Now, a tree that can generate power
Money does not grow on trees but electricity might someday. Scientists have developed a new biomimetic tree that generates power when wind blows through its artificial leaves. The technology, developed by researchers at Iowa State University, may help people charge appliances without the need for wind turbines. The device mimics the branches and leaves of a cottonwood tree. Small strips of plastic inside the leaf stalks release an electrical charge when bent by air. Such processes are known as piezoelectric effects. Cottonwood leaves were modelled because their flattened leaf stalks compel blades to oscillate in a regular pattern that optimises energy generation by flexible piezoelectric strips. Michael McCloskey said the technology could spawn a niche market for small and visually unobtrusive machines that turn wind into electricity. “The advantages here are aesthetics and its smaller scale, which may allow off-grid energy harvesting.” McCloskey said cell phone towers in some urban locations, such as Las Vegas, have been camouflaged as trees, complete with leaves that serve only to improve the tower’s aesthetic appeal. Tapping energy from those leaves would increase their functionality, he said. Christian Fischer Womens Jersey
Tamil Nadu to get 500 Megawatt solar power plants at Rs 2,170 crore
NLC India Limited has proposed to set up solar power plants at the cost of 2,170 crore with a total capacity of 500 Megawatt in various parts of Tamil Nadu. The company has floated tenders and received quotations from different firms for setting up of the plants with capacity not less than 50MW each. Power generated from the proposed solar plants will be fed to Tamil Nadu power generation and distribution corporation (Tangedco). The company has already signed a power purchase agreement with Tangedco. It has proposed to generate 83 crore units of power per annum through the proposed solar plants. Power generation will commence within 13 months from the date of work order given to the selected firms. NLC chairman and managing director S K Acharya said the company will adopt the new system of solar development operator mode to execute all projects. As per the new system, the selected firms have to identify and acquire necessary land, obtain permission from competent authorities, design, install and commission the plants and feed power to Tangedco. The firms have to operate and maintain the units for 15 years on contract under the new system, he said. The company has proposed to establish 130MW (two 65MW units) solar power plant at a total cost of 700 crore at Neyveli following the successful commissioning of a pilot project of solar power plant with a capacity of 10MW at a cost of 75 crore. Bharat heavy electrical limited (Bhel) and Jackson Engineers Limited have been assigned the work to establish a unit each. More than 650 acres of land in the north and west side of Neyveli township has been allotted for the two projects so far, said Acharya. The company has commenced work to set up a 20MW solar power plant at Attam Bahar at South Andaman and a 30MW solar power plant at Kishori Nagar, North Andaman following a direction from the Union ministry of new and renewable energy. “The foundation stone was laid at Attam Bahar. Tendering work is underway. The plant will be installed with sufficient capacity of battery energy storage system to cater to the power needs of the island throughout the daytime and even in peak demand period. Also the preliminary work for solar power plant at Kishori Nagar has already been initiated,” said Acharya. In total, the company proposes to establish 4,000MW solar power plants at various parts of the country to generate solar power to the tune of one lakh megawatt by 2022. Roger Craig Jersey
Budget 2017: An opportunity lost for renewable energy
India has an ambitious target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of solar, wind and other renewable energy by 2022. The financial needs are mammoth and India needs to look beyond fiscal allocations if the signals for clean energy have to be bold and consistent. Solar, alone, would require $100 billion in debt to reach 100 GW. International debt markets, estimated at $95 trillion, are the world’s largest pool of capital and need to be made accessible to Indian developers at affordable cost. The budget must be evaluated against this scale of need and opportunity. The role of public funds should be to either catalyse action, attract investment, or underwrite risk. Let us first examine fiscal priorities to catalyse action. Compared to last year (Rs5,036 crore), this year the allocation to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy stands at Rs5,473 crore. As much as 74% of the outlay is directed to grid-interactive renewables, specifically mentioning the second phase of solar park development for 20 GW of capacity. The total budget is further split between Rs3,361 crore for solar and only Rs408 crore for wind, a clear indication that the government will continue to prioritise solar. Additionally, the budget extends support to power 2,000 railway stations through solar, under the Indian Railways 1GW solar mission. Smaller sums of Rs135 crore and Rs76 crore have been earmarked for small hydro and bio-power, respectively. Despite recent suggestions, large hydro remains outside the purview of renewable energy. One continuing area of uncertainty is the role of the National Environment Fund (NEF). The cess on coal remained unchanged at Rs400/tonne. While the total cess collected (projected up to 31 March 2017) was a mammoth Rs54,336 crore, only Rs25,810 crore have been transferred to NEF. Of this, under half (Rs12,427 crore) has been spent on renewable energy projects. While nearly all of the budgetary allocation to renewables in 2017-18 will be from NEF, the budget could have clarified the proportion of the cess that would be transferred to NEF. Another uncertainty is how the goods and services tax (GST) will impact renewables. Researchers at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) find that if solar components were categorised based on current levied tax rates (including exemptions and subsidies), GST would impact solar tariffs minimally. However, if preferential tax benefits to renewable energy were not accounted, then GST could raise utility scale solar tariffs by as much as 9.5%, hampering progress. How has the budget performed in attracting new investment? Two market opportunities stood to gain significantly from strategic budgetary support. First, residential rooftop projects could create 15 GW of renewable energy capacity in India by 2022. While budgetary support was extended for housing infrastructure, no direct support was announced for rooftop solar. Secondly, replacing 15% of India’s irrigation pumps with solar pumps could build 20 GW of capacity. Aiming to double farmer incomes within four years, the budget discusses mainstreaming and interlinking Primary Agriculture Credit Societies with District Central Cooperative Banks. If this increases access to low-cost loans, the incentive to invest in the upfront capital expense for solar pumps could increase. The budget’s real test lay in its approach to mitigating financial risk in the renewable energy, where capital costs are high, payback periods are long and off-taker, construction and foreign exchange risks raise cost of debt significantly. CEEW research shows that 70% of the costs embedded in already low solar tariffs owe to return on equity and debt servicing. But no budgetary support was extended to any agency to address risks. Moreover, financial support to the Solar Energy Corporation of India, the nodal agency for commissioning many solar and wind projects, has been halved to Rs50 crore. Nor has the budget given any impetus to technology development. Only Rs144 crore has been budgeted for research and development, nearly half of last year’s allocation. A recent CEEW study showed that energy storage has a number of current commercial applications for telecom towers, petrol pumps, commercial establishments, rural ATMs, and academic institutions. Yet, funding remains constrained. In 2016-17 Rs 20 crore was allocated for developing, testing and deploying energy storage technologies. In 2017-18 there is no allocation for energy storage, which could exacerbate challenges with integrating renewable energy into the grid. Again, despite some focus on transport infrastructure, no allowances have been made for electric vehicles or biofuels. While total budgetary outlay to renewable energy marginally increased, there is little to celebrate. This budget is unlikely to catalyse action, attract private investment or underwrite risks. An opportunity was lost. Riley Sheahan Womens Jersey
Cheaper renewables to halt coal and oil demand growth from 2020 -research
The falling cost of electric vehicle and solar technology will halt demand growth for oil and coal from 2020, according to research published on Thursday, posing a threat to fossil fuel companies unprepared for the transition. The Grantham Institute at Imperial College London and independent think tank Carbon Tracker Initiative analysed cost forecasts for electric vehicle (EV) and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, government policies and the impact on road transport and power markets, which account for half of global fossil fuel consumption. “Fossil fuels may lose 10 percent of market share to PV and EVs within a single decade. This may not sound much but it can be the beginning of the end once demand starts to decline,” Carbon Tracker said in a statement. A 10 percent loss of market share caused the collapse of the U.S. coal mining industry and Europe’s five biggest utilities lost more than 100 billion euros ($108 billion) in value from 2008-2013 because they were unprepared for renewable energy growth, it added. The report said that electric vehicles could make up a third of the world’s road transport market by 2035 and that solar PV could supply 23 percent of global power generation by 2040, entirely phasing out coal and leaving natural gas with only a 1 percent market share. Growth in the number of electric vehicles could lead to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil demand being displaced by 2025, the report estimates. That would be similar to the volume of oversupply that led to the 2014/15 collapse in oil prices. By 2040, 16 million bpd could be displaced, rising to 25 million bpd by 2050, it said. The International Energy Agency has said that 2 million bpd of oil could be displaced by electric vehicles by 2040. Bloomberg New Energy Finance has forecast that such displacement could occur as early as 2028. MISPLACED CONFIDENCE? “Coal demand could peak in 2020 and fall to half of 2012 levels by 2050. Oil demand could be flat from 2020 to 2030 then fall steadily to 2050,” Thursday’s report said. By contrast, the International Energy Agency said this week it does not expect oil demand to peak any time soon. Last week BP said that it expects global oil demand to continue growing into the 2040s, citing increased plastics consumption, while U.S. peer ExxonMobil has said that it sees fossil fuels meeting almost 80 percent of global energy needs by 2040. “Oil majors already do scenario analysis but, as Exxon previously indicated, they do not assign sufficient probability to a rapid (low-carbon) transition,” said James Leaton, head of research at Carbon Tracker Initiative. “There appears to be a desire to justify business-as-usual at some companies, which does not constitute sound risk management.” Several studies have warned investors that measures to curb carbon emissions growth will hit earnings at coal, oil and gas companies as the world shifts to cleaner energy. Low oil prices over the past couple of years have also forced companies to reduce spending and shelve deals on oil and gas fields. Jermaine Jones Jersey
Budget brings lower indirect levies for clean energy equipment
Giving a boost to clean energy programme, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today proposed massive cuts in excise and customs duties on materials used in solar and wind plants, and also announced the second phase of solar park development for 20 GW capacity. “In solar energy, we now propose to take up the second phase of Solar Park development for additional 20,000 MW capacity,” Jaitley said while presenting the Budget for 2017-18 in the Lok Sabha today. Besides, the minister also proposed to feed about 7,000 stations with solar power in the medium term saying that a beginning has already been made in 300 stations and works will be taken up for 2,000 railway stations as part of 1000 MW solar mission. Commenting on the budget proposals about renewable energy, Power Minister Piyush Goyal told PTI that his ministry would soon start auction for another 20GW of solar parks in the country as announced in the Budget. The Finance Minister has proposed zero basic customs duty (BCD) on solar tempered glass for use in manufacture of solar cells/panels/modules. At present BCD on those is 5 per cent. Similarly, he proposed to reduce countervailing duty (CVD) on parts/raw materials for manufacture of solar tempered glass for use in solar photovoltaic cells/modules, solar power generating equipment or systems, flat plate solar collector, solar photovoltaic module and panel for water pumping and other applications, to 6 per cent from existing 12.5 per cent. The budget has also proposed to reduce excise duty on these materials to 6 per cent from existing 12.5 per cent. It is also proposed to reduce the BCD, CVD and SAD(Special Additional Duty) of 24 per cent on resin and catalyst for manufacture of cast components for Wind Operated Energy Generators to 5 per cent. Budget has also proposed zero excise duty on these materials from existing 12.5 per cent. All items of machinery required for fuel cell based power generating systems to be set up in the country or for demonstration purposes attract BCD, CVD and SAD of 30 per cent which would be reduced to 11 per cent. The budget has proposed to reduce excise duty on these items to 6 per cent from existing 12.5 per cent. Similarly, it is proposed to reduce BCD, CVD and SAD of 30 per cent on all items of machinery required for balance of systems operating on biogas/bio-methane/ by-product hydrogen to 11 per cent. The budget has also proposed to reduce excise duty on these materials to 6 per cent from 12.5 per cent. However, it is proposed to levy 6 per cent excise duty on solar tempered glass for use in solar photovoltaic cells/modules, solar power generating equipment or systems, flat plate solar collector, solar photovoltaic module and panel for water pumping and other applications. At present there is no excise duty on these materials. India has set an ambitious target of adding 175 GW of renwable energy by 2022 which includes 100 GW of solar, 60 GW of wind, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW from small hydroelectric projects (upto 25 MW each). Nellie Fox Womens Jersey
Power tariffs may rise marginally as tax holiday expires
Power tariffs for plants set up after March 2017 could increase by 5-10 paise per unit as a tax holiday on infrastructure projects, including power, has been discontinued. Ratul Puri, chairman of Hindustan Powerprojects, said, “While new thermal power projects will see comparatively higher tariff hikes, solar power projects would see a minimal effect. The maximum rise could be 10 paise per unit.” In its Finance Bill, the government on Wednesday said the 80-IA tax holiday will be discontinued from April 2017, disappointing a segment of solar power developers who were expecting extension of this clause. Jasmeet Khurana, associate director at Bridge to India, a renewable energy analyst firm, however, estimated a higher impact on solar power generation. “Earlier, companies were expecting an extension of the tax holiday and had made representations to the government. We are expecting solar generation costs to go up by 20-30 paise per unit,” he said. Puri said, “Nevertheless, by providing infrastructure status to the housing segment, the government has given a further impetus to address suppressed power demand which is critical to providing 24X7 power to all. In the renewable energy sector, the government’s commitment to add another 20 GW of solar capacity would help the country achieve 100 GW of solar by 2022. The year 2017-18 will be a hallmark year, as the country gears itself to install the maximum ever MW in its history.The journey from MW to GW is well and truly happening.” Santosh Kamath, partner and head of renewables at KPMG in India, said, “The expected fall in interest rates as a result of demonetisation and prudent fiscal management will also contribute positively to the renewable energy sector.” Gagan Vermani, CEO of MYSUN said, “The target to build 1 crore new homes should mandate usage of a 1KW solar system per home, as each of these homes will need power. That itself will add 10GW of rooftop solar. Enhancement of the carry forward duration of MAT from 10 years to 15 years and the rationalisation of corporate tax for companies with a turnover of less than Rs 50 crore would lead to increased profits for a lot of small solar installers, which could potentially lead to passing on of some of this benefit to the end users, effectively reducing solar system prices.” Anil Chaudhry, country president of Schneider Electric India, said, “Today’s budget gave a clear indication of the government’s focus to achieve ‘sustainable energy for all’, with two of its critical steps; firstly, by providing a boost to rural electrification with a 25% increase in the outlay for key power schemes like Integrated Power Development Scheme and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna. This is expected to fast-track the rural electrification drive of the government, which is now planned to be completed by May 1, 2018. Secondly, by strengthening its focus on renewable energy forms with the inflow of another 20 GW in the next fiscal. “This, however, will require investments in grid management and digitisation of the grid to ensure supply of quality reliable and safe power. It is important to stress that along with rural electrification, it is equally important to provide reliable and quality power, which requires investments towards modernisation of the country’s transmission and distribution power networks and use of digitisation in grid management,” he said. Larry Bird Jersey
25% jump in IPDS, DDUGJY funds to ensure 24X7 power for all
The proposal to hike expenditure under IPDS and DDUGJY schemes together by 25 per cent to Rs 10,635 crore as provided in the budget is likely to pave the way for sustainable energy for all. The allocations under the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) have been increased by over 25 per cent to Rs 10,635 crore in 2017-18 as compared to budget estimate of Rs 8,500 crore for this fiscal. However, the budget document stated that the revised estimate of these two schemes together, which are meant for increasing efficiency of power transmission and distribution, was Rs 7,874 crore for the current fiscal. “Today’s budget gave a clear indication of the government’s focus to achieve ‘sustainable energy for all’, with two of its critical steps,” Schneider Electric India Country President and MD Anil Chaudhry said on the budget that was presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He said, “Providing a boost to rural electrification with a 25 per cent increase in the outlay for key power schemes like IPDS and DDUGJY is expected to fast-track the rural electrification drive, which is now planned to be completed by May 1, 2018. Second, (it can be achieved) by strengthening focus on renewable energy forms with inflow of another 20 GW in the next fiscal.” DDUGJY’s objectives include separate agriculture and non-agriculture feeders, strengthen and augment sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas and rural electrification. IPDS’ objective is 24×7 power supply for consumers, reduction of AT&C losses and providing access to all households. The budget has provided Rs 750 crore for 2017-18 under the head Power System Development Fund. The scheme envisages strengthening of existing distribution and transmission infrastructure by part-funding through grants. It also provides for subsidy to discoms purchasing electricity from stranded gas-based power plants. The overall budget of Ministry of Power has also been raised to Rs 13,881 crore in 2017-18, from Rs 12,252 crore budget estimate and Rs 10,475 crore revised estimate for the current fiscal. Similarly, the total expenditure of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has also been increased to Rs 5,473 crore in 2017-18 from budget estimate of Rs 5,036 crore and revised estimate of Rs 4,360 crore in the current fiscal. Power Minister Piyush Goyal told PTI that the government’s push to rural sector and housing for all initiative will stoke demand of power and help improve plant load factor (PLF). Jarome Iginla Womens Jersey
“Exceptionally Low PLF’s” and Tariffs Posing Challenge To Private Power Producers: Survey 2017
The Economic Survey 2017 tabled in Parliament by Finance Minster Arun Jaitley on Tuesdaynoted that private firms are reeling under cost-overrun pressure and “exceptionally low” plant load factor’s (PLF’s) and tariffs in the short-term market are not likely to rise in the near term.These two factors, the Survey said, were hurting the profitability of private power producers. Higher cash flows are important for any company to service debts and interest obligations. Low profits reduces the pay back capacity of a power producer. “There is scant sign on the horizon that PLFs and tariffs might improve,” the survey said. PLF indicates the performance of a power plant in terms of its generation capacity vis a vis its actual generation. Low PLFs mean that the plant is generating less power than what it is capable of generating. A 100 mw power plant running at 60% PLF means that it is producing 60 mw power as against its actual capacity of 100 mw. As per the survey, PLF — actual electricity production as a share of capacity– tumbled to just 59.6 per cent during April-December 2016 from 62 per cent during the same period last year. Commenting on the falling merchant tariffs, the Survey said, “Meanwhile, merchant tariffs for electricity purchased in the spot market have slid to around Rs 2.5/kwh, far below the breakeven rate of Rs 4/kwh needed for most plants, let alone the Rs 8/kwh needed in some cases.” The Survey said the setbacks have led to cost overruns at the new private power plants of more than 50% in nearly every case, and much more than that in many. “To cover these costs, these companies need to sell all the power they are capable of producing at high tariff rates. But the opposite is happening,” it said. It further said while much electricity is being sold at higher long-term rates under power purchase Agreements (PPAs), in some of these cases even these rates remain below costs and the share of electricity purchased under PPAs is falling, as state electricity boards increasingly rely on the cheap and abundant power available in the spot market. “Note that if there had not been cost overruns, a tariff of Rs 3/kwh would have been sufficient to ensure profitability for most new plants,” the survey said. Zach Ertz Authentic Jersey
NPCIL to conclude negotiations for Kudankulam units by this month-end
State-run Nuclear power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is in the final stages of negotiations with Russian companies for establishing two nuclear units at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. “NPCIL is in final stages of negotiation with its Russian counterparts for establishing KKNPP 5&6 at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. The General Frame work Agreement for the same is expected to be completed by the end of January, 2017. Government may have to allocate US$80 million (Rs 544 crore approx) for KKNPP 5&6,” the documents said. The government has announced plans to augment the investment in nuclear power generation. It said Budgetary allocation up to Rs 3,000 crore per annum, together with public sector investments, will be leveraged to facilitate the required investment for this purpose. NPCIL has drawn up a roadmap for 10 indigenous 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors to be set up over the next 10-15 years. The Atomic Energy Commission has approved the proposal and recommended to approach the Cabinet Committee on Security. A draft cabinet note has been circulated amongst nodal ministries as part of inter-ministerial consultations. Some ministries have already concurred with the proposal and NPCIL has been requested to prepare detailed project report for the proposed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, the documents said. M.J. Stewart Authentic Jersey
FM Jaitley announces Rs 4,814 crore for Deen Dayal Upadhyayal Gram Jyoti Yojana
Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has proposed Rs 4,814 crore as part of budget allocation for government’s rural electrification programme Deen Daya Upadhyayal Gram Jyoti Yojana. The minister also said the government was confident of achieving 100 per cent rural electrification by 2018. “We are well on our way to achieving 100 per cent rural electrification by 1st May, 2018,” Jaitley said in his budget speech in Parliament today. As per government data, till date out of 597,464 census villages, 591,707 villages – nearly 99 per cent have been electrified. Jaitely announced these measures as part of the governments’ increased push for the rural sector in India. Wes Schweitzer Authentic Jersey