National Energy Policy aims to meet sustainable growth
The four key objectives of the new energy policy are access at affordable prices, improved energy security and independence, greater sustainability and economic growth. Power and coal minister Piyush Goyal informed Rajya Sabha in a written reply. Thi policy is being discussed by NITI Aayog with different stake holders. The minister further stated in the reply that NEP builds on the achievements of the earlier omnibus energy policy – the Integrated Energy Policy (IEP), and sets the new agenda consistent with the redefined role of emerging developments in the energy world. In view of the fact, that energy is handled by different ministries that have the primary responsibility of setting their own sectoral agenda, an omnibus policy is required to achieve the goal of energy security through coordination between these sources. This is also expected to mainstream emerging energy technologies, and provide consumer energy choices, Goyal added. Replying to a question on the difference between the old and new policies, the minister informed that the new policy differs from the previous policy while including the issue related to sharp decline of crude oil prices, change in solar energy technology, heightened concern of climate change issues, ambitious target of Renewable energy and rural electrification agenda adopted by the Government. Roosevelt Nix Authentic Jersey
MP government wants to hike tariff after buying power at high rate: AAP
Aam Aadmi Party on Monday alleged that Madhya Pradesh government purchased electricity at a high rate for the benefit of private power generation firms, and to make up the resultant loss of Rs 9,288.53 crore, it now wanted to put the burden on the consumers through a tariff hike. “MP Power Management Company Limited (MPPMCL) has sustained a whopping loss of Rs 9,288.53 crore according to its audit report of 2013-14,” state AAP convener Alok Agrawal said in Bhopal. “Instead of buying power from MP Power Generating Company, NTPC and other government establishments, state government bought electricity, in some cases for Rs 9.50 per unit, from private electricity sellers,” he alleged. “MPPMCL has petitioned MP Electricity Regulatory Commission (MPERC) seeking its approval to hike power tariff for the three distribution companies which supply power to consumers in MP,” he said. “If the MPERC gives permission to MPPMCL, the domestic consumers will get power Rs 2.50 per unit costlier,” he added. Agrawal said AAP was opposed to the MPPMCL petition and was going to contest it at hearing at MPERC tomorrow. The petition aimed at “looting” the commoners, he said. The AAP leader, citing the petition, also said Rs 1,569 crore electricity dues of big consumers (industrial houses) were waived unlawfully. This made it clear that small consumers were being victimised, he added. AAP will oppose any move to hike the power tariff and wanted the tariff to be halved, he said. Dick Butkus Womens Jersey
Storage push to solar power
Advances in energy storage technology could pull down prices of solar and wind power to levels close to those of coal-fired power within the next five to seven years, energy analysts just back from the UN climate conference in Morocco said today. These emerging advances in battery-based storage systems have been projected to make available solar and wind-driven electricity at about Rs 5 per unit, making the prices of these renewable energy sources close and competitive to the price of coal-based power, the analysts said. “This is amazing, if these projections actually pan out, we could see a significant acceleration of the expansion of renewable energy everywhere, including India,” said Ajay Mathur, the director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a research think-tank in New Delhi. Coal-fired thermal power plants currently make up about 60 per cent of India’s installed electricity capacity; renewable energy sources, mainly wind and solar, contribute about 15 per cent; large hydroelectric stations make up 14 per cent; gas 8 per cent; nuclear 1.9 per cent; and diesel 0.3 per cent. The Indian government has pledged to increase the country’s installed solar power capacity from the current level of about 8,600 MW to 100,000 MW by 2022, and to raise the proportion of non-fossil fuel sources, primarily renewable and nuclear, in India’s total installed energy capacity to 40 per cent by 2030. However, the main barrier holding up the rapid scale-up of solar and wind power is the limited generation capacities of solar and wind stations because neither sunshine nor wind are available 24 hours a day, unlike a thermal power plant that can burn coal continuously. But the France-based International Energy Agency has predicted major transformation in the global energy market over the next decades, with renewables and natural gas emerging as “big winners” to meet the energy demands up to the year 2040. Senior TERI analysts said the IEA had also made technical projections of emerging battery storage technology that would help address the issue of limited sunshine and wind availability. These technology advances are expected to make available renewable energy dispatched to electricity utility companies round the clock, reducing the cost. While coal-fired electricity is currently available for utilities in India for about Rs 3.5 per unit, the prices of coal electricity are likely to increase by about Rs 1 per unit under new thermal power plant standards mandated by the Indian government. “When this happens, coal prices will rise above Rs 4 per unit,” Mathur said. The IEA, in a report released during the climate meeting in Morocco, has predicted that coal consumption is expected to barely grow over the next 25 years as demand in China falls back through that country’s efforts to fight air pollution and diversify the energy mix. The annual conference brought together delegations from several countries to discuss strategies to curb or reduce Earth-warming greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change induced by global warming. The expansion of renewable energy is a key component of these strategies. The IEA has predicted that renewables will remain the fastest-growing source of electricity generation, with their share globally rising from 23 per cent in 2015 to about 28 per cent in 2021. Marshon Lattimore Jersey
Government mulls central transmission entity
Government is looking at creating a separate entity to function as a dedicated central transmission utility with operational and financial authority, Parliament was informed on Monday. “Government has contemplated the creation of a separate entity as a dedicated company having operational and financial autonomy which shall discharge the statutory functions of Central Transmission Utility (CTU) along with other functions which inter-alia includes Power System Planning,” Power Minister Piyush Goyal stated in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on Monday. According to statement, the proposal for creation of such an entity is presently at a preliminary stage. At present, Power Grid Corp discharges the CTU functions. Its arm Power System Operation Corp manages the electricity grid in the country. PSOC ensures integrated operation of regional and national power systems to facilitate transfer of electricity within and across regions and trans-national exchange of power. In another reply to the House, Goyal said that during the April-October period of the current fiscal, 2.67% of coal and lignite based thermal units could not generate electricity at all. During 12th Plan (2012-17) till September 2016, he said, a total of 3,000 MW of inefficient thermal generating capacity has been retired. This will result in better utilisation of more efficient plants. In another reply, Goyal stated that as reported by the states, there were 18,452 un-electrified census villages in the country, as on April 1, 2015. Out of these, 10,628 villages have been electrified as on October, 31, 2016 and the remaining 7,824 un-electrified villages are targeted to be electrified by May, 2018. As per Census 2011, out of 1,678 lakh rural households in the country, 750 lakh were un-electrified. However, 249.89 lakh BPL households have been released connections under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), including Rural Electrification component, as on October, 31, 2016, he added. Goyal further said that the 23,273.5 MW capacity of coal and lignite based thermal power generating units were un-utilised due to its non-schedule from beneficiaries (Reserve shut down) as on November 14, 2016. The un-utilised capacity of gas and other liquid/multi fuel power stations cannot be quantified as it depends on availability of gas, he added. On hydro power, he said as many as 12 Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of hydro power projects, with an aggregate installed capacity of 9,979, MW are under examination in Central Electricity Authority (CEA). Jake Gardiner Authentic Jersey
Sweden to scrap taxes on solar energy in 2017 in bid to run entirely on renewables
Sweden is set to ditch taxes on its production of solar energy in 2017 in a bid to run entirely on renewable energy by 2040, the government said on Monday. Solar energy is currently marginal in the Nordic nation, accounting for less than 0.1 percent of electricity production. Sweden relies mostly on hydropower (39 percent) and nuclear power (36 percent). The finance ministry said in a statement that the production of solar electricity for own use would be entirely exempt from taxes. Electricity providers would meanwhile only be taxed 500 kronor (51 euros) per megawatt hour, which is a 98-percent reduction from the current level. “This makes fast investments possible,” Social Democratic Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson said. The proposal is likely to be adopted by parliament, with the centre-right opposition having criticised the minister for her lack of ambition with regards renewable energy investments. The move must also be approved by the European Commission in Brussels, which aims to boost the EU’s share of renewable energy to at least 20 percent of consumption. In October, the Swedish energy market regulator had estimated that in order to reach the target of 100 percent renewable energy, the share of solar electricity would have to rise to between five and 10 percent. Steve McLendon Jersey
Vedanta looks to raise captive power generation capacity by 1,200 Megawatt
Metals and mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd is looking at increasing its captive power generation capacity by 1,200 megawatt (MW) amid rising production. The company is considering setting up 350-MW super-critical units in joint ventures at its different production bases in the country. “We are evaluating various models and one of them being looked at includes offering excess land at our manufacturing units as equity in setting up thermal power units under joint venture with third parties,” Ajay Dixit, chief executive officer of Vedanta’s power business, said. Vedanta has an electricity generation capacity of nearly 9,000 MW of which 200 MW comes from wind and the rest from thermal. Nearly 60% of the 9,000 MW is for captive use, the remaining is sold in the market. “At present, the average utilisation of commercial power generation capacity at Vedanta Ltd is a shade above 70% while the utilisation of captive power units are more than 90%. We have estimated that an additional 1,200 MW of generation capacity would be required to cater to the increased production capacities,” Dixit said. Vedanta is looking at various models for procuring quality power supplied steadily at competitive rates. “Apart from the joint venture model, other models being looked at include entering into long-term power purchase agreements with power producers that would set up their plants and supply us the power. Alternatively, we would set up our own generation capacities at manufacturing bases,” he said. Vedanta has already invited an expression of interest and is evaluating the pros and cons of various models. Around 3,554 MW of the total capacity, meant for commercial sale, is running at around 70%. The remaining 5,194 MW is for captive usage, where capacity utilisation has risen with the rise in production. In Jharsuguda in Odisha, Vedanta has a power generation capacity of 3,615 MW of which 600 MW is for commercial sale while the rest is for captive use. The commercial capacity utilisation is around 80%. At the Talwandi Sabo Power project in Punjab, the entire capacity of 1,980 MW is for commercial sale on a long-term basis. The project recently saw a dip in power sales but capacity utilisation has now risen to 90%. At Balco, Vedanta has an installed capacity of 2010 MW of which 600 MW (2 x 300 MW) is for commercial sale while the rest is for captive use. At Hindustan Zinc Limited, the total installed capacity is 748 MW of which 274 MW is generated from wind and is sold in the market. The remaining 474 MW is for captive usage. There is an additional 100 MW at Malco for commercial sale and 160 MW at Tuticorin for captive usage. Greg Mancz Authentic Jersey
Gurgaon power department all set to invest Rs 200 crore to maintain and upgrade feeders
Power woes of residents in private colonies are likely to be resolved soon. The power department is all set to invest Rs 200 crore to upgrade and maintain the feeders installed in builder areas and group housing societies. A senior official of the power department said around Rs 1 crore is required to upgrade and maintain one feeder on an average. As of now, residents in builder areas and housing societies are facing outages for hours owing to insufficient infrastructure, over-loaded and erratic supply. “The move by power discoms will bring much-needed relief to the residents,” he said. The power discoms have prepared an elaborate maintenance plan for feeders. It will take around a year to implement the plan and upgrade the network of feeders, according to officials. Another senior official of the power department said builders, who should take care of power infra maintenance in plotted colonies and group housing societies, pass the responsibility to resident welfare associations (RWAs). They, in turn, are unable to carry out the maintenance work properly, owing to which residents have to face tough time during power cuts. The plight of residents, who file complaints, has forced the power discoms to take over the maintenance work. “During the maintenance work, the load of independent feeders will be shifted to another feeders and additional infrastructure will be created so that the residents do not face crisis during the work,” said an official. Power discoms have bee working on other ways to ensure circuits and cables don’t break under excess load. Also, workers have many a time complained that they don’t get necessary equipmentt to tackle outages and erratic supply. Brett Hull Authentic Jersey
Two years on, LED project to replace lamps yet to take shape in Maharashtra
It seems that municipal corporation’s plan to replace 24,000-odd sodium vapour lamps with LED lights will be delayed, as the civic administration is yet to finalise a consultant to draft the tender documents. The idea to install LED lights across the city was floated by the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) two years ago. The tendering process of the work was stopped after the standing committee raised some issue. A few months ago, the KMC invited firms to bid for the project. Some of the firms had promised saving a significant amount of electricity from the existing consumption. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 16 crore. The KMC will undertake the project under the build operate and transfer (BOT) basis. Civic officials claimed that a government-run firm has been finalised as the consultant, but the issue is yet to be put up before the standing committee for final approval. Amit Dalvi, head of the KMC’s electricity department, said, “The proposal will be put before the standing committee soon. The consultant will survey the number of streetlights in the city, undertake energy auditing and finalise the tender documents. We expect the work to start at the earliest. The financial model for the project will be decided by the committee and the general body after the consultant comes up with the report of energy audit and makes suggestions for effective execution.” According to officials, the process of survey and energy auditing is time-consuming and may take months. The energy audit will be carried out to estimate the consumption of electricity by the existing lamps, the amount of power and the expenses to be saved after the installation of LED lights. While floating the idea, the KMC had decided to give yearly grant equal to the expenses on electricity bills to the firm. The civic body has studied similar projects undertaken in other cities across the country. “Civic officials have found that automatic functioning of LED lights can be possible, besides cutting down on the staff required for maintaining streetlights because of the advanced technology. All aspects are being studied. Maximum efforts will be taken to save expenses,” Dalvi said. “We have been trying to by all means to complete the project. We are facing a major cash crunch situation and we are studying all aspects to make the situation better for motorists and commuters across the district,” he added. Kolten Wong Womens Jersey
Karnataka scouts for technology that will re-purpose thermal plant residue
Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) may be staring at a major environmental crisis. Fly ash, the easily airborne byproduct of coal combustion, produced at the state’s largest thermal power plant was until now being carefully stockpiled in its backyard. But running out of space, the energy department is now looking to import technology from Germany to clear up the stock, scientifically. The department officials, led by energy minister DK Shivakumar, have been visiting various fly ash sites across Germany and other European countries. Kumar Naik, managing director of Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL), which owns thermal units across the state, is also accompanying the minister and holding talks with European agencies over methods of disposal of accumulated fly ash. The idea is to adopt a feasible scientific method to cope with similar challenges at new thermal plants in Ballari and Raichur. Sources in KPCL told Mirror that RTPS currently dumps its fly ash in a 1,000-acre site. “There are two plots of 500 acres each were we have been dumping the fly ash. One plot is filled to the brim while the other almost half full. It is not possible to acquire any more land for dumping because of the costs involved. Besides, people are going to protest, if we do. So, a scientific way of disposal may be the only way out,” said the senior electrical engineer. HEALTH HAZARD The nearly weightless fly ash can cause severe air pollution in the vicinity and so officials have been using a lot of water to dampen the ash and transport it to the dumping site. “Mere ash cannot be transported anywhere as it gets airborne easily. Also, there are legal bindings on safe disposal and transport of fly ash. Hence, it is carried in the form of slurry of bottom ash and deposited at the site. What we are looking at now is a technology to process that waste instead of just transporting and dump it at a site. It’ll save a huge quantity of water too,” energy minister Shivakumar told Mirror from Germany. According to Shivakumar, the department’s delegation last week visited Germany’s major fly ash treatment and deposition plant at Leipzig and was told about the latest technology through which ash can be processed scientifically. THE GERMAN WAY “The site is currently managed by MUEG Company which completely takes care of collection of ash to final processing at the original site itself. Using their patented technology, they have been successfully treating the ash before it gets dumped at a designated place. The method is ecofriendly and not water-intensive. Just by adding a chemical agent, the ash is converted into a ready concrete. It does not require any other external agent for further strengthening. Due to its molten state, it can easily be transported anywhere or used in application. They have developed three to four different methods of treating fly ash and depending on the requirement we can adopt any of them,” Shivakumar explained. The company has been treating ash at its plants in Lochau and Peres. “The treated ash has application in several industries as it blends with the general climatic conditions without causing any ecological imbalance. Be it filter ash, wet ash or slurry, they treat it effectively. Making use of the treated fly ash, they have been filling cavities in railway and water supply tunnels; and they’ve used it during asphalting of roads. In fact, they have used the fly ash to construct the A72 motorway in Germany. Besides, the bunds of several lakes have been built using fly ash materials. The internal layer of almost all water canals was built using processed fly ash,” a senior officer accompanying the minister said. HIGH UTILISATION Shivakumar revealed that currently the utilisation of fly ash is only about 40 to 45 per cent. “What we do now is mix it with other agents such as cement or other substances to make it into bricks. But by adopting this German technology, we not only require huge amounts of water to treat the ash. We should also be able to clear up the pile in less than a few years. As per the Supreme Court order, fly ash has to be utilised 100 per cent and this new technology allows us to comply with that order,” he said. Evan Boehm Jersey
CHHATTISGARH AIMS 1/3RD OF INDIA’S POWER GENERATION TARGET IN 12TH PLAN
Chhattisgarh is aiming to achieve one-third of the national power generation target of 90,000 MW through commissioning of various projects during the 12th five-year Plan, officials informed. Chhattisgarh will procure additional power from renewable energy sources to the tune of approximately 700 MW by FY 2018, officials informed. With this the average power purchase cost for Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Ltd (CSPDCL) based on the above power availability will increase from 2.58 Rs/kWh in FY 2015-16 to 3.12 Rs/kWh in FY 2018, they informed. The rates have been derived based on cost of power at existing rates and considering no escalation in power purchase cost since it is passing through for the distribution company. Notably, Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) has invested ` 400 crores during last 11 years in developing infrastructure for solar power generation which had resulted in 40 MW of electricity being generated from non conventional energy sources. The agency will be installing a total of 10,000 submersible and surface solar photo voltaic (SPV) irrigation pumps in farm lands soon across the State. The SPV Pumps shall be provided with lightening and over voltage protection. The principal aim in this protection is to reduce the over voltage to a tolerable value before it reaches the PV or other sub-systems components. The source of over voltage can be lightening or any other atmospheric disturbance, officials informed. Notably, the State government has already commenced preparation for setting up 51,000 solar powered irrigation pumps in a span of two-and-half-years in the State. The government has set the target of setting up 11,000 solar pumps in the current financial year till March 2017 and the rest during the next two years. Notably, Chhattisgarh government is also planning to add 2640 MW of additional renewable energy capacity by financial year 2018-19, officials informed. The State currently has total renewable energy potential of 4,500 MW which includes solar (grid connected and roof top), wind biomass and small hydro. The State has also planned to install solar powered pump sets for agriculture consumers which will benefit 16,000 consumers. It may be recalled that there are significantly more number of villages which are to be electrified in Chhattisgarh using the off-grid (solar) mode than the grid-based (conventional power supply) mode. As per the latest data available with the Union Ministry of Power, a total of 543 villages have to be electrified under ‘off-grid’ mode compared to 101 through the conventional power supply grid as on May 31, 2016. The State will soon also launch a ‘Solar Community Irrigation Project’ for drawing water extracted using solar pumps for supplying to the agricultural land of farmers across the State. The pipeline extension project to be executed by CREDA would be undertaken shortly, officials informed. Chhattisgarh is planning to add 2640 MW of additional renewable energy capacity by financial year 2018-19, officials informed. The State currently has total renewable energy potential of 4,500 MW which includes solar (grid connected and roof top), wind biomass and small hydro. The State has also planned to install solar powered pump sets for agriculture consumers which will benefit 16,000 consumers. It may be recalled that there are significantly more number of villages which are to be electrified in Chhattisgarh using the off-grid (solar) mode than the grid-based (conventional power supply) mode. As per the latest data available with the Union Ministry of Power, a total of 543 villages have to be electrified under ‘off-grid’ mode compared to 101 through the conventional power supply grid as on May 31, 2016. The State will soon also launch a ‘Solar Community Irrigation Project’ for drawing water extracted using solar pumps for supplying to the agricultural land of farmers across the State. Jamar Taylor Womens Jersey