshay Urja, Shri Kapoor discussed India’s ambitious target for the installation of 175 GW renewable power by 2022 and the steps the government is taking to achieve the same.

Face to Facewith Tarun Kapoor

| Volume 9 • Issue 3 |DECEMBER 2015

A bi-monthly newsletter of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India

(Published in English and Hindi)

CHIEF PATRONShri Piyush Goyal

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy

PATRONShri Upendra Tripathy

Secretary, MNRE, New Delhi

EDITORDr Arun K TripathiMNRE, New Delhi

EDITORIAL BOARDD K KhareP DhamijaM R NouniB S NegiR K Vimal

PRODUCTION TEAMAnupama Jauhry, Sangeeta Paul,

Abhas Mukherjee, Anushree Tiwari Sharma, Santosh K Singh, Shilpa Mohan, R K Joshi,

Aman Sachdeva, TERI, New Delhi

EDITORIAL OFFICEDr Arun K Tripathi

Editor, Akshay UrjaMNRE, Block No. 14, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110 003

Tel. +91 11 2436 3035, 2436 0707Fax +91 11 2436 3035

E-mail: [email protected]: www.mnre.gov.in

PRODUCED BYTERI Press

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PUBLISHER AND PRINTERMinistry of New and Renewable Energy

Disclaimer: The views expressed by authors including those of the editor in this newsletter are

not necessarily the views of the MNRE.

Published, printed, and edited for and on behalf of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, from B-14, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, by Dr Arun Kumar Tripathi. Printed at Aravali Printers & Publishers (P) Ltd. W-30, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi - 110 020, India.

RE NEWS4 National

8 International

COVER STORY10 India and France Launch International

Solar Energy Alliance at COP21 in Paris

SPECIAL FEATURE13 Solarizing India: Tapping the

Excellent Potential

RE FEATURES18 Solar Pumps for Salt Farmers:

A Feasibility Study

26 Innovative Solar Food Processing Technology for Sustainable Livelihood to Rural Women

RE STATE23 Solar Powering of Government

Health Establishments in Tripura

RE SUCCESS STORY30 Biogas for Industrial Power in Punjab

RE TECHNOLOGY FOCUS34 LED Lighting for Achieving

Energy Efficiency

RE CASE STUDY40 Innovative Solar Street

Lights for Urban Areas

RE EVENT43 Seventh Intersolar India

Exhibition and Conference

FACE TO FACE44 Face to Face with Tarun Kapoor

RE PRODUCT47 Low-Cost Renewable Energy

Devices to Boost Rural Entrepreneurship

49 CHILDREN’S CORNER

50 WEB/BOOK ALERT

51 FORTHCOMING EVENTS

52 RE STATISTICS

www.mnre.gov.inIn this Issue

The utilization of solar energy to generate electric power is a prominent technology which is utilized in photovoltaic-based water pumping system for agriculture. It helps to improve the agricultural productivity which improves the living standard of a farmer. Er Kapil K Samar describes the wise economic role of solar pump against diesel pump set in salt farming.

Energy efficiency is the buzzword today in the broad areas of energy production and consumption, where energy saved is energy produced. Atanu Dasgupta says that with the ongoing technological advancement in the field of LED lighting in particular and government’s patronage for achieving extra-ordinary energy efficiency; the traditional sources of light are destined to disappear soon.

443418

10COVER STORY

2 | Akshay Urja | December 2015

I read the August 2015 issue of Akshay Urja. I must say that it was really commendable. The Special Feature on Solar-Biogas Hybrid Refrigeration Technology was very helpful for me as I am also doing research on a related technology. I hope to read more articles on Solar-biogas technology in future as well.

Aditya Shukla New Delhi

fiz; if=kdk ^v{k; ÅtkZ* dh izfr;ka vktdy eq>s fey jgh gSaA ysfdu eSa pkgrk gw¡ fd eq>s if=kdk dh fgUnh ,oa vaxzsth nksuksa Hkk"kkvksa dh izfr;ka Hksth tk,aA eSaus bl laca/ esa tc if=kdk ds dk;kZy; esa iQksu dj ckr dh rks eq>s crk;k x;k fd ;fn mDr vk'k; dk ,d i=k eSa v{k; ÅtkZ dk;kZy; dks Hkstwa rks ogka ls eq>s if=kdk dh ;FkksDr nksuksa Hkk"kkvksa dh izfr;ka Hksth tkrh jgsaxhA ;gh dkj.k gS fd eSa ;g i=k vkidks Hkst jgk gwaA ÑIk;k esjk uke] irkfn if=kdk dh fgUnh ,oa vaxzsth nksuksa Hkk"kkvksa osQ fy, cuh esfyax fyLV esa 'kkfey dj ysaA lkFk gh eq>s mDr if=kdk dh fgUnh ,oa vaxzsth nksuksa Hkk"kkvksa dh izfr;ka fu;fer :i ls Hkstus dk d"V djsaA vkHkkjh jgwaxkA oSls rks lkfgR;] i=kdkfjrk ,oa lkekftd dk;ks± ls lac¼ jgus ds dkj.k yksx esjs ikl dbZ ljdkjh] xSj ljdkjh i=k&if=kdk,a ,oa iqLrosaQ ekukFkZ] voyksdukFkZ ,oa leh{kkFkZ Hkstrs jgrs gSa (ysfdu ;g if=kdk eq>s fcYdqy vyx vkSj cgqr vPNh yxhA vkids dfBu o vewY; iz;kl ds fy, eSa vkidks lk/qokn nsrk gwaA

psrukfnR; vkyksd jkaph] >kj[kaM

I regularly read your esteemed magazine at my office. It is heartening to note that technology of Re-Powering the Wind Sector has excellent potential for the future. I really liked Dr Siraj Ahmed’s article. It was also nice to read about Anaerobic

Septic Tanks for hygienic sanitation and generation of green energy.

Prateek Awasthi Bangalore, Karnataka

I read the article on the role of bagasse drying in controlling Uttar Pradesh power crisis. I also live in one of the cities in UP and genuinely feel that this is a very good concept as our state is one of the states where acute power shortage exists throughout the year, and our state grows the maximum sugarcane in India. It was nice to read that this power crisis can be resolved by improving efficiency of steam generators by bagasse drying in sugar plants.

Saarthak Chatterjee Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

eSa ^v{k; mQtkZ* if=kdk osQ izR;sd vad esa Nis ys[kksa dks è;kuiwoZd i<+rk g¡wA vkidh leLr laikndh; Vhe dks esjk /U;oknA lkSj iz'khru fof/ osQ fo"k; esa i<+dj vPNk yxkA okLro esa gekjs ns'k esa fctyh dh dVkSrh osQ dkj.k] Vhdksa dk laj{k.k ,d egRoiw.kZ eqn~nk gSA vk'kk gS fd bl fof/ osQ mi;ksx ls nwj njkt osQ bykdksa esa ”k:jreanksa dks mfpr VhosQ nsdj muosQ LokLF; dh j{kk dh tk losQxhA

lkSjHk j?kqoa'kh Xokfy;j] eè; izns'k

I am a regular reader of this excellent magazine (Akshay Urja) catering

to renewable energy, though I am

writing a letter for this column for

the first time. All the articles I read in

the August 2015 and October 2015

issues are very exhaustive on various

facets of renewable energy. I recently

visited the Rajiv Gandhi Renewable

Energy Park in Gurgaon with my

kids and participated in the hands-

on workshops for children. These

workshops focus on energy efficiency

and conservation through resource conservation and waste management.

Nandini Sharma Gurgaon, Haryana

^v{k; mQtkZ* dk uohure vad (vDVwcj 2015) eq>s dkiQh jkspd ,oa Kkuo/Zd yxkA gekjk ns'k ,d o`Qf"k iz/ku ns'k gS] bl dkj.k ls laof/Zr ck;ksxSl ?kksy ;fn tSfod o`Qf"k osQ fy, iks"kd rRoksa dk ,d laHkkfor Ïksr gS] rks ;g okdbZ dkiQh izlUUurk dk fo"k; gSA vkbZvkbZVh ckWEcs }kjk ^jks'kuh osQ vf/dkj* dh vksj iz;kl ljkguh; gSA uohdj.kh; ,oa v{k; mQtkZ osQ bLrseky ls gekjs ns'k osQ cPpksa dks cqfu;knh f'k{kk izkIr djus dk volj fey tk,] blls vPNh ckr vkSj D;k gks ldrh gSA

vuqie oktis;h cukjl] mÙkj izns'k

The October 2015 issue of Akshay

Urja is very well compiled. Kudos to

the Editor and his publishing team.

The issue paid tribute to Dr APJ Abdul

Kalam—a true son of Mother India, by

publishing an article on his views on

renewable energy in India. I liked the

article on Sri Aurobindo International

Centre of Education that is leading

the way in being net energy-positive. The Cover Story on Green Energy Corridors is also very informative.

Kailash Ghosh Kolkata, West Bengal

Mailbox www.mnre.gov.in

Dear Reader, Thank you very much for your suggestions and encouragement. The editorial team of Akshay Urja will make every effort to make this magazine highly informative and useful to all our readers. We welcome your suggestions and valuable comments to make further improvements in the content and presentation.

Editor, Akshay Urja

Send or email your letters to: Editor, Akshay Urja

MNRE, Block No. 14, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110 003

E-mail: [email protected]


Dear Readers,

The commitment of Government of India to slash carbon

emission intensity of its GDP by 33–35 per cent by 2030

from 2005 levels over the next 15 years and generate 40

per cent of its power from non fossil fuels by 2030 through

Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)

for mitigating climate change was reiterated by India in

COP21 held in Paris in December 2015. A target of 175

GW Renewable Power by 2022 set by the country will

significantly contribute to meet the target of INDC.

To further strengthen the commitment, Hon'ble Prime

Minister of India envisioned creation of 'International

Solar Alliance' as a specialized platform for mutual

cooperation among 121 solar resource rich countries lying

fully or partially between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of

Capricorn. The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi

and French President Mr François Hollande launched the

International Solar Alliance' (ISA) in a grand ceremony

held at the COP21 in Paris on November 30, 2015. ISA

aims to provide a platform for cooperation among solar

resource rich countries where global community including

bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporate, industry

and stakeholders can make a positive contribution to

the common goals of increasing use of solar energy in

meeting energy needs of its member countries in a safe,

convenient, affordable, equitable, and sustainable manner.

The 'Declaration on the occasion to launch the ISA of

countries dedicated to the promotion of solar energy'

includes the support of 121 countries which demonstrates

the leadership and commitment of India towards

renewable energy not only limited to India but for the

global community as well.

Ever increasing solar capacity addition of 1,112 MW in

2014–15 and 1,134.903 MW in 2015–16 (till December 20,

2015), tenders by NTPC to set up 2,750 MW under bundling

scheme and by SECI to set up 1,190 MW under 2,000

VGF scheme, reaching grid parity with record low tariff of

N4.63/kWh, rapid planning and progress of 25 solar parks

for 20,000 MW solar power, increase in coal cess from

N50/tonne to N200/tonne to help finance clean energy

projects, approvals for installations of over 2,000 MW grid

connected solar rooftops, notifications by 26 States/UTs

for regulations of net metering, grid connectivity of solar

rooftops are few indicators to prove that India has already

gone ahead to fulfill its commitment of 100 GW solar

power by 2022.

Let all of us take a pledge to contribute to utilize clean

energy, keep our surroundings, environment, city, town,

village and country clean to make Swachh and Green

India. I am sure that this issue will provide a useful reading

material and you will find it informative and interesting as

well. Please do send us your views and suggestions.

With Best Wishes for the New Year 2016.

ARUN K TRIPATHI

[email protected]

From the Editor’s Desk www.mnre.gov.in

lwjt ,d :i vusd

From the Editor’s Desk


RE News

RENEWABLE ENERGY NEWSIndia’s total installed capacity of solar power has crossed the 5-GW-mark. The total commissioned utility solar capacity in the country stands at about 4.7 GW, while rooftop capacity is 525 MW. “Solar sector has got great momentum with capacity addition in 2015 more than doubling up over last year and total pipeline of over 15 GW of projects under bidding-cum-development,” Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director, Bridge to India, said in a report. During the last fiscal, a total capacity of 1,112 MW of grid connected solar power projects

and 44.5 MW of rooftop projects were installed. For the current fiscal, 827 MW of solar capacity has been added so far. While the Central government has laid down the ambitious target of 100 GW by 2022, states have taken the lead over Central government schemes in the last year. Encouraged by falling costs and growing need for green energy, states such as Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu have all announced substantial policy initiatives.

Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh have historically been the front runners in solar power capacity addition, but the four southern Indian states are expected to dominate the market over the next two years. As of today, the country has a solar project pipeline of 15.7 GW.

The fiscal year 2016–17 will be Indian solar market’s transition year: annual capacity addition could top 6 GW with India becoming one of the leading solar nations globally.

Source: www.thehindu.com

Researchers from the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, have developed a solar hybrid desalination system that works

for saline and brackish water. The process described in the International Journal of Low Carbon Technologies shows that at its peak (around 27°C) the system can purify nearly 6.5 litres

of saline water per square metre of the instrument in six hours of use (tested between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.). The stepped solar-still, comprising of semi-circular pipe sections welded progressively one next to the other so as to maintain a constant slope was fabricated to serve as the water channel basin. Vacuum jackets were provided to minimize thermal losses. The instrument could hold between 3 and 4 litres for treatment. During the experimentation, solar intensity was observed at 718.76 W per square metre. With the set-up ensuring pressure was high within, saline water saw evaporation at temperatures lesser than 100°C.

Water was further pumped in and out using photovoltaic cells as a source of energy—making the instrument self-reliant. The researchers believe that this system shows promise that the problem of clean drinking water can be solved in any coastal area where seawater and sunlight are available freely.


India’s Solar Capacity Crosses 5,000 MW

IISc Develops Solar Hybrid Desalination System


[ National ]

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) have signed the loan agreement for $200

million, first tranche of a $500 million Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) for the ‘Clean Energy Finance Investment Programme’. The loan

from the ADB shall boost ability of IREDA to provide long-term financing to the eligible renewable energy projects in India. The loan from ADB can finance up to 50 per cent of the project cost thus enabling a total investment of $400 million in the renewable energy projects with $120 million equity financing and balance $80 million by other sources of debt. The loan agreement was signed by Shri K S Popli, Chairman and Managing Director, IREDA and Ms M Teresa Kho, Country Director, ADB, India Resident Mission in the presence of Shri S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary (Bilateral Cooperation), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, who signed the Guarantee Agreement for the Government of India, for ADB loan, in New Delhi.

Source: www.ireda.gov.in

IREDA and ADB Sign $200 Million Loan Agreement

Trina Solar, a leading Chinese solar power equipment manufacturer, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh Government for setting up a solar power plant with an investment of 2,800 crore. The proposed plant will come up at Atchutapuram in the coastal district of Visakhapatnam. The MoU was signed by SS Rawat, Andhra Pradesh's Secretary for Industries, and Chen Shou Chung, Vice-President of Trina Solar, in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada.

Welcoming the development, the Chief Minister said the proposed solar plant would give a huge fillip to the energy-efficient practices promoted by the state government and would create 3,500 jobs.

Trina Solar is one the world's leading companies that specializes in the manufacture of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and system integration. It also develops and produces ingots, wafers, solar cells, and solar modules.

Source: www.tribuneindia.com

Chinese Firm to Set Up Solar Power Plant in Andhra Pradesh Jamia to Use More

Solar PowerJamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi is set to take another step towards using more of renewable energy. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned three projects in the areas of solar energy and power electronics to the university. The university’s Department of Electrical Engineering will now receive a grant of three crore for these projects, which is in addition to the 1 crore the varsity has already received. “The department has already installed solar panels on the terrace of the building. The 50 per cent load of Power Electronics Lab is getting power from the installed solar system. The set-up of state-of-the-art Advance Power Electronics Research Lab started from these projects,” an official from the university said. The university is also hoping to save on a good amount of money (electricity bill) once all the solar projects are commissioned.



Government Schools to have Solar-Powered e-toiletsKeeping in view the poor state of toilets in government schools, the ‘Karnal Vikas Nidhi’, a corpus made on the call of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for the development of the Karnal district in Haryana by the citizens, has decided to install solar powered e-toilets in 22 government schools in the district to improve sanitation and hygiene in schools. The step is being considered as the response to the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up toilets in the government schools for girls under the Swachh Bharat campaign. Apart from installing e-toilets, they would renovate the existing toilets in the government schools to make them functional.

“Payment of 24.42 lakh has been made by the authorities to Eram Scientific, manufacturers of e-toilets,” said Pankaj Bharti, Managing Trustee, Karnal Vikas Nidhi.

Twenty schools in which toilets will be installed have been identified. These fully automatic e-toilets would be run with solar power and would be connected with the office of ‘Karnal Vikas Nidhi’ through GPS through which they could check the uses of these toilets, besides keeping a vigil on water wastage, sanitation problem, and cleanliness.

Source: www.tribuneindia.com

RE News

The spinning wheel (Charkha) for making khadi is receiving a makeover. It can now run on solar power.

Charkhas spun by hand have a limit on production. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and other khadi-promoting institutions have developed wheels with more spindles that can run on solar power. Gujarat is likely to be the first state to successfully test the solar-powered wheels. The Khadi Prayog Samiti, Ahmedabad; Udhyog Bharti Trust, Gondal; Surat Engineering Vikas Association; and Indo-German Tool Room are conducting the tests. The KVIC and Gandhigram Urja Vikas Sanstha, an Amravati-based NGO, designed the spinning wheel in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation, Wardha.

Khadi institutions provide employment to about 1 million artisans but their earnings are meagre. A spinner earns 250 a day for eight hours of work on a hand-spun wheel. Test results suggest solar-powered wheels can spin four times more. Conventional wheels hold 3–8 spindles of khadi, which produces 25 hanks of yarn in eight hours. Solar-powered spinning wheels can hold 36 spindles to produce 100 hanks in the same time. The KVIC has written to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry to allow cloth made on solar-powered spinning wheels to be called khadi. It has also sought permission to sell the cloth as green khadi.

Source: www.business-standard.com

Khadi Charkha goes Solar


[ National ]

As part of the Indian Railways’ push to tap renewable energy, the Mysuru Division in Karnataka is tapping solar energy resources to reduce its dependence on conventional forms of energy dependent on coal and water. With this in mind, a 15 kW capacity wind and solar hybrid project is being established at Birur station at an estimated cost of 37.34 lakh, according to the Divisional Railway Manager Rajkumar Lal. This is in pursuance of the Railway’s drive to meet a portion of its energy from renewable energy sources like solar,

wind, and biomass. Incidentally, the Railways is among the single largest entities consuming nearly 2 per cent of the country’s total power generated to meet its operational requirements. The potential of solar and wind energy is reckoned to be high in most parts of India, and the Railways’ thrust on harnessing green technology is not only a step forward to being more environment-friendly, but reduce its operational costs by minimizing conventional forms of power by 10 per cent by 2020.


SolarTown Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd (SolarTown), a pioneer in India’s solar industry specializing in the sale, lease, and installation of solar rooftop systems for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, announced the installation of solar rooftop systems at an initial ten branches of RBL Bank, one of India’s fastest growing private sector banks, with more than 180 branch locations throughout India. RBL Bank, formerly

known as The Ratnakar Bank Limited, is estimated to save 146,000 annually by opting for solar PV rooftop systems at ten of its sites. Each branch will feature a minimum 3 kW system, which will offset a major part of the business’ energy consumption and more than 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the solar installation.

SolarTown is one of the first to offer a zero-down lease and unique

purchase options for residential and commercial customers in the 1 kW to 300 kW size in India, ideal for homes and small commercial buildings with monthly usage between 400 kWh and 40,000 kWh. SolarTown’s solar PV rooftop systems completely eliminate the dependence on diesel-based generators, the hassle of maintaining the systems, and pollution derived from burning diesel fuels. The fixed monthly lease option, lower than DISCOM rates, shields the customer against increasing electricity and diesel prices. SolarTown’s lease option makes solar PV systems highly accessible and empowers customers to take control of their power generation without straining their bottom line.

Source: www.mercomcapital.com

Indian Railways in Karnataka All Set to Tap Solar Energy

SolarTown Installs Solar PV Rooftop Systems at RBL Bank Branches

Gamesa Bags 100 MW Wind Power Project from Hero GroupGamesa India, a renewable energy company, has signed a 100 MW wind power project order with Hero Future Energies (HFE), a venture of the Hero Group that caters to providing renewable power. Under this contract, Gamesa will supply and erect 50 units of G97-2.0 MW turbines with a tower height of 104 m at Dhar site in Madhya Pradesh. The commissioning is scheduled for completion by March 2016. Ramesh Kymal, Chairman and Managing Director, Gamesa India, said, “This partnership shows the trust customers have in our project capabilities and help us inch closer to the renewable energy targets set by the government which will secure the energy requirements of the country.” Rahul Munjal, Managing Director, Hero Future Energies, said, “This is HFE’s first self-development project in India. We are encouraged by universal success of the self-development strategy. When combined with turnkey projects, alongside key industry players, this project will provide diversification to our firm. Completing this and other such developments in the pipeline, our cumulative installed capacity is likely to be over 500 MW by 2016.”

Source: www.business-standard.com


RE News

BMW to Power South Africa Plant with Biogas from ManureBMW AG’s car-assembly plant in South Africa is doing its bit to help the German carmaker edge towards a global target to supply all its production with renewable energy: It’s getting some of its power from biogas made from cow manure. The company has agreed to a 10-year deal to buy as much as 4.4 MW of electricity from a biogas plant about 80 km (50 miles) from its factory north-west of Pretoria, the South African capital. Surrounded by land where about 30,000 cattle graze, the operation runs off gas

emitted by a fetid mixture of dung and organic waste ranging from sour yogurt to discarded dog food. The deal with Bio2Watt (Pty) Ltd, the closely held company that operates the power plant, was struck to bring Munich-based BMW a step closer to its renewable target. The biogas facility, when ramped up to full capacity, will represent 25–30 per cent of the electricity consumption at BMW’s factory.

BMW already purchases about 51 per cent of its energy from renewable energy source. In South Africa, the carmaker may consider other clean-energy sources including solar for the Rosslyn factory, which was BMW’s first foreign plant when it was established in 1973. The facility produces more than 60,000 3-Series sedans a year for local and export markets and produced its one-millionth vehicle in February. For local food and waste companies, supplying the station is a convenient and environmentally friendly way to get rid of organic waste that the government is seeking to divert from landfills.

Source: www.renewableenergyworld.com

India’s Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi launched an international solar alliance of over 120 countries with the French President, François Hollande, at the Paris COP21 climate summit. The Indian Prime Minister said that as fossil fuels put the planet in peril, hopes for future prosperity in the developing world now rest on bold initiatives. “Solar technology is evolving, costs are coming down and grid connectivity is improving. The dream of universal access to clean energy is becoming more real. This will be the foundation of the new economy of the new century” he said. Shri Modi described the Solar Alliance as “the sunrise of new hope, not just for clean energy but for villages and homes still in darkness, for mornings and evening filled with a clear view of the glory of the sun”. While signatory nations mostly hail from the tropics, several European countries are also on board with the initiative, including France. Mr Hollande described the project as climate justice in action, mobilizing public finance from richer states to help deliver universal energy access.

Source: www.theguardian.com

India Unveils Global Solar Alliance of 120 Countries at Paris Climate Summit


[ International ]

Google Buys 781 MW of Wind and Solar Power in Three NationsGoogle, the world’s biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy, is expanding its clean power portfolio with deals for 781 MW of solar and wind power. The Alphabet Inc. unit completed five deals to buy the output from power plants in the US, Chile, and Sweden, and now has contracts for 2 GW of renewable energy worldwide. The power-purchase agreements run from 10 years to 20 years. “It’s the largest, most diverse purchase of renewable energy by a non-utility,” Michael Terrell, Google’s Principal of energy and global infrastructure, said in an interview.

Google will buy 200 MW of power from Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc.’s Bluestem wind project, and 200 MW from Electricite de France SA’s Great Western wind project, both of which will be built in Oklahoma. The company will also buy 225 MW of US wind power from independent

power producer Invenergy LLC. In Chile, Google will use 80 MW of solar power from Acciona Energia SA’s El Romero farm, which will be built in the Atacama region. And in Sweden, the company agreed to buy 76 MW of wind power from Eolus Vind AB’s Jenasen wind project, which will be built in Vasternorrland County. In July 2015, Google committed to tripling its purchases of renewable energy by 2025.


DuPont Opens World’s Largest Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

DuPont opened its cellulosic biofuel facility in Nevada, Iowa. This biorefinery is the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant, with the capacity to produce 30 million gallons/year of clean fuel that offers a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to gasoline.

The raw material used to produce the ethanol is corn stover—the stalks, leaves, and cobs left in a field after harvest. The facility will demonstrate at commercial scale that non-food feedstocks from agriculture can be the renewable raw material to power the future energy demands of society. Cellulosic ethanol will further diversify the transportation fuel mix just as wind and solar are expanding the renewable options for power generation.

DuPont brings an unparalleled combination of science competencies and almost 90 years of agronomy expertise in Iowa to develop both a pioneering clean fuel and biomass supply chain. “We have fulfilled our promise to the global biofuels industry with the dedication of our Iowa facility,” said William F Feehery, President of DuPont Industrial Biosciences. “And perhaps more significantly, we fulfill our promise to society to bring scientific innovation to the market that positively impacts people’s lives. Cellulosic biofuel is joining ranks with wind and solar as true alternatives to fossil fuels, reducing damaging environmental impacts and increasing our energy security”, he further elaborated.

Source: www.energyglobal.com

Toshiba Partners with Tanzania Geothermal DevelopmentToshiba Corp. will work with Tanzania Geothermal Development Corporation to promote geothermal power generation and human resources development in the African nation. The two companies have concluded a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Tanzania Geothermal Development is the sole organization with geothermal exploitation rights in Tanzania, and is a developer and builder of geothermal power plants. Tanzania has the third-largest geothermal resources in Africa, though the country relies on hydro and fossil fuels for about 97 per cent of its power supply. The country plans to increase its total power generation capacity to 10,000 MW by 2025 from 1,577 MW, Toshiba said. Toshiba has supplied 52 geothermal turbine generators globally, including North America, Southeast Asia, and Kenya. Their total power generation capacity is about 3,400 MW, representing the world’s biggest share in geothermal electricity generation at 26 per cent.



India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and French President Mr François Hollande launched an

International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the COP21 Climate

Conference in Paris on November 30, 2015 as a special

platform for mutual cooperation among 121 solar resource

rich countries lying fully or partially between Tropic of

Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. The alliance includes 121

countries that support the “Declaration on the occasion to

launch the international solar alliance of countries dedicated

to the promotion of solar energy”. The alliance is dedicated

to address special energy needs of ISA member countries.

The participants are not only from Latin America and Africa

but also include the USA, China, and France, who would all

work together to increase solar capacity across emerging markets. The International Solar Alliance is conceived

as a coalition of solar resource rich countries to address their special energy needs and will provide a platform to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach. The Government of India will support ISA by hosting its Secretariat for an initial period of five years and thereafter it is expected to generate its own resources and become self-financing.

Mission, Vision, and Objectives of ISAISA’s Mission and Vision is to provide a platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where global community including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and stakeholders can make a positive contribution to the common goals of increasing utilizing of solar energy in meeting energy

INDIA AND FRANCE LAUNCH INTERN ATIONAL SOLAR ENERGY ALLIANCEat COP21 in Paris

Cover Story

India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) on Climate Change

� To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation.

� To adopt a climate friendly and a cleaner path than the one followed hitherto by others at corresponding level of economic development.

� To reduce the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 33–35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level.

� To achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and low-cost international finance including from Green Climate Fund (GCF).

� To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree

cover by 2030.

� To better adapt to climate change by enhancing investments in development programmes in sectors vulnerable to climate change, particularly agriculture, water resources, Himalayan region, coastal regions, health, and disaster management.


INDIA AND FRANCE LAUNCH INTERN ATIONAL SOLAR ENERGY ALLIANCE

needs of ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable, and sustainable manner. The overarching objective is to create a collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies to enhance energy security and sustainable development; improve access to energy and opportunities for better livelihoods in rural and remote areas and to increase the standard of living.

ISA will work with partner countries in the identification of national opportunities to accelerate development and deployment of existing clean solar energy technologies, the potential for which largely remains untapped. The increased deployment of solar technologies will benefit the countries in terms of direct and indirect employment opportunities generated and the economic activity that will be triggered through electricity and solar appliance access to predominantly rural households. Across developing countries, it is mostly micro, small, and medium enterprises that generate most of the economic activity and are the ones that benefit the most from electricity access, as they will be able to operate into the evening and increase their

turnover. Increased deployment will also go a long way in realizing social benefits through solar lanterns that improve educational outcomes from increased study hours, and lead to better health service delivery levels across communities. If a rural primary health clinic has solar lights, it is more likely to be staffed after dark, and therefore, it is also more likely to be visited by those who need its services. To achieve the objectives, ISA will have five key focus areas: � Promote solar technologies and investment in the solar sector to enhance income generation for the poor and global environment: Encourage member countries to promote investment in solar technologies/applications in areas of lighting, heating, cooling, distillation, desalination, disinfection, sterilization, pasteurization, pumping, storage, refrigeration, telecommunication, irrigation, drinking water supply, energy efficiency, etc., to promote income and welfare of the poor and make global environment more climate friendly;

� Formulate projects and programmes to promote solar applications: Together and with partnership of member

Declaration on the occasion to launch the international solar alliance of countries dedicated to the promotion of solar energy � Recognizing that sustainable development, universal energy access, and energy security are critical to the shared

prosperity and future of our planet, and acknowledging that clean and renewable energy needs to be made affordable for all, we do hereby declare our intention to support India’s proposal to launch an international solar alliance as a common platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries lying fully or practically between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

� United by a shared vision to bring clean, affordable and renewable energy within the reach of all, we affirm our intention to join the international solar alliance as founding members to ensure the promotion of green, clean and sustainable energy, and to draw on the beneficence of the Sun in this endeavour.

� We share the collective ambition to undertake innovative and concerted efforts with a view to reducing the cost of finance and cost of technology for immediate deployment of competitive solar generation assets in all our countries and to pave the way for future solar generation, storage and good technologies adapted to our countries’ individual needs.

� United by our objective to significantly augment solar power generation in our countries, we intend making joint efforts through innovative policies, projects, programmes, capacity building measures and financial instruments to mobilize more than 1,000 Billion US Dollars of investments that are needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of affordable solar energy. We recognize that the reduced cost of finance would enable us to undertake more ambitious solar energy programmes to bring development and prosperity for our people.

� We intend working together towards the development of appropriate benchmarks, facilitating resource assessments, supporting research and development and demonstration facilities, with a view to encouraging innovative and affordable applications of solar technologies.

� Desirous of establishing an international alliance of countries dedicated to the promotion of solar energy as an effective mechanism of cooperation, we agree to create an International Steering Committee, open to interested counties, to provide the necessary guidance, direction and advice to establish the international solar alliance.

International Solar Alliance at COP21 in Paris


countries and with cooperation from international organizations, UN member countries, multilaterals, bilaterals, corporates, nonprofits, institutions of member and non-member countries of ISA, formulate projects and programmes to ensure solar light for energy deprived households by the year 2022;

� Develop innovative financial mechanisms to reduce cost of capital: Partnering to develop innovative financial mechanism to access low cost, long tenure financial resources from bilateral, multilateral agencies and other sources;

� Build a common Knowledge e-Portal: Build a knowledge platform, including a 24x7 e-portal for sharing of policy development experiences and best practices in member countries; and

� Facilitate capacity building for promotion and absorption of solar technologies and R&D among member countries: Promote partnerships among R&D centres of member countries for application oriented research and development and delivering technologies to people as well as capacity building through training and educational programmes and exchange of officials/entrepreneurs/sector experts/students/interns/apprentices, user groups, etc.

These focus areas will cater to not just grid connected solar power (solar parks, solar thermal projects, rooftop solar projects, canal top projects, solar on water bodies,

farmers and unemployed youths as generators) but also off-grid and decentralized applications (village electrification and mini-grids, solar lanterns,

mobile chargers, solar-powered telecom towers, milk chilling centres, potters’ wheels, solar spinner for weavers, street lights, solar pumps, solar heating/cooling, etc.). These activities will contribute significantly in employment generation in a decentralized manner at the local levels, and also in spurring economic activities.

Governance Structure and Financial Sustainability of ISA

ISA is proposed to be a multi-country partnership organization with membership from solar resource rich countries between the two tropics. ISA’s proposed governance structure would consist of an Assembly, a Council, and a Secretariat. However, it will be subject to member countries’ deliberations and suggestions. The Assembly will provide guidance, direction, and advice to the Secretariat for undertaking the activities. ISA’s detailed statute will be developed in consultation with member countries. The total Government of India support including putting normative cost of the land will be about

N400 crore ($62 million).

Significance of ISA for the FutureISA will be instrumental in providing enhanced understanding of the role that solar energy could play in providing energy services, particularly for the rural poor in countries with great solar resource endowments, but who are currently lacking the means to tap this potential energy source and convert it into an opportunity for rural transformation. It will also demonstrate in various ISA partner countries how the widespread usage of solar energy and appropriate technologies and appliances powered by solar energy could reduce cost, save foreign exchange, and expand the energy infrastructure without unduly heavy investment. In addition, it will help in contributing towards increased employment generation and promote the transfer of research to industry. More importantly it will act as a voice for raising common issues for development and deployment of solar energy at international fora.

Cover Story

Special Feature

India has been facing the energy balance crisis for many decades. The electricity generation primarily depends on coal reserves, secondly on hydro power followed by natural gas. Coal depletion has motivated

the country to look for other resources to meet its energy demand. India has a tremendous opportunity for non-conventional energy sources. India is the first country to set up a separate government body for the renewable resources development, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) which is making special tariffs and schemes to reduce the carbon emission. The motivation of solar energy aiding the country to meet its energy demand is inexhaustibility, reliability, and ease of installation in limited period of time. The solar power generation is eco-friendly as it does not include any harmful emissions and is a noise-free operation. The installation and running costs for a long span of time is less. Moreover, the cost of solar panels has been decreasing as a sign of encouragement to increase the number of installations. The cost of solar panels has reduced from $76.67/watt in 1977 to $0.74/watt in 2013. Following this trend, the prices are expected to decrease by the end of 2017. There are a few drawbacks of solar power generation. As this process mainly depends on climatic condition, suitable battery bank has to be installed for longer period of operation, affecting the cost

Figure 1: Solar Radiation Map of IndiaSource: http://mnre.gov.in/centers/about-sec-2/hand-book-on-energy-conscious-

buildings/ and http://bookstore.teri.res.in/docs/magazines.pdf


SOLARIZING INDIATapping the Excellent

PotentialTo meet the ever expanding energy demands, India should focus on the renewable areas of energy generation and its conservation. In recent years, India has shown much interest towards power generation from renewable resources. Akbar Ahmad, Dr Paulson Samuel, and Y Amar review solar energy development and engage with the current scenario of solar power in India as well as the world.

of the system. Since the power produced through each panel is very low, to produce a huge amount of power, more number of PV panels must be employed in series and parallel, which follows the requirement of a vast area network. Besides these, solar energy has become an emerging strategy across the globe.

India being a tropical country has a tremendous scope of generating electricity from solar radiation. Various states, such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal can trap a major amount of solar energy. States like Madhya Pradesh, Northern Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan receive an average of 3,000–3,200 hours of bright sunlight over a year. Remaining regions (leaving Jammu & Kashmir, northeastern states and Kerala) receive around 2,600–2,800 hours of bright sunlight over a year. Considering solar radiation across the country, states like Rajasthan and Gujarat receive more than 2,000 kWh/m2, while states like the ones in the northeastern part of the country, east Bihar, and north-west Bengal receive less than 1,700 kWh/m2. With this amount of solar radiation, India can achieve huge amount of energy generation. Figure 1 shows the availability of solar radiation across all the states in India.

Carbon Footprint of IndiaIn less than two centuries of industrial revolution, the actions of human beings have led to deterioration of resources on the Earth—beautiful and fragile result of millions of years of evolution. The time has come to act, to repair and prepare for the future, so that humanity will have further progressed in its evolution in a more conscious and fair world. Today, our planet is running out of steam because it does not any longer have its own natural means to compensate man’s ecological print. Natural balances prove to be more fragile than men have been used to imagine for decades. The erosion of biodiversity has reached a unique level in life’s history on Earth.

Ninety per cent CO2 emissions originate from

fossil-fuel combustion and, therefore, are determined by the following three main factors:

� Energy demand or the level of energy-intensive activity; in particular, related to power generation, basic materials industry, and road transport

� Changes in energy efficiency

� Shifts in fuel mix, such as from carbon-intensive coal to low-carbon gas, or from fossil fuels to nuclear or renewable energy.

India’s CO2 emissions in 2013 continued to increase by

4.4 per cent to about 2.1 billion tonnes, making it the fourth largest CO

2 emitting country, closely following the

European Union, and well ahead of the Russian Federation, which is the fifth largest emitting country. This high ranking is partly caused by the size of its population and economy. The workforce is expanding in the industry and services sectors, partially because of international outsourcing. Per capita, India’s CO

2 emissions were much lower than

those of most developed countries and China. The increase in 2013 was mainly caused by a 7.3 per cent increase in coal consumption, which accounted for 59 per cent of India’s total fossil-fuel primary energy consumption and 55 per cent of its total primary energy consumption. This growth rate was lower than in the previous year, but much higher than those of 2010 and 2011. Coal-based power production, accounting for almost 70 per cent of all of India’s coal-related CO

2

emissions, grew by about 13 per cent in 2012, the highest annual growth ever.

Figure 2 mentions the continual growth of carbon emission in the last two decades of India in comparison to the USA, China, and the European Union. This clearly depicts that the pattern of carbon emission has hugely increased with respect to the developed nations due to industrialization, whereas the developing countries can play a vital role by emphasizing on renewable energy for reducing the sudden climatic change.

The world must almost completely decarbonize in the next 30–35 years, and the vast majority of fossil fuels have to be left in the ground, if we are to have any hope of tackling climate change effectively. The warning is based


THE WORLD MUST ALMOST COMPLETELY

DECARBONIZE IN THE NEXT 30–35 YEARS,

AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOSSIL FUELS

HAVE TO BE LEFT IN THE GROUND, IF WE

ARE TO HAVE ANY HOPE OF TACKLING

CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTIVELY.

Figure 2: Trends of CO2 emission from major regions of the

world in the last two decades (in billion tonnes/year)

Source: http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/news_docs

Special Feature

on one of the major findings of “Trends in Global CO2

Emissions 2014 Report” that the scientific case behind 2°C as a ‘safe’ level of global warming—a figure that has underpinned climate policies around the globe is rapidly weakening.

Global Solar CapacityWithin the past few years, photovoltaic system has evolved with significant contributions to the electricity supply in many countries. In November 1974, the International Energy Agency (IEA), with the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was founded. Research, development and demonstration of energy technologies are a part of the agency’s programme. In 1993, IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) has been established as one of the collaborative research and development agreements within the IEA. There were 30 countries (including Thailand, joined in 2014) participating in this programme. The IEA PVPS programme’s objectives are related to reliable PV power system applications, sustainability in energy system and a growing contribution to carbon dioxide mitigation. China, with its total installed capacity of 0.8 GW in 2010, has increased its capacity to 38 GW in 2015 and aims for the target of 100 GW by 2020. Germany had a total installed capacity of 38.2 GW in 2014. The renewable energies had 27.3 per cent share of the gross power consumption in 2014 and Germany aims to reach 35 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050.

The growth of solar photovoltaic was owned by European deployment for several years, but has since shifted to other leading countries especially China, Japan, the USA and to a number of growing countries and regions all over the world. There is an average growth of 40 per cent per year in solar across the globe since 2000. Total installed capacity crossed 225 GW by the end of June 2015 with the installed annual capacity of 55 GW. Figure 3 depicts the world’s annual installed photovoltaic capacity.

By the end of 2014, there was about 177 GW of cumulative solar capacity installed in the world. 200 GW

milestones have already been touched in 2015. China stood at the top of the world in 2013 and recorded the world’s largest annual PV installation with 11.8 GW, previously recorded by Italy with 9.3 GW in 2011, and Germany with the annual installation of 7.6 GW in 2012. Japan with the figure of 6.9 GW took the second place in 2013, while the USA stood next to it with 4.8 GW. After holding the world’s top PV market position seven times in the last 14 years, Germany was only fourth in 2013 with 3.3 GW. Regionally, the Asia-Pacific region, which in addition to China and Japan includes Australia, Korea, and India, scored first place in 2013 with close to 56 per cent of the global PV market (38.4 GW), European Union came second with almost 29 per cent. Japan is about to put out its 2.4 GW oil-fired energy plants by the next year and switch to alternative resources. Japan closed 43 nuclear reactors in 2011 at Fukushima power plant after it was hit by an earthquake. Since then, its renewable energy capacity tripled to 25 GW, of which more than 80 per cent is from solar.

By the end of 2014, around 20 countries had crossed the 1 GW mark of cumulative installed capacities. Figure 4 mentions the current scenarios in major production of solar energy. In 2014, China was at the top position with its annual installed capacity of 10.6 GW. Japan and the


Figure 3: World annual installed photovoltaic capacity in MW Source: http://www.epia.org. and http://www.solarpowereurope.org

Figure 4: Solar PV installation by country (GW)

Source: http://solarcellcentral.com

Figure 5: Current scenario of the power trends in IndiaSource: http://cseindia.org/docs

Solarizing India: Tapping the Excellent Potential

USA were in the next position with 9.7 GW and 6.2 GW, respectively. Around one per cent of the world generation has been covered with solar energy. Over nineteen countries in the world have enough PV capacity to meet one per cent of their annual demand.

Solar Power Generation in IndiaIndia is rapidly emerging as one of the most attractive markets for renewable energy investments in the world. Depending on the location, the average solar insolation varies from 4–7 kWh/m2 with around 1,500–2,000 sunshine hours per year. With this, India’s annual solar power reception, just on land—considering about 300 sunny days in a year—is around 5 PWh/year (~600 TW). This is too far from the current value of India’s total energy consumption. Figure 5 represents the current scenarios of power trends, showing that our dependence on thermal power station hugely depends on the availability of coal and next to that depicts the energy harnessed from the hydro power stations. We still have a lot of scope in the area of the solar and wind power generation.

India introduced various measures which helped in the growth of renewable energy deployment in the country. These measures include both demand and supply side to promote renewable energy growth. In 2006, the rural electrification programme was the first step taken by the government of India to recognize the importance of solar power. This programme includes solar pumps, street lighting systems, solar lanterns, and solar home systems. This programme gave an idea of off-grid applications. In 2007, India brought semiconductor policy encouraging IT and electronic industries. Silicon and PV manufacturing industries were also included in this policy. This move helped in the growth of manufacturing industry.

Solar mission of the Indian Railways is to achieve the target of harnessing solar energy of 10 per cent of Indian Railways energy consumption by 2020. The Indian Railways has planned to set up 1,000 MW plants in railway/private land and on railway buildings with the support from railway energy management company (REMC), a joint venture of the Ministry of Railways and the Rail Technical and Economic Service (RITES), and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a public sector unit of the MNRE. The mission operates in the following four phases for a period of five years. The Indian Railways has planned to set up 10 MW solar-based lighting systems at about 500 stations, 4,000 level crossing gates, 50 office buildings, 400 street lights, rail coach factory (Rae Bareli) and solar water heaters, etc. Tenders for 6 MW solar plants at 200 stations and 26 rooftop sites are under evaluation. The Indian Railways have installed 1 MW grid-connected solar power plant on the rooftop of Katra Railway Station. The annual generation of the plant is about 1,445,000 units of electricity and it reduces about 10,000 tonnes of CO

2 per year. Figure 6: Cumulative installed capacity of solar photovoltaic

system in India since 2010


Special Feature

FACILITATING CLOSER GOVERNMENT AND

INDUSTRY COOPERATION AND CREATING

AWARENESS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF SOLAR

ENERGY AMONG THE CONSUMERS CAN

PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF THE SOLAR

SECTOR IN INDIA.

India’s total solar installed capacity as on March 2014 is 2,632 MW. Figure 6 represents continual growth in the area of solar photovoltaic power generations and by the end of 2014, India had achieved 3.3 GW of total solar installed capacity and stands at 11th position in the production of solar in the world. More than 4 GW renewable energy projects were installed in the 2014–15.

The total solar capacity installed during 2014–15 was 1,112 MW slightly higher than the target of 1,100 MW. Recently, the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute under MNRE, has estimated India’s solar potential of the order of 748.98 GW, considering only waste land and other land areas kept for installations. In 2015 itself, 400 kW rooftop solar power plant has been installed successfully at M Chinnaswamy Stadium at Bengaluru. The plant is designed to produce 5.9 lakh units in a year and also reduces about 600 tonnes of CO

2

emissions over a year. The excess power generated is sent

to Bescom grid with tariff of N9.56/unit paid to Karnataka State Cricket Association.

Challenges of Solar Sector in IndiaSolar sector in India is facing many challenges, such as high cost of generation. This is because of the dependence

on imports of wafers use for the manufacturing of solar cells. Solar projects are capital intensive and the lack of an effective financing infrastructure. Currently, research and development in this field is slow due to lack of collaborative goal driven efforts. Technical innovations for improving the efficiency of the systems are necessary to exploit the potential. Another major challenge is the lack of standards which results in the fragmentation of the market among suppliers and manufacturers. Standardization of systems may lead to rationalization of cost as companies can invest in research and development and promote newer technology to meet the common specifications. Facilitating closer government and industry cooperation and creating awareness about the benefits of solar energy among the consumers can promote the growth of the solar sector in India.

ConclusionSolar energy can play a vital role in reducing the demand-supply gap in India by installing rooftop and solar parks. There are still significant barriers that need to be overcome for faster growth and adoption of latest technology. However, recent developments in regulatory, policy, and financial sectors are likely to play a prominent role in improving the attractiveness of the investments in solar sector. Cost of finance, security, access to the grid and purchase of power are the major concerns of the industries which are to be addressed. Since, the environment is well-disposed, the programme can achieve its target in the coming years and India can emerge as one of the leaders in solar energy in the world.

Mr Akbar Ahmad, Senior Research Fellow; Dr Paulson Samuel, Associate Professor; and Mr Y Amar, MTech Scholar, Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India. Email: [email protected].


Solarizing India: Tapping the Excellent Potential


The utilization of solar energy to generate electric power is a prominent technology which is utilized in photovoltaic-based water pumping system for agriculture. It helps to improve the agricultural productivity which improves the living standard of a farmer. Er Kapil K Samar describes the wise economic role of solar pump against diesel pump set in salt farming. Read on to know more.

A large number of people in developing countries such as India still live in rural and remote areas, where electricity grid is yet unavailable or not envisaged by the people. Pumps are critical to irrigation and community water supply systems in rural economies. According to the United Nations, agriculture

accounts for 70 per cent of global freshwater withdrawals—a harsh reality when considering the amount and consistency of power needed to obtain this water. There are an estimated 21 million irrigation pumps in India out of which over 9 million are run on diesel and 12 million depend on the electricity grid. Electricity consumption by irrigation pumps accounts for 10–15 per cent of India’s total electricity consumption.India is the third largest salt producing country in the world, next to the US and China. The major salt producing states of India are Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. More than 20,000 salt pan workers in Gujarat and Rajasthan currently rely on diesel pumps to earn a living. Salt farming process is an extremely taxing manual process but the only mechanized phase of salt processing is brine pumping. Pumping is done since early days by diesel pump accounting for 70 per cent of the total expense of salt production. This creates high indebtedness continuously during the farming season because farmers have to buy diesel through credit money, hence the efficiency of salt production goes way into negative. Diesel systems are independent of natural cycles. Diesel generators cause noise, environmental pollution, and are costly to operate—especially as water demand rises during the growing season and fuel prices spike.

Solar Pumps for

Salt FarmersA Feasibility Study

RE Feature


The Process of Salt ProductionThe salt farming process is not hi-tech farming. It is primarily a manual process involving building of embankments, preparing the salt pans, ‘sowing’ the salt seeds, daily ‘ploughing’ of the pans, and the final harvesting—all done by the salt farmers themselves. The pumping of brine has to be carried out continuously during the farming season, for which farmers spend a fortune on diesel. The diesel required per engine per day is 8–10 litres.

Highlights of Yearly CycleA survey was conducted for salt farmers living in Little Rann Kutch (LRK) Gujarat, India. Each Agariya (salt farmers are called by this name in Gujarat) family has an average of 10 acres of land. Mostly farmers use 3hp diesel pump with 10–12 hours daily operation. They avoid using larger size pumps because the pumps need to be replaced every two years due to the corrosive nature of brine water. They start seeding for salt in the month of October. Farmers borrow money for diesel and household expenses against

each ‘pata’ of salt amounting to almost N70,000–80,000 by the end of the season. In between March–April, the salt production comes to an end and each salt pan produces on an average 700 tonnes of salt. Monthly expenditure and yearly income of salt farmers is described in Table 1 and Table 2, respectively.

Table 1: Monthly expenses per pata (considering 3 hp diesel pumps)

Details Amount (N)*

Petrol expenses for daily up and down for food, water, etc.Average N50 per day per pata (assuming family owns three patas)

500

Cost of diesel per month including procuring cost (9 litres per day, @ N50 (N47 Diesel prices + N2.5 for transportation of fuel) per litre

13,500

Total monthly expenses per pata 14,000

*amount may vary from area to area

Table 2: Net revenue per pata per season (considering 3 hp diesel pumps)

Details Amount (N)*

Total expected revenue per pata (N230 per tonne, for 700 tonnes) 1,61,000

Monthly production expenses for 7 months (N14,000 × 7 months) 98,000

Monthly household expenses 1,000

Maintenance of diesel cost 10,000

Initial labour expenses 3,000

Total accrued credit per season per pata 112,000

Net expected revenue per pata 49,000

Labour and transport expenses for salt pick-up 36,000

Net actual payment made against per pata 13,000*amount may vary from area to area

Only 8 per cent of the Agariya’s total revenues are converted into savings. Out of the rest of the revenues spent, the direct and indirect costs of using diesel consist of over 70 per cent. Renewable energy technologies promoted in the country are regarded as a means of satisfying rural energy needs of the country for operating different rural end-uses. The aim of this study is to prove the case of solar energy for pumping with its optimal utilization, as an alternate to one of the most widely used non-renewable resource—diesel. Both DC-operated- and AC-operated pumps are widely available

SALT FARMING PROCESS

IS AN EXTREMELY

TAXING MANUAL

PROCESS BUT THE ONLY

MECHANIZED PHASE

OF SALT PROCESSING

IS BRINE PUMPING.

PUMPING IS DONE

SINCE EARLY DAYS

USING DIESEL PUMP

ACCOUNTING FOR

70 PER CENT OF THE

TOTAL EXPENSE OF

SALT PRODUCTION.

IN THE SALT AREA,

WHERE THERE IS

NEED TO PUMP BRINE

WATER, IT IS ALWAYS

RECOMMENDED TO

USE PUMPS THAT ARE

EFFICIENT AS WELL AS

LOW COST. AC PUMPS

ARE WELL KNOWN TO

THE FARMERS AND

THEY CAN EASILY

REPLACE IT AT ANY

TIME IN COMPARISON

TO DC PUMPS.

.

Solar Pumps for Salt Farmers: A Feasibility Study

Using solar pump for salt farming


in Indian market at almost the same price. But, if we study about the prices of each component, DC pump is 5–6 times costlier than AC pump. In the salt area, where there is need to pump brine water, it is always recommended to use pumps that are efficient as well as low cost. AC pumps are well known to the farmers and they can easily replace it at any time in comparison to DC pumps. In this investigation, a study is carried out to compare the alternatives on the basis of the economic parameters, i.e., net present value and payback period. The solar water pumping system for irrigation is shown in Figure 1.

Components Involved in the System

� Solar PV array: The solar PV array is a set of photovoltaic modules connected in series and parallel combination. The output of solar array passes through pump controller for conditioning.

� Pump controller: A pump controller is an electronic device that boosts the linear current. It is equipped with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller and an inverter. The MPPT controls the pump as a function of solar radiation and the inverter converts DC power to AC power with suitable frequency. Farmers can be benefitted from the maximum amount of pump output during the day.

� Pump set: Pump sets generally comprise the motor, which drives the operation and the actual pump which moves the water under pressure.

Operation of Solar Water Pumping System A solar photovoltaic array directly generates electricity from the sunlight with no moving or wearing parts. Here solar radiations are converted into direct current (DC electricity) which later on is converted into AC power and this generated electricity is used to pump water through groundwater source. The wide power and voltage range enables operators to use solar pump controller for a longer time. The size of the pump is designed based on the total requirement of water and total dynamic head. The size of the solar array is designed considering availability of yearly solar radiations on location and hydraulic energy required per day to pump the required amount of water.

Solar pumping systems are a practical solution to pump the brine in electricity scarce areas. Meanwhile, solar pumping systems can also be used in community water supply, fish farming and agriculture, forestry, and wastewater treatment engineering. The systems are also becoming more popular for use in municipal engineering, city parks, tourist sites, resorts, and even landscapes and fountains in residential areas. Solar pumping delivers several benefits over diesel: � Better return on investment and low maintenance; � No periodic tariff increases; � No dependency on often unreliable grid power; � No environmental pollution; and

� Carbon credits savings.

Net Present Value for Solar Versus DieselNet present value (NPV) at 10 per cent discount factor for 3hp water pump operating with diesel and solar energy is shown in Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. The project analysis is done for 15 years project period. The project cost is the sum of capital cost and operating cost of diesel engine-operated pump and solar pump. The cash inflow or earning of the project comes from custom hire of irrigation service to the farmers. The hire rate is equal for both diesel pump and solar pump.

Where, IC is initial cost, AS is annual savings, and AM is annual maintenance

Figure 1: Solar water pumping system for irrigation

Source: www.tatapowersolar.com

SOLAR PUMPING

SYSTEMS ARE A

PRACTICAL SOLUTION

TO PUMP THE BRINE

IN ELECTRICITY

SCARCE AREAS.

MEANWHILE, SOLAR

PUMPING SYSTEMS

CAN ALSO BE USED IN

COMMUNITY WATER

SUPPLY, FISH FARMING

AND AGRICULTURE,

FORESTRY, AND

WASTEWATER

TREATMENT

ENGINEERING.

Processing of water to salt

RE Feature


Table 3: Net present value (NPV) of diesel operated pump (in N)

Year Initial cost (N)

Maintenance cost (N)

Operating cost (N)

Replacement cost (N)

Cash flow (N)

Yearly revenues (N)

Present value (N)

0 40,000 -

1 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 57,727.27

2 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 52,479.34

3 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 47,708.49

4 3,000 94,500 40,000 137500 161,000 16,050.82

5 3000 94,500 97,500 161,000 39,428.50

6 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 35,844.09

7 3,000 94,500 40,000 137500 161,000 12,059.22

8 3,000 94,500 97500 161,000 29,623.22

9 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 26,930.2

10 3,000 94,500 40,000 137500 161,000 9,060.27

11 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 22,256.36

12 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 20,233.66

13 3,000 94,500 40,000 137500 161,000 6,807.11

14 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 16,721.53

15 3,000 94,500 97,500 161,000 15,201.4

NPV 368,130.88

Table 4: Net present value (NPV) of solar operated pump (in N)

Year Initial cost (N)

Maintenance cost (N)

Operating cost (N)

Replacement cost (N)

Cash flow (N)

Yearly revenues (N)

Present value (N)

0 224,000 - -224000

1 3,000 3,000 161,000 143636.36

2 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 118181.82

3 3,000 3,000 161,000 118707.74

4 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 97,670.92

5 3,000 3,000 161,000 98,105.57

6 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 80,719.77

7 3,000 3,000 161,000 81,078.98

8 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 66,710.56

9 3,000 3,000 161,000 67,007.42

10 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 55,132.69

11 3,000 3,000 161,000 55,378.04

12 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 45,564.21

13 3,000 3,000 161,000 45,766.97

14 3,000 15,000 18000 161,000 37,656.37

15 3,000 3,000 161,000 37,823.94

NPV 925,141.36

NPV of solar pump is higher than diesel engine-operated pump which indicates that investment on solar pump is more profitable than diesel pump. Investment on solar pump is more risk free with higher discount rate than diesel engine-operated irrigation pump. Payback period of solar water pumps comes to 2 years 6 months and 11 days (Table 5).

Salt farming site

Salt farmers using pumping with diesel

THE AIM OF THIS

STUDY IS TO PROVE

THE CASE OF SOLAR

ENERGY FOR PUMPING

WITH ITS OPTIMAL

UTILIZATION, AS AN

ALTERNATE TO ONE

OF THE MOST WIDELY

USED NON-RENEWABLE

RESOURCE—DIESEL.

Solar Pumps for Salt Farmers: A Feasibility Study


Table 5: Payback period calculation for solar pumping system compared to diesel pump set

Year Total annual costs of diesel (N)

Total annual costs of diesel (N)

Savings due to solar (N)

Replacement cost of solar (N)

0 - - - 224,000

1 97,500 3,000 94,500 -

2 97,500 18,000 79,500 -

3 97,500 3,000 94,500 -

4 137,500 18,000 119,500 -

5 97,500 3,000 94,500 -

6 97,500 18,000 79,500 -

7 137,500 3,000 134,500 -

8 97,500 18,000 79,500 -

9 97,500 3,000 94,500 -

10 137,500 18,000 119,500 -

11 97,500 3,000 94,500 -

12 97,500 18,000 79,500 -

13 137,500 3,000 134,500 -

14 97,500 18,000 79,500 -

15 97,500 3,000 94,500 -

Payback period 2 years, 6 months, and 11 days

Features for Safe FutureEfficiency is one of the greatest challenges when designing a solar pumping system. The electronics of controller should be so strong that it starts the pump’s motor and keeps it running even at low sun energy input. This includes starting at sunrise or during cloudy days.

MPPT provides uninterrupted flow, even during drastic changes in radiation. When equipment is installed at remote sites—where maintenance is infrequent—the tracking system provides remote monitoring that eliminates the need for site visits.

The controller’s fault resets and other features should all be automatic. The controller should automatically shut down to prevent equipment damage if the pump runs dry. Sensor equipped flow measurement device gives a direct indication of performance, allowing the end user to measure system performance on flow rather than electrical parameters.

ConclusionSPV pumping systems can easily meet the irrigation requirements for land holdings for small and marginal farmers. Due to lack of grid power electricity, a large number of diesel pump sets are being deployed every year in the country. This study cleared the idea about economics of solar water pumping system against diesel pumps. It will obviate farmers from long distance travels to procure and transport diesel. From the technical perspective (reliability and easiness in operation) and economic evaluation of the technical alternatives, solar AC pumping system is found to be the most viable solution to pump brine in the salt farming areas.

Er Kapil K Samar, Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Email: [email protected].

Note: The author gratefully acknowledges Shashwat Green Fuels and Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Workers collect salt in a salt farm

A salt worker at work in a salt farm

EFFICIENCY IS ONE

OF THE GREATEST

CHALLENGES WHEN

DESIGNING A SOLAR

PUMPING SYSTEM.

THE ELECTRONICS OF

CONTROLLER SHOULD

BE SO STRONG THAT

IT STARTS THE PUMP’S

MOTOR AND KEEPS IT

RUNNING EVEN AT LOW

SUN ENERGY INPUT.

RE Feature


SOLAR POWERING OF GOVERNMENT HEALTH ESTABLISHMENTS IN TRIPURA

No more tension for unscheduled power cuts. No more waiting for power supply to resume. No more candle-lit evenings or nights to be spent by patients in wards. No more

emergency operations to be undertaken by doctors, under temporary lighting arrangements. Thanks to the unique project undertaken by the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA), under financial assistance of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, to provide uninterrupted power supply for the rural and urban health establishments of Tripura through Solar PV system. The government health establishments in Tripura are now Sun-powered. The health establishments of the state are mainly a four-tier system—health sub-centres, primary health centres, sub-divisional hospitals, and district hospitals. Besides, there are some Community Health Centres and of course, the State-level referral hospitals. In the first phase, a total of 95 health establishments have been provided with standalone Solar PV power plants. Out of these, 79 are primary health centres, 13 are sub-divisional hospitals, and three are district hospitals. The capacity of the power plants are different for different categories of hospitals—5 kWp for primary health centres, 10 kWp for sub-divisional hospitals, and 25 kWp for district hospitals. For most of the primary health centres, the capacity is sufficient for catering to all major loads while for other hospitals, the output

power from the solar PV power plants are connected to emergency loads, including the cold chain systems where life-saving drugs and other essential medicines are stored. Each PV system has been designed to give 4–6 hours of battery backup.

Prior to implementation of the project, TREDA had set up small Solar PV power plants (1 kWp) at six health sub-centres of one of the districts of the state namely, Dhalai District on a pilot basis. The locations of the centres are very remote and the centres did not have grid connectivity. The district administration came forward to provide necessary funding for the project. As the systems proved to be very beneficial for the health sub-centres, TREDA

RE State: Tripura

In order to meet the growing energy requirements of the urban and rural health centres and at the same time, reducing the dependence on conventional sources of energy, the state

of Tripura, in the north-eastern part of India, has evolved a solar PV plant powered system to meet the energy needs via the Sun.

B Chakrabarti describes the system, its success, and areas of lacunae in detail.

5 kW SPV Power Plant, Dhanbilash PHC, Unakoti District, Tripura


began obtaining requests for extending such facilities to other health establishments of the state. So, TREDA conceptualized, prepared, and submitted the project proposal to MNRE in 2012 and MNRE sanctioned the proposal in 2013. The implementation of this phase has been completed in 2014. The State Health Department has borne the balance of cost of the project.

Though the state is producing enough grid power to meet the current demand, power cuts do occur in almost all sites due to various technical reasons like faults in the transmission and distribution lines passing through difficult terrains, occasional failure of grid system components, periodical or compulsory shut down of power generation plants due to faults/routine maintenance, etc. The situation becomes worse during the rainy season. As the health establishments have to handle emergency situations 24X7, therefore, ensured power supply to the critical facilities within these establishments is a must. This has now been possible with the Solar PV systems. Besides, the authorities of the health establishments have been advised to utilize this free power at the maximum possible rate, even during daytime, based on individual consumption pattern and a considerable amount of electricity bill is also being saved due to this.

One added and most useful feature of the solar PV systems is the remote monitoring system. Considering the remote and scattered location of the sites and also the emergency purposes being served by the SPV systems, a SMS-based remote monitoring unit (RMU) has been

incorporated in all the systems. Regular SMS at a prefixed interval are received from the systems which are translated into system parameters, thus facilitating proper post installation monitoring and timely rectification of faults. There were some network problems for few remote sites wherefrom the SMS could not be received at the prefixed regular intervals. TREDA took necessary steps to try with other service providers for receiving good signals from those sites and now the problem is nearly resolved except one site which is not covered by any service provider. A central monitoring unit has been set up at TREDA

Manu Bankul PHC, South Tripura

Kanchanmala PHC control room

RE State: Tripura


Solar Powering of Government Health Establishments in Tripura

headquarters, especially for undertaking these activities. It has been experienced that, if a periodical routine check-up of the systems is made the systems can be operated quite satisfactorily without any major problem.

Based on the utility and success of the first phase of the project, another proposal for covering 28 other health establishments which were left out in the first phase was submitted to MNRE and this has also been approved by the MNRE. The work under this second phase is currently under progress. In the next phase, a project proposal has been formulated to set up similar facilities in 40 primary health centres and upgraded community health centres, two sub-divisional hospitals, four district hospitals, three medical colleges and hospitals, the State Ayurvedic Hospital and the State Homeopathic Hospital. The proposals have been submitted to the MNRE for sanction.

After implementation of this second and third phase, very few health establishments will be left out in the state. So, Tripura would probably be the first Indian state to have set up such Solar PV systems covering almost all the Government health establishments. The remote monitoring system has resulted in value addition for the project in the absence of which it would have been very difficult to monitor and maintain such a distributed set of standalone systems.

It is truly said that for off-grid systems, quantity or mere capacity scale of the system does not always reflect the utility of the system. This project is a good example. The total installed capacity of the system in the first phase of the project is only 600 kWp—less than even a megawatt, but the utility being felt is enormous. The units generated by the systems might be meagre, but it is to be kept in mind that these are supplying power to critical loads where every unit counts and provides services to an essential sector.

At the outset, it has been highlighted that the government health establishments in Tripura are now Sun-powered. This statement is very true, more so because, besides harnessing solar energy through the photovoltaic route, 61 government health establishments of the state are utilizing solar energy through the thermal route. Among these, there are 54 primary health centres with 500 litres per day (LPD) solar water heating systems each and seven other health establishments, including sub-divisional hospitals, district hospitals and State referral hospitals with 1,000 LPD solar water heating systems, each already installed in these hospitals three years back with the Central Financial Assistance received from the MNRE and the balance of cost being borne by the State Health Department. The total installed capacity of the systems is 34,000 LPD.

In some cases, the water temperature at the hot water tank outlet has been observed to be about 90oC. The hot water from the plants is being used as preheated water for sterilization purposes and to some extent for kitchen usage as well. TREDA is working out the issue with the State Health Department to provide solar water heating systems of suitable capacity to those hospitals which are not yet covered under this Solar PV system.

Many states, the northeastern states in particular, have an almost similar chain of health establishments which are devoid of steady power supply, mainly due to remoteness of locations. Similar facilities may be arranged for such health establishments to address the crucial problem of not having uninterrupted and reliable power supply utilizing local resources.

We often see a graffiti at the entrance of a doctor’s chamber: “Doctor treats, the Almighty heals.” It can be said that the Sun is the almighty—the super power for our earth. This almighty has now started healing the pains and discomforts in the true sense by shining brightly over the hospitals and health centres of Tripura.

Mr B Chakrabarti is Joint Director, Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA), Tripura, India. E-mail: [email protected].

Khedachhara PHC, North Tripura-SPV Thermal

Nearly 30 per cent of the fruits and vegetables in India are wasted due to lack of food processing units. Prof. M Ramakrishna Rao discusses about an innovative solar energy–based fruit and vegetable dryer that helps in processing of raw produce. The use of this dryer has led to value addition of products for farmers, establishment of co-operatives and micro-enterprises, and creation of employment opportunities for youth and women.

The Indian food processing industry is lagging behind many small countries because of high energy requirements and high capital investment industry. No appropriate technology is available in our country to meet these conditions. To overcome these difficulties, an innovative technology in the

form of solar cabinet dryer was introduced by the Society for Energy, Environment and Development (SEED) to process fruits, vegetables, and forest produce with zero energy cost.

Innovative Solar Cabinet DryersThe integration of solar–thermal energy and solar photovoltaic technologies in the design and development of solar cabinet dryer has resulted in a new and innovative technology related to drying process, which is called ‘solar-powered solar air dryer’. In this, solar radiation, incident on the transparent glass window, located on the top of cabinet dryer, passes into the closed cabinet and heats up the air entered from air inlet louvers at the bottom of the cabinet. The heat energy of solar radiation is trapped in the cabinet and heats up the air molecules. The result is that the wavelength of solar radiation shifts from visible region to infrared region (IR). The top cover glass does not allow the hot air (IR) to escape through the glass from the cabinet. The hot air passes through the wet products in the trays set for drying and carries the moist air from the product to the top space below the glass. The temperature inside the closed cabinet will rise by 15–30°C above the ambient temperature, raising the cabinet temperature to 50–70°C as a result of greenhouse effect.

The hot air, with moisture content in the cabinet, is exhausted continuously by solar fan operated by the solar photo-electric power. This phenomenon introduces forced circulation in the cabinet, resulting in high efficiency of the dryer. The source of thermal energy required for drying and for supply of photovoltaic power are from solar radiation during the day. A close synchronization is maintained in regulating and controlling the drying process between evaporation of moisture from the product and speed of the exhaust fan. This regulates solar power to the fan through drying process with variable solar intensity during the day.

RE Feature


INNOVATIVE SOLAR FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGYfor Sustainable Livelihood to Rural Women

Processing of innovative solar dried apple fruit slices

INNOVATIVE SOLAR FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGYfor Sustainable Livelihood to Rural Women Range of Solar Dryers

‘SEED’ has designed a range of solar cabinet dryers (Picture 1) starting from 8 kg to maximum 200 kg capacity. ‘SEED’ is planning a 500 kg model to add to the range of various capacities of cabinet dryers. These dryers are multi-purpose, applicable to multiple crops, and work for 300 days in a year. ‘SEED’ has installed 200 cabinet dryers in 15 states in the country and initiated 100 micro-enterprises in solar food processing in 18 states in our country. This includes export of five commercial model solar dryers to five countries, viz., Australia, Mauritius, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania.

Picture 1: ‘SEED’ solar cabinet dryer models

Application of Dryers in Food ProcessingThe new solar-powered solar cabinet dryer is a powerful tool in food processing technology, especially in dehydration processes. Food processing industry is struggling hard to come out from the present poor state of affairs. There are two important factors namely, absence of food processing units to reduce the spoilage of fruits and vegetables and the rising energy costs that are affecting the growth of the food processing industry in India.

A study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) titled, “Horticulture sectors in India: State level experience” stated that the combined annual production of fruits and vegetables in India, estimated to be over 227 million tonnes is likely to cross over 337 million tonnes by 2021. Of this, 77 million tonnes are fruits and about 150 million tonnes are vegetables. Further, the study reveals that the post-harvesting losses of fruits and vegetables are worth over N2 lakh crore each year due to absence of food processing units.

These dryers can be used in food processing technology especially in dehydration process of fruits and vegetables for value addition and preservation with long shelf-life on a commercial scale in the country. ‘SEED’ has processed 70 products on a commercial scale and 20 of them have been released to supermarkets and high-ended shops. The wide variety of products are as follows:

Some solar dehydrated food products (Picture 2) are mentioned below as category-wise:

� Fruits: Mango bars/rolls, guava bars/rolls, chikku bars/rolls, mixed fruit bars/rolls, khatta-meetha bars/rolls, papaya bars/rolls, apple bars/rolls, plum bars/rolls, pineapple bars/rolls, strawberry bars/rolls, apricot, grapes, banana, and fruit slices

� Vegetables: Potatoes, donda, carrot, tomato, mushrooms, bittergourd, onion, amchur, coconut, etc. in the form of slices

� Green leafy vegetables: Curry leaves, spinach leaves, fenugreek leaves, tamarind

Innovative Solar Food Processing Technology for Sustainable Livelihood to Rural Women


THE INTEGRATION

OF SOLAR–THERMAL

ENERGY AND SOLAR

PHOTOVOLTAIC

TECHNOLOGIES IN

THE DESIGN AND

DEVELOPMENT OF

SOLAR CABINET DRYER

HAS RESULTED IN A

NEW AND INNOVATIVE

TECHNOLOGY RELATED

TO DRYING PROCESS,

WHICH IS CALLED

‘SOLAR-POWERED

SOLAR AIR DRYER’.

Solar dryer


leaves, mint leaves, drumstick leaves, coriander leaves, amaranth leaves, etc., in the form of powder and small pieces

� Spices: Ginger, mango ginger, garlic, red chillies, green chillies, pepper, etc. in the form of powders and small pieces

� Cereals: Millet (Ragi), soya, etc., in the form of flours

� Forest produce: Karaya gum, Karakkaya, Sugandapala (Budipalagadda), aloe vera,

� amla, honey, Nelavemmu, Maredugaddalu, Satavari, etc., in the form of powders

� Medicinal and herbal products: Rosemary, Spirulina, Tulsi leaves, etc.

� Food items: Maida, vermicelli, noodles, pickled chillies, fish, etc.

� Chemicals: Silicon carbide, cellulose, etc.

� Nutritive supplement: Nutritive supplementary drink for youth and service personnel.

Test MarketAs already mentioned, 20 out of 70 processed products were released to test markets that include supermarkets and high-ended shops in twin cities and in some cities like Bangalore and Visakhapatnam for customer feedback and acceptance. This is the best test in the value chain of the product, which is missing in Innovation and applied Research in Indian R&D organizations. Field trails (sales) in the test markets indicate success of our innovations and the quality of our research.

Picture 2: Some solar dried food products

Training Programme for Skills Development Micro-enterprises in food processing

Training programmes were conducted for women, self-help groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), rural entrepreneurs, and youth for upgradation of skills and know-how of processing of food products in solar dryers. About 1,218 women, self-help groups, NGOs, and youth were trained in solar food processing on a variety of food products in solar dryers. These training programmes were conducted at ‘SEED’, Hyderabad as well as at Rural Training Centre, Tholkatta village, for the benefit of trainees, trainers, and entrepreneurs.

Internees training programme from educational institutionsEvery year, students are trained in projects related to solar food processing technology which is being introduced in all the food, science, and technology departments of various institutions, such as Gitam University, Visakhapatnam; K L University, Vijayawada; ANGRU; Osmania University; JNTUH, Hyderabad; Sathavahana University, Karimnagar; Agriculture College, Baptla; MOP Vaishnavi College for Women (Autonomous) University, Chennai, etc.

Micro-enterprises in processing of food productsThe proven technology of dehydration is already applied to nearly 70 food products with data and has resulted in starting micro-enterprises in the country with wide

RE Feature

‘SEED’ HAS INSTALLED

200 CABINET DRYERS

IN 15 STATES IN

THE COUNTRY AND

INITIATED 100 MICRO-

ENTERPRISES IN SOLAR

FOOD PROCESSING

IN 18 STATES IN OUR

COUNTRY. THIS

INCLUDES EXPORT

OF FIVE COMMERCIAL

MODEL SOLAR DRYERS

TO FIVE COUNTRIES,

VIZ., AUSTRALIA,

MAURITIUS, MALAYSIA,

SAUDI ARABIA,

AND TANZANIA.

Processing of innovative solar dried mango fruit slices


range of products. This empowers women, creates job opportunities, and generates higher income. Around 45 leading micro-enterprises are established in the country such as Dangoria Charitable Trust at Naraspur, Andhra Pradesh; HESCO, Dehradun, Uttarakhand; College of Food Science and Technology, Baptla, Andhra Pradesh; Kovel Foundation, and Laya, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore, Karnataka; Magan Sangralaya Samithi, Wardha, Maharashtra for implementing solar food processing technology of various products in the country.

International training programmes for entrepreneurs‘SEED’ has conducted training programmes both in India and abroad for entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur from M/s Lyons Fishermen Co-operative Society Ltd, Mauritius came for training in processing of fish in solar dryers at SEED Laboratories and purchased a commercial model solar dryer for processing of fish in Mauritius. Another two entrepreneurs came from M/s Byron Bay Banana Pty. Ltd, Australia for processing banana fruits in solar dryers and from M/s Honey Foods Company, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Also, University of Malaysia has purchased a commercial model solar cabinet dryer for processing of fruits and vegetables. Recently, SEED has conducted an international training programme at Zanzibar Technology and Business Incubation Centre, Zanzibar (East Africa) for processing of mango, guava, and leafy vegetables in solar dryers.

Impact of New Technologies Based on Solar Energy Applications

� Solar energy use through solar dryers and food processing products: It eliminates usage of fossil fuel, reduces greenhouse gas emission, has zero energy cost, is eco-friendly, and finally reduces 36,288 kg of carbon emission gasses per tonne of fruits bars.

� Solar food processing: The post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are estimated to be about 30 per cent in India. Only less than 5 per cent of the total production in the country at present is being processed. This innovative technology will help greatly in reducing the post-harvest losses by processing of fruits and vegetables and forest produce and will facilitate value addition and income generation for farmers and women. The proven technology of dehydration process is applied to nearly 70 food products. This dehydration process data developed with this technology helped to establish 100 micro-enterprises in the country, thereby helping women in enhancing their livelihood.

� Skill development: The training programmes in integrated technologies created opportunity for skill development of rural women and youth in processing of fruits and vegetables in clean and hygienic conditions producing highly nutritive products.

� Capacity building: The very concept of micro-enterprise in the rural and urban set-up gives an excellent capacity for the production, management, and marketing, thus enhancing the capabilities of women and youth.

� Replication: The replication of this technology is already proven with excellent results through the starting and expansion of micro-enterprises in the country during this period.

� Academic programmes in educational institutions: Introducing solar food processing technology in the educational curriculum for students and faculty will facilitate growth in the food processing technology in the country through further R&D activities that will help the entrepreneurs, self-help groups, and stakeholders to utilize this technology with zero energy cost and clean green energy.

Prof. M Ramakrishna Rao, Society for Energy, Environment & Development (SEED), Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Email: [email protected] Processing of innovative solar

dried pineapple fruit slices

THESE DRYERS

CAN BE USED IN

FOOD PROCESSING

TECHNOLOGY

ESPECIALLY IN

DEHYDRATION

PROCESS OF FRUITS

AND VEGETABLES FOR

VALUE ADDITION AND

PRESERVATION WITH

LONG SHELF-LIFE ON

A COMMERCIAL SCALE

IN THE COUNTRY.

‘SEED’ HAS PROCESSED

70 PRODUCTS ON A

COMMERCIAL SCALE

AND 20 OF THEM HAVE

BEEN RELEASED TO

SUPERMARKETS AND

HIGH-ENDED SHOPS.

Innovative Solar Food Processing Technology for Sustainable Livelihood to Rural Women


RE Success Story

BIOGAS FOR INDUSTRIAL POWER IN PUNJABU

nder crop diversification, most youth have adopted dairy farming and poultry farming as an alternative.

However, it is not easy to keep the livestock (for dairy) healthy without proper fodder, nutritional feed, and clean water. The air around the dairy farm should also be free from foul smells of the semisolid and liquid organic waste produced by the animals. These attract flies and rodents that can, in turn, cause health problems in human beings and animals. This would require proper sanitary management for handling organic waste from the animal sheds, which should further be decomposed scientifically. Setting up a biogas plant is the best way to handle such waste. This stabilizes the waste properly and makes it free from odours.

Biogas is not only an excellent alternative source of energy but also a step towards stopping global warming. Also, plenty of biogas is available for cooking and power generation for running tube wells and other appliances. Digested organic manure is also available for the crops.

In conventional biogas plants, cattle dung and water are mixed in 1:1 ratio and fed to the digester. The digested slurry from biogas plant has around 7 per cent total solids and is difficult to handle. The problem of slurry handling has remained a major problem in the popularization of biogas plants. Solid-state digestion of cattle dung is considered a suitable method of waste disposal for biogas production. The digested slurry produced from this type of biogas plant will have higher total solid concentration (TSC) and will be easy to handle and, hence, slurry management problems will be solved. Besides this, the size of the biogas plant will also be small and, hence, the plant will become economical.

In Punjab, thousands of family size biogas plants are satisfactorily functioning for the last two decades with 5–10 cattle heads. Now, the concept is shifting towards keeping large herds of cattle and adopting it as a full-time job. There are around 4,000 dairy farms for production of milk, each having capacity ranging from 50–500 cattle. Also, there are

large numbers of gaushalas with a very large number of cattle available in Punjab. Thus, there is huge quantity of cattle dung available for production of biogas. So, a large number of large capacity (50–500 m3/d) biogas plants based on cattle dung can be installed. In Punjab, there are around 15,000 poultry farms for the production of broilers, each having capacity from 2,000–50,000 birds and around 2,000 poultry farms for the production of eggs, each having a capacity of 10,000–300,000 birds. Thus, sufficient number of large capacity (50–500 m3/d) biogas plants based on poultry droppings/litter can be installed.

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed a large capacity biogas plant (Modified PAU Janta Model Biogas Plant; Figure 1) to cater to the needs of dairy farmers. This, essentially, is a 'Janta' design but of higher capacity. The gas holder is hemispherical in shape and is structurally safe and crack resistant. The construction of this type of plant is easy and is not very difficult from the method for the Deenbandhu

Construction of the biogas plant in progress


Biogas for Industrial Power in Punjab

Biogas Plant. This plant can beconstructed with around 50–60 per cent of the cost of other conventional floating drum type (Khadi and Village Industries Commission; KVIC) biogas plant. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has approved this design and has recommended for ‘transfer of technology’ to the farmers/end-users. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Punjab Government have accepted this design for the extensive adoption by end-users for production of biogas and cogeneration.

The salient design features of the biogas plant are as follows:

� The biogas plant is an all-brick masonry structure. Reinforced cement concrete is not used for construction of either the digester or the dome of the plant. The design is suitable for all regions of the country.

� The plant may be designed for any rated capacity from 20–500 m3/day for the hydraulic retention period of 40 days or more depending upon TSC of the influent slurry.

Another view of construction of the biogas plant in progress

Figure 1: Modified PAU Janta model biogas plant


RE Success Story

� The commercially available 30 cm internal diameter PVC pipe is

used for feeding the substrate. The

pipe is laid at an angle of 75° with

horizontal. The lower end of the

pipe is kept at a height of at

least 90 cm above the bottom of

the digester.

� Normally, cattle dung mixed with

equal quantity of water is used as

feed for the plant having TSC of

9–10 per cent. The plant may also

work satisfactorily for higher TSC

of up to 12 per cent. This means

water consumption may be cut by

up to 50 per cent, depending upon

season and physical status

of the cattle dung used at the

time of feeding.

� Construction of the plant requires

materials and equipment that

are used for routine construction

work in the country. Whereas,

construction of KVIC plants requires

fabrication of the gas drum in an

established workshop and special

infrastructure for transportation and

installation of the gas drum at the

construction site.

� Maintenance requirements of

all bricks masonry plants are far

lesser than the floating drum

biogas plants.

� Cost of the plant is also up to

50 per cent less than the cost of

KVIC plant of the same capacity.

� The payback period of this plant is

between 3 and 4 years.

� This plant has been designed for

catering to the needs of dairy

farmers, poultry farmers, gaushalas,

educational institutions, religious

institutions, industries, etc.

� The MNRE, Government of India is

providing subsidy for installation of

these plants.

� Till date, 100 such plants have been

installed and all of them are working

very well.

� About 25 such plants have been

installed in other states of India.

Data and MethodologyAn industrialist, Shri Bhushan Aggarwal, owner of M/s Bhatinda Ceramics Pvt. Ltd, Bhatinda, Punjab, approached PAU for installation of biogas power generation plant for industrial use. Based on the interest shown and making arrangement for cattle dung from the gaushalas or poultry droppings from the poultry farms, the beneficiary was selected to carry out operational research project (ORP) trials to demonstrate the technical soundness of large capacity

fixed dome-type biogas plant installed at his site. Accordingly, the proposal for installation of biogas plant of capacity 2,500 m3/d (5 × 500 m3/day) for power generation of 250 kW for industrial use was recommended and forwarded to the MNRE, New Delhi, for central financial assistance and sanction.

The details of sanctioned project are given in Table 1.

The large-capacity fixed dome type biogas plants were installed, commissioned, and 100 per cent biogas-based engines of capacity of 250 kW were procured at the site. This

THE LARGE-CAPACITY

FIXED DOME TYPE BIOGAS

PLANTS WERE INSTALLED,

COMMISSIONED, AND

100 PER CENT BIOGAS-

BASED ENGINES OF CAPACITY

OF 250 KW WERE PROCURED

AT THE SITE. THIS PROJECT

WAS COMPLETED IN

JUNE 2012 AND AFTER

THAT TESTING OF THE

PROJECT WAS DONE

UP TO JANUARY 2013.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) balloon for storage of biogas

Installation and operation of biogas gensets


project was completed in June 2012 and after that testing of the project was done up to January 2013. Initially, a homogenous mixture of cattle dung and water in the ratio of 1:1 was prepared and this mixture was then fed in to the biogas plants and the digesters were filled with this mixture. The gas production started after about 15 days. Now, these biogas plants are operating by reducing about 20–30 per cent of the quantity of water in cattle dung/poultry droppings by preparing a systematic schedule. Biogas generators are running for an average of 10–11 hours daily and producing 2,200–2,500 units of electricity per day. The electricity so produced is being used for running different machines,

equipments, lighting, power fans, and other applications in the industry. In this way, the beneficiary has been saving 600–700 litres of diesel/day.

Results and DiscussionThe completion report of the project along with some photographs was submitted to the MNRE. Accordingly,

the MNRE deputed KVIC, Chandigarh

office, for the inspection of this

project and the joint inspection report

of the project was submitted in July

2013 to the MNRE along with some

photographs of the project. After that,

inspection was again executed by the

Punjab Energy Development Agency

(PEDA), Chandigarh, on the direction

of the MNRE in January 2014 and

again the joint inspection report was

submitted to the MNRE along with

power generation data and some

photographs of the project.

After that, the MNRE released

sanctioned amount of N75 lakh as

CFA to the beneficiary and N7.5 lakh

as administrative charges to PAU in

March 2014. The central financial

assistance of N75 lakh was disbursed

to the beneficiary in July 2014. The

project has been working satisfactory

without any problem since June 2012

and PAU centre has been continuously

monitoring the operation of this project till date.The payback period of this project has been calculated as 3.0–3.5 years, which is very short as compared to that of the other

conventional designs of biogas plants/use of other conventional source of energy.

ConclusionsTill date all the biogas plants are working without any problem. On the

basis of this study, it is recommended

that these bigger size biogas plants can

be operated by using 20–30 per cent

less water in cattle dung or 100 per cent

poultry droppings for production of

biogas. The cost for installation of

these biogas plants is approximately

50–60 per cent to the cost of other

conventional design of biogas plants.

The modified PAU Janta model

fixed dome design of biogas plant

proved very successful and was much

appreciated by people holding large

herd of dairy cattle/industrialists. The

beneficiary is extremely satisfied with

the performance of this project, with

results that more and more people are

coming forward for the installation of

large capacity biogas plants. At present,

more than 100 biogas plants of PAU

fixed dome type having large capacity

(25–2,500 m3/d) have been installed in

Punjab and other states of India and all

of these are working very well without

any problem for the last 8–9 years.

Natural resources of energy are

being depleted exhaustively and

uneconomically in a developing country

like ours. In order to combat such a

problem, one needs conservation of

energy as well as harnessing of natural

resources of energy. India, being a

developing country, needs to reorient its different methods of use of energy so that it can be used effectively as well as economically. Non-conventional energy source, such as biogas is very much useful as clean, efficient, economical, and pollution-free source of energy.

Dr Sarbjit Singh Sooch, Senior Research Engineer, School of Energy Studies for Agriculture, College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Email: [email protected], [email protected].

Table 1: Details of the sanctioned project

Name of address of the beneficiary

Capacity of biogas plants (m3/day)

Proposed capacity of power generation (kWe)

Estimated projectcost (N in lakhs)

Sanction capacity (kWe)

Eligible central financial assistance (CFA)(N in lakhs)

M/s Bhatinda Ceramics Pvt. Ltd, Village—Jodhpur Romana, Dabwali Road, District—Bhatinda, Punjab

2,500(5 × 500 m3/d)

250 399.68 250 7,500,000

Sub total 2,500 250 399.68 250 7,500,000

Administrative charges to PAU Ludhiana @ 10% 750,000

Grand total 2,500 250 399.68 250 8250,000

Feeding to biogas plant in progress

Biogas for Industrial Power in Punjab

RE Technology Focus

Energy efficiency has gradually and truly become a very important term at national as well as at the global level.

Our goal is achieving maximum energy efficiency with the use of state-of-the-art technologies that will reduce consumption of energy in

everyday life coupled with maximum deployment of renewable energy, so that the combined effect will help cut down the dependence on fossil fuel and reduce carbon footprint. Basic generations of electrical lighting systems include: tungsten incandescent lamps, fluorescent tubes, and CFLs. These generations flourished together for quite some time until the arrival of LEDs. LED lighting is a technology of extracting visible light energy from a semiconductor p-n junction known as light-emitting diode (LED).

Comparing Illumination Technologies

The key to energy efficiency in case of lighting is lumens per watt that is achievable practically. Through a process of evolution over almost a

LED LIGHTING for Achieving Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is the buzzword today in the broad areas of energy production and consumption, where energy saved is energy produced. Atanu Dasgupta says that with the ongoing technological advancement in the field of LED lighting in particular and government’s patronage for achieving extra-ordinary energy efficiency; tungsten incandescent lamps, fluorescent tubes, and CFLs are destined to disappear soon. Read on.


Figure 1: Evolution of basic lighting technologies

LED Lighting for Achieving Energy Efficiency

century, various lighting technologies have found favour with residential, institutional, and industrial consumers. Figure 1 shows why LED technology is poised to score over all other established technologies in terms of efficacy or lumens per watt. However, the cost of production for LED lights is much higher today when compared to other technologies. Considering lower energy cost over a period of time cumulatively and lesser maintenance cost and extended life of LED, the rate of return on investment is very fast.

The Technology of LED Lighting

In case of LED technology, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have replaced conventional incandescent and fluorescent lamps for general lighting purposes. LEDs are also

being deployed nowadays for a variety of applications, such as street lighting, building lighting, automobile lighting, and perhaps at every place where conventional systems are still operational and for a host of new areas and unusual applications. LED devices produce visible light by means of electroluminescence, a phenomenon in which electric current, while passing through a specially fabricated semiconductor diode, causes the semiconductor material to glow.

Traditionally, LEDs are being used as indicator lamps in professional and household electrical and electronic devices. In fact, this practice is likely to continue for a longer period perhaps. As brighter LEDs were developed, such devices found applications in traffic lighting, electronic billboards, and headlamps for automobiles. Today, we find them in flashlights, searchlights, cameras, projectors, indoor and outdoor lighting arrangements, institutional and industrial lighting, special purpose lighting and numerous other applications.

Benefits of LEDsAs stated earlier, superior energy conversion efficiency is the principal advantage of LED lamps

over incandescent and fluorescent lights and CFLs (Table 1). A typical incandescent bulb, intended for home use, converts about 10 per cent of the supplied electrical energy into visible light; the rest is wasted as infrared (IR) radiation (‘heat’), which is invisible. LED, in contrast, converts about 90 per cent of the supplied energy into visible light, and only 10 per cent goes into IR.

The other most significant advantage of LED technology lies in the long lifespans of LED devices. A properly designed and manufactured LED lamp lasts about 35,000 to 50,000 hours, which is more than 20 times the average life of an incandescent bulb, and about six times the life of a CFL.


CONSIDERING LOWER

ENERGY COST OVER

A PERIOD OF TIME

CUMULATIVELY AND LESSER

MAINTENANCE COST AND

EXTENDED LIFE OF LED,

THE RATE OF RETURN ON

INVESTMENT IS VERY FAST.

Picture 1: A complete luminaire

Table 1: Comparison of LED lamps over incandescent and fluorescent lights and CFLs

Light Sources >>> Incandescent Lamp CFL LED

Expected life (hours) 1,200 8,000 50,000

I/p power for similar lumen o/p 60 13–15 7

kWh consumed/1,000 hours 60 15 7

Colour rendition Limited Limited Wide range

Dimmability Yes Restricted Yes

Robustness Sensitive Sensitive Breakable

Start time Fast Slow Instant

Hazardous material None 5 mg of Mercury per lamp

None

Disposal Landfill Per guidelines Per guidelines

Efficacy 620/60= ~10 620/15=~40 600/7= >85

Cost of ownership Highest Low Lowest


Thus, the long lifespan and energy saving help reduce environmental pollution and carbon footprint.

Apart from aspects, such as energy savings, longer lifespan, and improved quality of light that LED devices offer, the easy controllability of such deployment through intelligent networking solutions can usher in a paradigm shift in the way discoms and municipalities are likely to utilize their street lighting infrastructure in order to deliver a cost-effective, sustainable, and safer living space.

In the area of green initiatives too, LED technology scores over the conventional ones. LED lamps are free from hazardous substances (unlike CFLs) and they do not cause shattering when dropped like their predecessors. A typical LED lamp can be designed and connected as dimmable like an incandescent bulb. Such an option, however, is not available with fluorescent lamp or CFL. This feature is useful for energy saving and optimization of illumination and energy cost. Optics in LED luminaire (Picture 1) can be optimized effectively for maximum benefit of the users in terms of even distribution of light and reduction of lumen losses in undesired directions. This feature

reduces light pollution and wastage too. Further, LED lamps do not radiate ultraviolet (UV) rays that can attract insects and cause fading of wall papers, artwork, clothing, etc., over a period of time.

The LED lighting system offers better natural colour rendering characteristics that can help improve safety and security in the areas where it is deployed. With a high colour rendering index (CRI), the LED device makes it easier for all kinds of users at homes, community buildings, market places, or on streets. The easy availability of cool, neutral, and warm white LEDs have an additional option of adjusting the colour temperature to the specific lighting applications. It is needless to say that with conventional lighting technologies such alternatives are unthinkable.

Although the illuminance (Lux/watt) available from high pressure sodium lamps (HPSL) compares favourably with that of LED lamps, the former produces undesirable hot spots that can cause unavoidable visibility, safety, and glare problems. A typical LED device functions at a lower temperature than a CFL. The undesirable electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the LED lamp appears to be better controllable than

that from CFLs. The LED lamps are also better poised in connection with its vulnerability to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues. Figure 2 shows a cross-section of an SSL lamp for household use.

In order to satisfy users’ preferences and actual needs, the LED lamps can be manufactured with colour shades ranging from ‘cool blue’ to ‘warm yellow’. Presently, the principal disadvantage of LED lamps is that it costs considerably higher than incandescent lamps and somewhat more than CFLs. However, accounting for the long lifespan that the LED lamp offers and long-term cumulative reduction in energy consumption and accompanying reduction in carbon footprint, consumers may actually save money by using LED lamps in majority of the situations. The other disadvantage in connection with outdoor installation of LED devices (e.g., LED lamps for street lighting) is its vulnerability to lightning strikes and surges from the electrical supply system and environment that necessitates suitable protective devices and efficient earthing system. The encapsulation of LED lamps for outdoor illumination needs high degree of accuracy and workmanship so that the luminaire is least vulnerable to the environment.

THE LED LIGHTING SYSTEM

OFFERS BETTER NATURAL

COLOUR RENDERING

CHARACTERISTICS THAT

CAN HELP IMPROVE SAFETY

AND SECURITY IN THE AREAS

WHERE IT IS DEPLOYED.

WITH A HIGH COLOUR

RENDERING INDEX (CRI), THE

LED DEVICE MAKES IT EASIER

FOR ALL KINDS OF USERS

AT HOMES, COMMUNITY

BUILDINGS, MARKET

PLACES, OR ON STREETS.


THE OTHER MOST

SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE

OF LED TECHNOLOGY LIES

IN THE LONG LIFESPAN

OF LED DEVICES. A

PROPERLY DESIGNED

AND MANUFACTURED

LED LAMP LASTS ABOUT

35,000 TO 50,000 HOURS,

WHICH IS MORE THAN 20

TIMES THE AVERAGE LIFE

OF AN INCANDESCENT

BULB, AND ABOUT SIX

TIMES THE LIFE OF A CFL.

.

Figure 2: Cross-section of an SSL lamp for household use

RE Technology Focus


Important Design Parameters

There are a number of technical aspects that need to be checked for the LED luminaire design as a whole with a lot of complex electronics residing inside along with mechanical, thermal, and photometric properties including photo-biological factors, built-in power factor correction capabilities, and EMI/EMC issues. The LED modules are most important in respect of quality of luminescence. The next is the design and choice of the LED driver that needs careful selection of electronic components—both active and passive that include a microprocessor plus switch mode power supply (SMPS). The performance of the driver, including surge and transient protection capabilities at various stages in the driver contribute to effective long life of the LED luminaire. Encapsulation of the LED modules, driver board, and other mechanical and thermal management components like sizing of the heat sink including choice of material, heat sink compound for thermal conduction, sealing of the bottom metal collar with glass insulator, etc., are very important to offer a quality product as per international standards. Figure 3 shows the construction of a typical

LED luminaire used at homes and also the general internal disposition of a driver. There is a strong possibility that at the time of mass production, many of the aforesaid factors are bypassed or ignored for the sake of simplicity and cost-cutting that demeans the quality of the end product delivered.

The colour of LED lights, which is known as Kelvin temperature (K), can make it convenient to choose the right type of lights that will render the right effect one may desire. For example, warm white light at 2,700°K~3,000°K, produces calm, relaxing light that is good for living rooms, dining rooms, and restaurants. Natural white light at 4,000°K~4,500°K generates a friendly, inviting light that is virtually good for basements, garages, offices, and other work places. Cool white light at 5,500°K~6,500°K, produces vibrant light, which is ideal for display areas, garages, and secured areas.

Harmful Effects of Shortcuts during Manufacture

In the event, substandard LED lamps are allowed to flourish in the market, the following detrimental effects will have to be encountered:

� The domestic lighting industry will be severely restricted to grow and multinational companies with

quality products will shy away. Thus, the ‘Make in India’ concept will suffer enormously.

� Light emanating from cheap LED lamps shall be of inferior quality with unacceptable colour rendering and photo-biological factors that will affect public health adversely in the long run.

� Light output (lumens) from such LED devices shall be low against the electric power that they will consume. But, an ordinary user may take a long time to understand such drawbacks and take corrective actions.

� The cheap LED fixtures, while deployed in bulk, shall present undesirable power factor to the electrical grid and will result in overheating of distribution transformers—thus creating havoc in the system and financial loss to the suppliers. The consequential cost of purification of the grid will be enormous.

� The life of such LED lamps shall be much lower as compared to properly standardized, designed, and manufactured items that EESL has been promoting under government initiatives.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF

TECHNICAL ASPECTS THAT

NEED TO BE CHECKED FOR

THE LED LUMINAIRE DESIGN

AS A WHOLE WITH A LOT

OF COMPLEX ELECTRONICS

RESIDING INSIDE ALONG

WITH MECHANICAL,

THERMAL, AND

PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES

INCLUDING PHOTO-

BIOLOGICAL FACTORS,

BUILT-IN POWER FACTOR

CORRECTION CAPABILITIES,

AND EMI/EMC ISSUES.

Figure 3: The construction of a typical LED luminaire used at homes




Challenges of Mass Scale Deployment

Adequate sensitization is necessary for all stakeholders, which includes manufacturers, users, and implementers of LED lighting projects—whether for home use, outdoor, or industrial deployment. The mechanical fittings, electrical wiring and connections, and aesthetics are pre-requisites for a long life and trouble-free LED lighting system. Since surge suppression is sacrosanct, particularly for outdoor installation such as street lighting, adequate surge arresters must be provided as an integral part of LED luminaires. In the event, surge arresters are not installed, the life of the SSL lamps are bound to reduce and then the benefits of long-term saving in maintenance will be lost while the higher cost of implementation cannot be compensated quickly as return of investment will take a longer time. The surge arresters will essentially require a good grounding system so that the energy associated with incoming surges due to lightning and electrical distribution system faults can be grounded effectively and immediately after occurrence. The electromagnetic

interference (EMI) from LED lighting system is also needed to be quenched at the source itself as per international standards. Otherwise, this may create unwanted interference in the radio frequency spectrum and may cause maloperation in systems that use radio frequencies, e.g., broadcast receivers, Wi-Fi based data acquisition, monitoring and control systems, electro-medical equipment, and many others. In order to control the EMI caused by the pervasive LED systems in near future, it requires proper design considerations in the driver circuit and also an effective grounding system.

Indian Initiative Under the initiative of the Government of India, a National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting was launched on January 5, 2015 across the country. The objective of the project is installation of LED bulbs for domestic and street-lighting in 100 cities and is targeted for completion by March 2016. This programme is expected to result in conservation of nearly 8 billion units of electrical energy every year leading to a saving

of N4,000 crore. Subsequently, EESL (a public sector undertaking) has been mandated to replace existing street lights at various urban local bodies (ULBs), throughout the length and breadth of the country, with energy efficient LED luminaire along with associated monitoring and control system and other essential accessories.

PTC India Ltd (a joint sector company in the power sector) has been actively involved in the initiatives related to implementation of energy efficiency in the industry as well as in the domestic sector. In this connection, the role of PTC India Ltd in demand side management-based LED lighting projects (DELP) and LED-based luminaire for street lighting have been well accepted in the country. This way, the proliferation of LED lighting with all incidental advantages

of in-built energy efficiency, lumen efficacy, long life-cycle, precise control and management of the lighting system, etc., have been instrumental in ushering a new vista of opportunities for all the stakeholders and is expected to pave the way for a smart and holistic development of the entire society.

Future TrendNext-generation LED lighting system is expected to deliver unprecedented power savings and product reliability and they will probably be deployed in such areas that is unimaginable today. New possibilities in the field of lighting design covering super-efficient LED technology coupled with state-of-the-art control engineering are going to open up new vistas—whether at home, in industry or supporting myriad forms of activities in daily life. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have already been ushered in as the future generation of lighting, which produce light over larger areas and can be produced, assembled, and integrated in any form of structure and pattern as per users’ choice. Such innovations are aimed not merely to demonstrate the technical expertise of the designers but also to offer users substantial value addition on account of their flexibility in a variety of applications while using much smaller amount of input power.

Future applications of LED lighting system shall be optimized for production of artificial light for


UNDER THE INITIATIVE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, A NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR LED-BASED HOME AND STREET LIGHTING WAS LAUNCHED ON JANUARY 5, 2015 ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS INSTALLATION OF LED BULBS FOR DOMESTIC AND STREET-LIGHTING IN 100 CITIES AND IS TARGETED FOR COMPLETION BY MARCH 2016. .

NEXT-GENERATION LED

LIGHTING SYSTEM IS

EXPECTED TO DELIVER

UNPRECEDENTED POWER

SAVINGS AND PRODUCT

RELIABILITY AND THEY WILL

PROBABLY BE DEPLOYED

IN SUCH AREAS WHICH IS

UNIMAGINABLE TODAY.

.

RE Technology Focus


nurturing plant growth at a healthy pace. The dedicated system for agriculture will offer low power, high-efficiency, uniform light pattern, homogenous light distribution at precise wavelengths and colour ratios that are needed for superior photosynthesis process. LED devices are all set to be used for water-purification purposes for providing safe drinking water for human consumption, medical devices, and all other areas where water is used with various limits of purity and minerals. For this purpose, specially designed LEDs shall be used in water-treatment plants, shunning the deployment of chemicals or mercury-based UV lamps. Some of the broad areas where LED system is going to mark its powerful presence include food processing industry, printing processes, LED drying for industrial and domestic usage, etc.

In the future, LED devices can be used to power wireless communication networks as well, using the so-called Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) technology that will use light instead of radio waves for handling data traffic. It is also understood that the future will be full of lasers. Laser diodes, which are already being used as car headlights, are expected to gradually replace LEDs and will dominate the lighting industry for its improved efficacy. Laser diodes can also be used for ‘intelligent lighting’ like smartphone-controlled projectors that display imagery or data on walls

or floors. It is predicted that laser diodes will be used extensively for wireless communications. In future, laser-based Li-Fi may replace LED-based Li-Fi, as a laser diode-based version would be faster than LED-based Li-Fi.

The future trend in the LED lighting industry will also introduce the concept of human-centric lighting. In this connection, a new study published by LightingEurope, AT Kearney, and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) states that human-centric lighting will add additional value because of the introduction of newer applications created for LED lighting, such as treatment of diseases or skin conditions, the improvement of productivity and concentration, as well as controlling sleeping disorders, where colour temperature of ambient light can provide a better sleep at night. The study predicts that the industrial segment will be the most significant beneficiary from human-centric lighting. These benefits will lead to increase in productivity and market opportunity impacting the society in a manner hitherto unknown.

ConclusionWhen buying an LED lamp, one will hear the term ‘lumens per watt’, that quantifies luminous efficacy. The higher the lumens per watt, the

better the LED lamp, as it consumes lesser energy to emit the same,

or a greater amount of light. The

luminous efficacy of LEDs range from

80 Lm/W to 160 Lm/W. The energy

efficiency, thus achieved, makes

it cost-effective and it amounts to

less money spent on electricity bills.

While buying, prospective LED users

should also ask about the correlated

colour temperature (CCT) of a lamp or

fixture. The buyer must recognize that

all lamps having same CCT may not

appear to be the same. Therefore, it is

recommended to not encourage an

assortment of manufacturers unless

products of various manufacturers

have been tested with each other for

reasonable compatibility.

Modern LED lamps have high

luminous efficacy along with long life

expectancy of up to 50,000 hours,

which makes it truly energy-efficient.

The savings accrued from the reduced

power consumption combined with

the lower maintenance costs make

LEDs a smart investment. However,

the life of the LED luminaire is truly

a function of the efficient driver and

protection system it is provided with

rather than the LED modules in it.

So, it is the lifetime of the electronics associated with the LED luminaire that really matters at the end of the day.

Mr Atanu Dasgupta is a Consultant, PTC India Ltd, New Delhi, India. Email: [email protected].


SOME OF THE BROAD

AREAS WHERE LED SYSTEM

IS GOING TO MARK ITS

POWERFUL PRESENCE

INCLUDE FOOD PROCESSING

INDUSTRY, PRINTING

PROCESSES, LED DRYING

FOR INDUSTRIAL AND

DOMESTIC USAGE, ETC.

.



RE Case Study

We are gradually realizing that only energy from the sun can ensure the survival of our civilization. Solar power has the potential to be a remarkable energy source for the future. Of course, there are some challenges on the way. However, with continuous Research and

Development (R&D) we are approaching towards our goal of ensuring survival of our future generations. ‘Carbon Neutral Solar PV’street lights for urban areas is a unique example of innovative solar photovoltaic (PV) device. Like rooftop solar PV, this innovation may be termed as pole-top solar PV.

Under the MNRE programme, the country has installed more than 100,000 battery-based solar street lights both in rural and urban areas (Picture 1). While such street lights have benefitted a large number of people both in rural and urban areas, these lights have some inherent limitations, such as:

� Mostly low powered and not suitable for urban areas.

� Illumination level and burning hours reduce with the passage of time mainly due to short life of battery.

� Battery is stolen in many of the cases and thereafter the street light becomes non-functional which also results in theft of PV modules and other items subsequently.

� In most of the cases batteries are not replaced after 4–5 years, resulting non-functionality of the street-light.

� Maintenance levels of such street lights are very poor.

A recent study in the Sundarbans carried out by the author of this article shows that about 80 per cent of the solar street lights installed before 2009 are non-functional or only a skeleton of the solar street light exists. Recently, it has been observed, even in urban areas, that such types of street lights are being installed in large numbers. In a recent study, it has been observed that more than 10,000 of such street lights have been installed in cities, such as Kolkata, Delhi, and Bangalore where average power availability is for more than 95 per cent of the day and these cities do not need battery-based solar street lights. The reason behind the idea of the battery-based street lights in the early 1990s was the non-availability of electricity in more than 70 per cent of Indian villages where one solar street light changed the overall village scenario. Installation of solar street lights was never thought for urban or electrified areas. The author of this article has installed more than 5,000 street lights in Northeastern region of the country and the Sundarbans and made a lot of modifications in conventional solar street lights. A number of financial models were also tried in consultation with local Panchayats or Market Committees. It is true that such street lights served a lot to the rural society but finally the programme was not financially sustainable. However, still such street lights can play an important role where grid power has not reached or in case it has reached, is very unstable. Time has come now to gradually adopt battery less solar street lights, particularly in cities where power availability is reliable. A carbon neutral non-battery street light in urban areas has many advantages, such as:

� High power lamps, even up to 200-W LED, could be operated with solar panel, which gives light almost as good as a 400-W sodium vapour lamp

INNOVATIVE SOLAR STREET LIGHTS FOR URBAN AREAS

Picture 1: A typical battery-based solar street light

TIME HAS COME

NOW TO GRADUALLY

ADOPT BATTERY LESS

SOLAR STREET LIGHTS,

PARTICULARLY IN

CITIES WHERE POWER

AVAILABILITY IS

RELIABLE. WE MUST

UNDERSTAND OUR

MAIN OBJECTIVE TO GO

SOLAR IS TO REDUCE

EMISSION—DOES NOT

MATTER WHETHER IT

IS STAND-ALONE OR

GRID CONNECTED.


Innovative Solar Street Lights for Urban Areas

� High illumination level matching with urban needs

� Much reliable since the street light works with grid power during night time

� No batteries resulting in recurring expenses almost nil

� Totally climate responsive

� No additional infrastructural cost except solar panel and microinverter

� Continuous monitoring possible to ensure carbon neutrality.

Components of a Battery-less Solar PV Street Light with 200-W LED Lamps

� 2 x 150-W Solar PV panel (crystalline)

� Pole-top mounting frame of the PV modules

� 300-W grid tied microinverter (Picture 2) to be installed just below the solar panel

� Carbon Neutrality Manager (CNM) for group monitoring of the system about export of solar power and import during night time to keep the street lights carbon neutral. The CNM dims lamp if necessary in the midnight automatically in case there are continuous cloudy days. However, it ensures minimum lux level required for urban areas. Pictures 2 and 4 show the components of a battery less solar PV street light with 200-W LED lamps.

Basic Requirements to Install Grid Connected Solar Street Lights

The basic requirements for the above are as follows: (i) Availability of reliable grid and pole; and (ii) Permission to connect microinverter with grid under the State Electricity Regulatory Commission order.

Picture 3 shows the Deshpriya Park, Kolkata (details of the project have been presented in Table 1) where 50 battery-less street lights are working without any disturbance for the past 10 months (The first experimental project in India).

PotentialThere is a very high potential of solar street lights planted on flyovers, bridges, etc., in Indian cities, where power availability is more than 95 per cent and, therefore, carbon neutral street lights may be installed. The estimated potential in the city of Kolkata

alone is more than 50 MW. The cost of generation varies from N6.00–N7.00/kWh depending on the site conditions. Whereas electricity generation cost from battery-

based solar street light works out to be N20.00/kWh (mainly due to very high cost of

Picture 2: Components of a battery-less solar PV street light

THERE IS A VERY HIGH

POTENTIAL OF SOLAR

STREET LIGHTS PLANTED

ON FLYOVERS, BRIDGES,

ETC., IN INDIAN

CITIES, WHERE POWER

AVAILABILITY IS MORE

THAN 95 PER CENT AND,

THEREFORE, CARBON

NEUTRAL STREET LIGHTS

MAY BE INSTALLED.

Picture 3: Deshpriya Park, Kolkata Picture 4: Microinverter


RE Case Study

battery). Indian cities where power supply is reliable may opt for carbon neutral solar street light at this stage. Proven technology is available.

Key Recommendations for the Country Short Term: (2022)

� Conversion of all street lights of flyovers of the country with carbon neutral grid connected solar street lights.

� Conversion of all park lighting with carbon neutral grid connected solar street lights (CNSSL).

Long Term: (2030)

� Installation of CNSSL in all major roads, strategic points of National Highways and State Highways.

� Installation of CNSSL in major wide roads of the metro cities of India (Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai) and other major cities.

The estimated cost for installation for one such type of solar streetlight (complete in all respects) works out to be N50,000– N55,000. The programme could be executed through ESCO Model or from CSR Fund of power utilities.

ConclusionThe Government of India has decided to take conventional electricity to all villages and hamlets of the country. In that situation, there will be no off-grid areas. Standalone solar system may not make any sense under that situation. As such, the Solar PV system technology should shift from standalone mode to grid connected mode. Though some transition period will be required to achieve the target, however provision for grid connectivity for any solar system is the need of the hour. There is no reason to go for standalone solar system in any of the Metro cities of India now. According to CEA, the power availability in Metro cities is more than 90 per cent. We must change our mindset and shift from installation of standalone solar system to grid connected system, particularly in urban areas where power supply is very reliable. The solar power cost from a standalone system is always expensive due to the presence of battery.

Moreover, the power output of a battery-based system is generally low and it operates DC devices which are non-standard. Time has come to launch a National Programme on Carbon Neutral Solar Street Light, which could be also a part of National Solar Mission. Kolkata Municipal Corporation has taken a new initiative to solarize 28 more parks of Kolkata Corporation, such initiatives will reduce the

electricity bill of the parks by N25 lakh annually and emission reduction shall also be significant.

Dr S P Gon Chaudhuri is former Managing Director of West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation and presently a Professor in Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, West Bengal, India. Email: [email protected].

Table 1: Salient Features of the Deshpriya Park Project

No. of Grid Connected Street LightsInstalled

Type of Pole Module Capacity

Microinverter Date Of Installationand Commissioning

Export/Import Comparison

CNM Manufacturers

50 Steel tubular pole9 mlong

2x150-W Multicrystalline

300-W

January 12, 2015 Exported: 5,400 kWh in 90 daysImported:5,300 kWh in 90 days

A local Solar Company based on the concept of the author

� Electricity bill of Deshpriya Park with 400-W sodium vapour prior to installation of Solar operated LED (monthly) in grid connect mode for the month of

April, 2014, : N31,000.00

� Electricity bill (monthly) after installation of solar PV operated LED in grid connect Mode, April, 2015

: N 1,800.00*Same illumination level has

been maintained

Solar street lights

RE Event

November 20, 2015 saw the end of the seventh Intersolar India, the largest exhibition and conference for the solar industry in India. The positive atmosphere of the exhibition reflected

the strong state of India’s solar market. Companies and investors took full advantage of opportunities to exchange ideas and information; numerous contracts were signed and cooperation agreements reached. Companies from 12 countries presented their products, solutions and services to around 11,000 international visitors—an increase of 20 per cent over the previous year. Event organizers also report positively on the conference, which took place at the same time. Around 680 attendees discussed the opportunities and challenges posed by India’s solar industry with over 100 speakers. Also, the fourth Intersolar Award for Solar Projects in India was presented.

Shri Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, helped open the exhibition at the Bombay Exhibition Centre with great ceremony. Prof. Dr Eicke R Weber, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, served as keynote speaker, discussing The Role of Solar Energy in our Future, Renewables Based Energy System. Exhibitors and visitors were evidently extremely satisfied with this year’s exhibition. Amid the event’s lively atmosphere, numerous contract, and partnership deals were reached. Shri Rajendra Shukla, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy in Madhya Pradesh, announced the start of the world’s largest solar project, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Project at Intersolar India. The project with a total of 750 MW is to be installed over an area

of 1,560 hectares, with completion projected for June 2017. Intersolar India was the perfect arena to discuss objectives and bring together companies, investors, and representatives of science and politics to create the right conditions for meeting the Indian solar objectives. This year’s conference also picked up on these themes with its focus on the Indian market and energy storage. Hundred experts from research and industry shed light on current developments in the Indian solar market. The experts agreed that though the goals were ambitious, they were also thoroughly achievable for the country. Visitors and exhibitors were obviously extremely satisfied with the presentations and fresh ideas at the events.

Intersolar award for Solar Projects in India

For the fourth time, the Intersolar Award in the category Solar Projects in India was presented at this year’s Intersolar India. A panel of judges had nominated eight pioneering projects in advance, three of which were honoured with the Intersolar Award. The key criteria for the decision were the social relevance of the winning projects, coupled with their particular benefits for the environment. The decision makers also praised the degree of technological innovation and the role of the winning projects as models for other regions to follow.

Among the projects honoured was the Solar Power Plant at Cochin International Airport by Bosch Ltd with an output of 12 MWp. Under this project, the company has designed and operates a solar power installation at Cochin Airport. This makes the airport the first in the world to run exclusively on solar energy.


The Intersolar Award Winners 2015 in the Category 'Solar Projects in India'

SEVENTH INTERSOLAR INDIA EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE Held at Mumbai from November 18–20, 2015


Face to Face

Shri Tarun Kapoor, IAS, is the Joint Secretary (National Solar Mission), Ministry of New and

Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. During an interview for Akshay Urja, Shri

Kapoor discussed India’s ambitious target for the installation of 175 GW renewable power

by 2022 and the steps the government is taking to achieve the same.

Could you please share with us the Indian government’s vision to support the greater use of renewable energy in India?Today, the Government of India visualizes a brighter future for the country; we at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have been working extensively to achieve the National target of 175 GW of renewable energy by the year 2022. This would bolster Indian Government’s goal to provide round the clock electricity to all and this would further act as an impetus to promote renewable energy and cleaner environment in India and in the developing world. With new initiatives, schemes, supportive policies, and regulatory framework, the Ministry is leaving no stone unturned to bring about a smooth transition of renewable energy (RE) in India.

Kindly throw some light on Government of India’s ambitious target for installation of 175 GW renewable power by 2022 with specific reference to the solar capacity.Taking into account the fact that currently, the share of RE to the total installed capacity and electricity generation is 13 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, the ambitious plans of the Government aim to increase the share of RE generation from 7 per cent to 18 per cent by 2022. In order to achieve this goal the targets have been scaled up to 175 GW by 2022. This includes 100 GW of solar capacity, 60 GW of wind capacity, 10 GW of biogas, and 5 GW from small hydro projects.

Taking a holistic approach towards increasing solar capacity, it is expected that 40 GW out of the 100 GW would be generated through grid-connected rooftop projects and 60 GW would be achieved through large and medium-scale solar projects. The target of 40 GW of grid-connected rooftop is being proposed for the next seven years. This capacity will be generated via the institutional sector (hospitals, educational institutions, etc.), industrial and commercial sector, and the housing sector. The remaining 60 GW of the target would be met through, medium- and large-scale grid connected solar power projects, including solar parks and also providing self-employment opportunities to unemployed youth and farmers.

Face to Facewith Tarun Kapoor


Face to Face with Tarun Kapoor

That really seems a very interesting prospect indeed, what is the current progress in the solar sector?One could easily see the positive effects of the National Solar Mission, which was launched in January 2010, and accelerated the growth of solar power in the country. Today, we have about 4,878.8 MW solar installed capacity in the country. Keeping up the momentum, the Ministry has also launched various schemes to promote solar energy in India. Through these schemes, we are constantly working towards achieving the goals set for the future. The government has approved 1,000 MW of grid-connected solar PV power projects to be set up by Central Public Undertakings (CPSUs) and government organizations under viability gap funding under Batch-V of phase-II of JNNSM. So far, sanctions have been issued for over 1,112.39 MW of capacity under the scheme, while 250 MWp has also been awarded and is under implementation. The government has also approved a 300 MW defence scheme for defence organizations and para-military forces. So far, 185 MW has been already sanctioned to OFB, BSF, and BDL.

State-specific VGF scheme’, an innovative initiative, proposes to set up 2,000 MW grid connected solar PV power projects under JNNSM, Batch-III. This scheme has already been approved and tenders for 1,190 MW have been issued. The 5,000 MW VGF scheme is under consideration for cabinet approval. We expect to issue the tender for the remaining 810 MW under the 2,000 MW VGF scheme and 1,250 MW under 5,000 MW VGF scheme by March 31, 2016. In February 2015, implementation of projects for setting up of 15,000 MW of grid connected solar PV power plants through NTPC/NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd under NSM was approved. In the first phase, 3,000 MWp is under implementation and tenders for 2,750 MWp have been issued.

What have been the Government’s achievements so far to fulfill its vision for solar energy in India?In the last few years, we have undeniably seen record breaking progress, and have moved closer to Government’s vision for solar energy in India. The period between 2011–12 and 2014–15 saw the country’s solar capacity grow rapidly with a CAGR of 38 per cent. Currently, our

solar capacity stands at around 4,878 MW. Additionally, the falling cost of modules has resulted in the electricity tariff for solar decreasing continuously, falling from

N 17.51/kWh in 2010 to as low as N4.63/kWh. The NSM also introduced the mechanism of reverse auction for setting up solar projects by SECI. States have also issued a tender, such as Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and more recently in Punjab. Quite interestingly, similar to the solar tenders in MP and Telangana, the lowest bid prices in

Punjab came well under N5.09/kWh. One can certainly consider this an encouraging piece of news for the solar sector. The government has chalked out year-wise target to achieve 100 GW. Target for 2016–17 is 12,000 MW. To achieve this target, tender planned in the year 2015–16 is around 15,000 MW. As on date, around 11,000 MW has already been tendered under central and state schemes. Remaining tender of around 4,000 MW is expected by March 31, 2016.

What are the efforts that the Government has been making to seek investments from global and Indian players?With a view to achieve its goals the Government has been making a sustained and concentrated effort to seek investments from both global and Indian players. The first ever finance meet on RE in India—RE-Invest 2015, was held in February this year, and aimed to reach out to investors. The undeniable success of the meet was encouraging, and as many as 387 investors gave ‘green energy commitments’ to develop 272 GW capacity, while 30 banks and financial institutions gave their commitment to finance projects aggregating to 70 GW. Additionally, 17 companies also submitted commitments for setting up manufacturing facilities aggregating to more than 62 GW.

How are the various states responding to the call made by the Central government? Tell us about the support you have been receiving from various State governments in the country.Displaying a healthy spirit of Cooperative Federalism, Indian states have responded well to the call made by

ONE COULD EASILY SEE THE POSITIVE

EFFECTS OF THE NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION,

WHICH WAS LAUNCHED IN JANUARY 2010,

AND ACCELERATED THE GROWTH OF SOLAR

POWER IN THE COUNTRY.


the Government, and as many as 17 states have come out with Solar Policy supporting grid solar power and

grid-connected rooftop systems, while State Electricity

Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) of 28 States/UTs

have notified regulations for net metering/feed-in-tariff

mechanism. It is expected that the remaining states will

soon follow suit. Falling in line with the Government’s

vision, Indian states have made a concrete effort to

promote RE, and states such as Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan,

Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have taken various initiatives

for the financial implementation of RE projects. Significant

investments have already been made in these states by Indian and global players.

What are the other significant measures that have been undertaken by the Government for achieving the renewable energy targets?One of the key focus areas for us at the Ministry is the

financing mechanism wherein banks play a significant role.

To promote solar rooftop, the Department of Financial

Services has advised all Public Sector Banks to provide

loans for grid connected rooftop solar systems in the form

of home loan/ home improvement loan. Furthermore, the

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also included renewable

energy projects under Priority Sector Lending for which

bank loans up to a limit of N 15 crore to borrowers would

be available for renewable energy projects, including grid-

connected solar rooftops and ground mounted systems.

Supplementing these measures are certain innovative

financing mechanisms, launched by the Government in

2015 to promote RE projects. The Government is coming

out with tax-free green bonds to enable low interest rate

funding for RE projects. Furthermore, REC, PFC, IREDA,

IDBI, and private sector banks have been asked to issue

green bonds to raise funding requirement for RE projects.

In this regard IREDA would be issuing green bonds worth

N2,000 crore in the near future. The Government is also

encouraging the setting up of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega

Solar Power Projects. A total of 25 Solar Parks with an aggregate capacity of 20,000 MW have been planned, of

which 29 parks in 21 states with capacity of 18,679 MW have already been approved. With the view of integrating RE into the national grid, The Government is also rolling out a Green Energy Corridor Project to strengthen the transmission network, with financial assistance from Germany. Investments worth N33,000 crore are proposed in Green Energy Corridors across the country. We at the MNRE are working on developing a New Solar or Renewable Zone Policy in which the accountability and responsibility for land acquisition will lie with the developers of the proposed zones. We expect to be able to provide N 100 crore to the states of Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan for setting up of Green Energy Corridors. The latest addition to the initiatives of the Government is the International Solar Alliance (ISA) which has been launched in the COP21 event at Paris. ISA is a partnership initiative which includes membership with the solar resource rich countries in order to bridge the gap between these countries and India in terms of systematic information. In yet another promising move, the Government has also embarked upon the National Smart Grid Mission to bring efficiency in power supply network and facilitate reduction in congestions and outages. There are plans to set up 100 Smart Cities in India. The Ministry plans to integrate its Solar Cities programme with these Smart cities. The government is equally committed to promoting other RE sources, such as small hydro and biogas production.

How do you plan to translate commitments into implementation and how is the road ahead for India’s RE plans?In order to translate the commitments into implementation, MNRE is organizing interactive meetings with project developers/investors, financial institutions, and officials of various State governments. With these meetings we want to chart out the future course of action and interact with prospective investors to understand their requirements, concerns and to provide the necessary policy support. We are also working closely with state Governments and other stakeholders to streamline the RE sector in the country, and so far, the response received during zonal follow-up interactive meets has been quite encouraging.

Face to Face


RE Product

The rural people of our country mainly depend on agriculture as India is an agrarian economy.

Thus, there exists a huge mass of unemployed youth who are facing constraints to continue their existence. Rural youth can find self-employment opportunity by fabricating low-cost renewable energy technologies and energy efficient devices. In the second part of this series of articles, the author describes a few simple renewable energy technologies and energy efficient devices related to solar thermal energy applications. It is strongly believed that, if mass production of these devices is taken up, it would create an atmosphere of sustainable development in India.

Solar Thermal Energy Applications

Solar power intercepted by the earth is approximately 1.8 × 1011 MW. This makes solar energy one of the most promising renewable energy sources. In India, annual average daily solar radiation received over the whole country is around 1,800 J/cm2/day, making it abundant in this resource.

Solar Water HeatingSolar water heating is one of the most attractive solar thermal applications from economic perspective. Different designs of solar water heaters are presently available. The simplest, easy to fabricate, and low-cost design is collector-cum-storage type solar water heater.

Collector-cum-Storage Type Solar Water Heater

The heater consists of rectangular GI water tank enclosed by a top open

LOW-COST RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVICES To Boost Rural Entrepreneurship

Figure 1: Diagram of collector-cum-storage type solar water heater

Picture 1: Photograph of collector-cum-storage type solar water heater

MS box keeping a gap of 5 cm on all sides. The gap is filled by glass wool insulation. The front face of the GI tank is painted with a dull black paint to absorb solar radiation. Double glass cover is used to cover the topside of the MS box to minimize heat loss through convection and radiation. A clearance of 5 cm is maintained in between GI tank top to glass cover. Cold water inlet pipe is connected near the bottom of GI tank and hot water is taken out from outlet pipe provided near the top of the water tank by opening cock at inlet pipe. The heater is placed towards south at an inclination equal to latitude (Figure 1 and Picture 1) .

Specifications

� Heater inclination: Equal to latitude

� Water inlet: From bottom connection

� Water outlet: From top connection. Vent pipe is connected with outlet

� Collector is made of GI sheet

� Outer box is made of MS sheet

� Single cover glazing

� 2-inch-thick glass wool insulation in all sides and bottom

� Upper face of the collector is painted by dull black paint

� Inlet water temperature: 22°C

� Maximum temperature attained: 50°C at 2 p.m.


RE Product

Low-Cost Solar Water Heater

The design of a low-cost domestic solar water heater is very simple and can be fabricated easily without any special tool, equipment, or expert skills (Figure 2 and Picture 2).

Constructional detailsA few rectangular empty mustard oil tin containers are collected. Thus, the total capacity of heater becomes approximately 100 litres. The top cover of the containers are cut leaving one-inch border on all sides. The containers are connected to each other with two short pipes of around one-inch diameter. Inter-connection makes the containers to act as a single unit and this facilitates water filling, draining, and provides heat transfer between the containers through convection. These low-cost containers eliminate the need for a single expensive water tank of the same capacity. A water-filling pipe is fitted at the top portion of an end container. Similarly, an outlet in connection is fitted near the bottom side. The containers are painted black both on the inside and outside by blackboard paint to absorb solar radiation. Insulated base platform, slightly bigger than the collector base, is provided. The base platform is made of GI sheet framed by wooden frame and the containers are placed on it. Two-inch thick glass wool insulation layer is placed in between the containers and GI sheet for insulation. Half-inch thick insulation strips around the top flat border of the containers are fixed with adhesive. The collector system is covered with transparent polythene sheet and the lower end of the sheet is attached with wooden frame of the platform. The whole system becomes almost airtight. Again another thin wooden frame is fixed upon the main base frame. Another layer of insulation is provided over the previous layer on boundary at top. The polythene sheet remains fixed in

between the two layers. The collector system is again covered with a second sheet of polythene and the lower end of this cover is attached with wooden frame of base thus keeping an air gap in between the two sheets. This reduces heat loss due to convection and radiation to the surroundings. Water inlet and outlet connections are to be forced out through sheets, torn portions of which are secured properly to make it air tight.

Now, the water heating system is ready to be placed on the house roof, the longer side facing towards the south. To direct more sun rays on the collector, a reflector may be used. The reflector should be as wide as the height of the collector and as long as its length. The reflector should be made of thin GI sheet framed by thin wooden battens attached with a wooden frame of the base platform by hinge to facilitate folding when not in use. The GI sheet is covered with aluminium foil for cost effectiveness

or with or silver-coloured 'Rolex' paper to create reflecting surface. Clips are used to securing reflecting foil with GI sheet. This reflector is placed to the south side of the collector system facing north.

Fabrication cost of the heater

is N 1,000.

Performance of Low-Cost Solar Water Heater

� Average maximum temperature raised during winter time (December–January): 40°C

� Average inlet water temperature: 20°C

� Peak temperature observed around 1 p.m. (water filling time 8 a.m.)

� Hot water available up to 9 p.m. at a temperature around 30°C (ambient temperature: 20°C).

Mr Sankha Subhra Datta is a Senior Section Engineer (Mechanical) in the Diesel Locomotive Shed, N F Railway, Siliguri Junction, West Bengal. E-mail: [email protected].

Figure 2: Diagram of low-cost solar water heater

Picture 2: Photograph of low-cost solar water heater


Illustration: VIJAY NIPANE

The patterns of ridges on our fingers are unique. No two individuals, even identical twins, have fingerprints that are exactly alike. We leave impressions, or prints, of these patterns on everything we touch. This is because the water containing salts and the oils from our skin are transferred onto the object. Sometime the prints are visible, such as when our fingers are dirty or oily. Other times they're 'latent', i.e., not visible without a medium. For a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), these prints are most important. This activity will show you how to make these latent prints visible.

You Need � Index card or piece of white paper � Transparent tape or clear packing tape � Talcum powder or cornstarch � Cocoa powder � Small paint or

makeup brush

� Surfaces to leave prints

� Magnifying glass

Method

� A day or two before the activity, place your fingerprints on some common household objects, such as a drinking glass, table top, etc.

� Look at these fingerprints with the magnifying glass and try to identify its type. The Federal Bureau of Investigation categorizes prints by three main patterns: arches, loops, and whorls. Use the Internet to help identify the unique characteristics of fingerprints.

� To dust for fingerprints, sprinkle talcum powder or cornstarch on dark surfaces and cocoa powder on light surfaces where you left visible prints a few days earlier. Use a small paint or makeup brush to gently swipe off the excess powder.

� Next, place a large piece of transparent tape or clear packing tape over the print, carefully peeling off the fingerprint and placing it on an index card or piece of white paper.

� You can turn it into a challenge by trying to identify the arches, loops, and whorls within the lifted 'latent' fingerprints to see who it belongs to.

Children's Corner

Let us all come together to launch the

International Solar Alliance of Countries

dedicated to the Promotion of Solar

Energy..

Same here... I

feel, this is a wonderful initiative by

India.

Our country is joining this

alliance of 121 solar resource

rich countries lying between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic

of Capricorn.

Okay..

Yes


2014 Renewable Energy Data Book The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) | November 2015 | www.nrel.gov

The 2014 Renewable Energy Data Book offers facts and figures on energy and electricity use, renewable electricity in the United States, global renewable energy development, wind power, solar power, geothermal power, biopower, hydropower, marine and hydrokinetic power, hydrogen, renewable fuels,

and clean energy investment. This book illustrates United States and global energy statistics, including renewable electricity generation, renewable energy development, clean energy investments, and technology-specific data and trends. The book offers unique insights for policymakers, analysts, and investors worldwide. The Data Book reports that in 2014, US renewable electricity grew to 15.5 per cent of total installed capacity and 13.5 per cent of total electricity generation.

Advances in Solar Energy Science and Engineering Praveen Saxena, H P Garg, O S Sastry, and S K Singh | Today & Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers | 365 pages

The necessary background and information on solar energy applications are carefully documented and presented in various chapters of this book that have been written by top experts (Professors/Scientists) in the field of solar energy from India with the aim of providing quality literature to all

the stakeholders in the field of Solar Energy. This book is the first book of the state-of-the-art series initiated/edited by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute established by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), as an apex National R&D Institution in the field of solar energy. In this Annual Book, there are a number of authoritative reviews on select invited topics/subjects of interest in the field of Solar Energy that are of timely interest in this field as well as reports on the original work.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Handbook, Second EditionD Yogi Goswami | Frank Kreith CRC Press | 1,822 pages

This book covers the foremost trends and technologies in energy engineering today. This new edition contains the latest

material on energy planning and policy, with a focus on renewable and sustainable energy sources. It also examines nuclear energy and its place in future energy systems, includes a chapter on natural gas, and provides extensive coverage of energy storage for numerous forms of energy generation. The text also provides energy supply, demand, and pricing factor projections for the future. The book also focusses on the successful promotion of a sustainable energy supply for the future, and offers new and relevant information providing a clear reference to sustainable-development goals.

Web/Book Alert

www.cesa.org

Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) | www.cesa.orgThe Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) is a national, nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean and renewable energy. CESA members—mostly state agencies— include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country. CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop and promote clean energy technologies and markets. It supports effective state and local policies, programmes, and innovation in the clean energy generation sector, with an emphasis on renewable energy, financing strategies, and economic development.


Forthcoming Events

January 8–10, 2016 | Gujarat, India

11th Power on International Battery & Alternate Power Sources Exhibition & ConferenceWebsite: www.batteryfair.co.in

January 11–13, 2016 | Gurgaon, India

Training Programme on “Grid connected Rooftop Solar PV Systems” for Channel Partners, New Entrepreneurs, Project Developers & ManufacturersWebsite: www.terii.org

January 21–23, 2016 | Bengaluru, India

Biennial International Conference on Power and Energy Systems: Towards Sustainable Energy 2016Website: https://www.amrita.edu/site/pestse2016

January 28–30, 2016 | Delhi, India

13th International Congress Solar iCon-2016Website: http://www.sesi.in/events.aspx

January 28–30, 2016 | Delhi, India

13th International Congress Solar iCon- 2016 [Erstwhile International Congress on Renewable Energy (ICORE)]Website: http://www.sesi.in

February 23– 25, 2016 | Bhopal, India

Biofuels and Bioenergy: International Conference and ExhibitionWebsite: https://www.weentech.co.uk/bice

Nat

ion

al

January 16–17, 2016 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Sixth Session of the IRENA AssemblyWebsite: http://energy-l.iisd.org/events/sixth-session-of-the-irena-assembly

January 18–19, 2016 | Berlin, Germany

13th International Conference on BiofuelsWebsite: http://www.fuels-of-the-future.com

January 22–23, 2016 | Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

International Conference on Power CrisisWebsite: http://conference.serendivus.com/index.php/main/internationalconferenceonpowercrisis

January 23–24, 2016 | Pattaya, Thailand

6th International Conference on Future Environment and EnergyWebsite: http://www.icfee.org

January 27–29, 2016 | Washington, DC

Powering Africa SummitWebsite: http://www.energynet.co.uk

February 6–10, 2016 | Austin, United States of America

ImagineSolar | Solar PV Project Experience: Advanced 5-day Workshop Website: http://imaginesolar.com/training/onsite/advanced-5-day-workshop

Inte

rnat

ion

al

Cumulative Installed Capacity (MW) of Grid Interactive Power

As on 30.09.2014As on 31.10.2015

21996.7824677.72

21804579.24

3856.684161.9

4054.554550.55

106.58127.08

Wind Power Solar Power Small HydroPower

Bio-Power (Biomass & Gasification

and Bagasse Cogeneration)

Waste to Power TOTAL

32,194.59

38,096.49

Cumulative Installed Capacity (MWeq) of O�-Grid Captive Power

136.33146.51

209.89280.85

13.2117.21

555.66602.37

17.4818.15

149.46160.72

2.342.67

Waste to

Energy

Biomass (non-bagasse) Cogeneration

BiomassGasifiers-

Rural

BiomassGasifiers-Industrial

Aero-Generators/

Hybrid systems

As on 30.09.2014As on 31.10.2015

TOTAL

1,088.44

1,228.48

Cumulative Installed Capacity of Other Renewable Systems

As on 30.09.2014As on 31.10.2015

47.5348.28

8.198.9

Family Biogas Plants (nos. in lakh)

Solar Water Heating – Collector

Areas (million m2)

TOTAL

32,194.59

38,096.49

SPVSystems

Water mills/micro hydel

RE Statistics

RENEWABLE ENERGY AT A GLANCE: INDIA


So

urc

e:

MN

RE

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd, a Govt of India Company under the aegis of MNRE is mandated with the implementation of the GoI’s flagship JNNSM.

SOLAR ENERGY CORPORATION OF INDIA1st Floor, D-3, A Wing, Religare Building, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi-110017

Tel: 011-71989200. Email: [email protected]

Handling Major Schemes

� Implementation of the scheme for setting up 750 MW of Solar PV projects with VGF under JNNSM Phase II Batch I

� Large Scale Grid connected rooftop Scheme covering over 60 cities (4 phases)

ROOFTOP OF 60 CITIES WILL NO LONGER BE JUST ROOF TOPS

POWER GENERATING STATIONS

Consultancy servicesSECI also provides turnkey solutions and complete Project Management Consultancy Services for roof top as well as Large Scale Solar Power Projects across the country, with a special focus on Public Sector Entities.

� Solar Feasibility studies

� Shading Analysis

� Energy Yield estimation

� Techno-commercial analysis

� DPR/PFR preparation

� Bid-process Management

� Concept-to- commissioning Services

SOME VALUED CLIENTS

INSTALL SOLAR POWER PLANTS ON YOUR ROOFTOP.

GENERATE YOUR

OWNPOWER Install Grid Connected Rooftop

Solar Systems on your roof in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings

and make your roof your own power house. Meet your electricity requirement and the excess electricity can be

fed to the local grid.

40,000 MW GRID CONNECTED SOLAR ROOFTOP SYSTEMS TARGETED BY 2022 HOW TO INSTALL SOLAR ROOFTOP SYSTEMS?

Visit MNRE website www.mnre.gov.in, calculate your requirement at "Solar Rooftop Calculator" and �ll-up "Installation Interest Form" or scan QR code on your mobile to reach

the link at Solar Rooftop Calculator:

MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGYGovernment of India | website : www.mnre.gov.in | Solar Energy Helpline No. 1800 233 4477 Powering The Renewable Energy Revolution | Making The Sun Brighter | Join Us.

COSTEFFECTIVE

ENVIRONMENTFRIENDLY

ATTRACTIVEINCENTIVES

CONTACT• Solar Energy Corporation of India (website www.seci.gov.in, Phone Number: 011-71989200, Email: [email protected]) • Empaneled Channel Partners/New Entrepreneurs (list available at MNRE website www.mnre.gov.in )• State Nodal Agencies for respective States (http://www.mnre.gov.in/related-links/ ) • Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (www.ireda.gov.in, Phone Number: 011-26717428 , Email: [email protected] )

INCENTIVES• Upto 30% Government subsidy for non-commercial and non-industrial categories for using domestic solar panels • Accelerated depreciation bene�ts for industrial and commercial buildings • Custom Duty Concessions and Excise Duty Exemptions; and 10 years tax holiday • Avail bank loan as a part of home loan/home improvement loan • System Aggregators can avail loan from IREDA at concessional interest rate (9.9% to 10.75%) • Avail loans under Priority Sector Lending upto R10 lakhs for individuals

BENEFITS• Reduce your electricity bill and save money • Payback period: 5-6 years • Sell your own green power and earn money • Make mother Earth a better place to live

GENERATE YOUR

OWNPOWER

international solar alliance launched in parisbiomasspower.gov.in/document/magazines/akshay...

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