Power sector in India

The electricity sector in India supplies the world's 5th largest energy consumer, accounting for 4.0% of global energy consumption by more than 17% of global population. the Energy policy of India is predominantly controlled by the Government of India's, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of New Renewable Energy and administered locally by Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

Ramagundam Thermal Power Station, Andhra Pradesh About 65.34%[1] of the electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants, 21.53%[2] by hydroelectric power plants, 2.70% by nuclear power plants.[3] and 10.42% by Renewable Energy Sources. More than 50% of India's commercial energy demand is met through the country's vast coal reserves.[4] The country has also invested heavily in recent years in renewable energy utilization, especially wind energy.[5] In 2010, India's installed wind generated electric capacity was 14,550 MW.[6] Additionally, India has committed massive amount of funds for the construction of various nuclear reactors which would generate at least 30,000 MW.[7] In July 2009, India unveiled a $19 billion plan to produce 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022.[8] Rapid economic growth has created a growing need for dependable and reliable supplies of electricity, gas and petroleum products.[9] Due to the fast-paced growth of India's economy, the

country's energy demand has grown an average of 3.6% per annum over the past 30 years.[4] In August 2011, the installed power generation capacity of India stood at 181.558 GW[10] and per capita energy consumption stood at 704 kWh in 2008-09.[11] The country's annual energy production increased from about 190 billion kWh in 1986 to more than 837 billion kWh in 2010.[12] The Indian government has set a modest target to add approximately 78,000 MW of installed generation capacity by 2012 which it is likely to miss.[13][14] The total demand for electricity in India is expected to cross 950,000 MW by 2030.[15] Four major economic and social drivers characterize the energy policy of India: a rapidly growing economy, increasing household incomes, limited domestic reserves of fossil fuels and the adverse impact on the environment of rapid development in urban and regional areas.[16] According to a research report published by Citigroup Global Markets, India is expected to add up to 113 GW of installed capacity by 2017. Further, renewable capacity might increase from 15.5 GW to 36.0 GW. In the private sector, major capacity additions are planned in Reliance Power (35 GW) and CESC (7 GW).[17]

Administration
The Ministry of Power is the apex body responsible for coordination administration of the electrical energy sector in India. This ministry started functioning independently from 2 July 1992; earlier, it was known as the Ministry of Energy. The Union Minister of Power at present is Sushil Kumar Shinde of the Congress Party who took charge of the ministry on 28 May 2010.

[edit] Technical
Major PSUs involved in the generation of electricity include National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCI). Besides PSUs, several state-level corporations, such as Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO) in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board(TNEB) in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra State Electricity Board(MSEB)in Maharashtra, Kerala State Electricity Board(KSEB) in Kerala, in Gujarat (MGVCL, PGVCL, DGVCL, UGVCL four distribution Companies and one controlling body GUVNL, and one generation company GSECL and one transmission company GETCO), are also involved in the generation and intrastate distribution of electricity. The PowerGrid Corporation of India is responsible for the inter-state transmission of electricity and the development of national grid.

[edit] Funding
The Ministry of Power provides funding to national schemes for power projects via Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC Ltd) and Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC Ltd) These Central Public Sector Enterprises provide loans for both public sector and private sector companies/ projects involved in building power infrastructure.

[edit] Demand

During the year 2010-11, the energy requirement registered a growth of 3.7% during the year against the projected growth of 5.6% and Peak demand registered a growth of 2.6% against the projected growth of 6.5%., though the total ex-bus energy availability increased by 5.6% over the previous year and the peak met increased by 6.0%, the shortage conditions prevailed in the Country both in terms of energy and peaking availability. Base load requirement was 861,591 (MU) against availability of 788,355 MU which is a shortage is 73,236 MU i.e. 8.5% deficit. During peak load the demand was for 122,287 MW against availability of 110,256 MW which is a shortage of 12,031 MW i.e. 9.8%. Electricity losses in India during transmission and distribution are extremely high and vary between 30 to 45%.[18] In 2004-05, electricity demand outstripped supply by 7-11%.[19] Due to shortage of electricity, power cuts are common throughout India and this has adversely effected the country's economic growth.[20][21] Theft of electricity, common in most parts of urban India, amounts to 1.5% of India's GDP.[22][23] Despite an ambitious rural electrification program,[24] some 400 million Indians lose electricity access during blackouts.[25] While 80 percent of Indian villages have at least an electricity line, just 52.5% of rural households have access to electricity. In urban areas, the access to electricity is 93.1% in 2008. The overall electrification rate in India is 64.5% while 35.5% of the population still live without access to electricity.[26] According to a sample of 97,882 households in 2002, electricity was the main source of lighting for 53% of rural households compared to 36% in 1993.[27] Multi Commodity Exchange has sought permission to offer electricity future markets.[28]

[edit] Generation
Total Installed Capacity (as on 30-06-2011) is 1,76,990.40 MW[29].[30]

[edit] Thermal Power

Main article: National Thermal Power Corporation Current installed capacity of Thermal Power as of June 30, 2011 is 115649.48 MW which is 65.34%[31]of total installed capacity.

Current installed base of Coal Based Thermal Power is 96,743.38 MW which comes to 54.66% of total installed base. Current installed base of Gas Based Thermal Power is 17,706.35 MW which is 10.00% of total installed capacity. Current installed base of Oil Based Thermal Power is 1,199.75 MW which is 0.67% of total installed capacity.

The state of Maharashtra is the largest producer of thermal power in the country.

Indira Sagar Dam partially completed in 2008 File:Energy map of India.jpg Energy map of India

[edit] Hydro Power

Main article: Hydroelectric power in India In this system of power generation, the potential of the water falling under gravitational force is utilized to rotate a turbine which again is coupled to a Generator, leading to generation of electricity. India is one of the pioneering countries in establishing hydro-electric power plants. The power plants at Darjeeling and Shimsha (Shivanasamudra) were established in 1898 and 1902 respectively and are among the first in Asia. India is endowed with economically exploitable and viable hydro potential assessed to be about 84,000 MW at 60% load factor. In addition, 6780 MW in terms of installed capacity from Small, Mini, and Micro Hydel schemes have been assessed. Also, 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity of 94,000 MW have been identified. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy. India is blessed with immense amount of hydro-electric potential and ranks 5th in terms of exploitable hydro-potential on global scenario. The present installed capacity as on 30-06-2011 is approximately 37,367.4 MW which is 21.53% of total Electricity Generation in India.[32] The public sector has a predominant share of 97% in this sector.[33] National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), Northeast Electric Power Company (NEEPCO), Satluj jal vidyut nigam (SJVNL), Tehri Hydro Development Corporation, NTPCHydro are a few public sector companies engaged in development of Hydroelectric Power in India.

[edit] Nuclear Power

Main article: Nuclear power in India Currently, twenty nuclear power reactors produce 4,780 MW which is about 2.7% of total generation[34]

Wind turbiness in Tamil Nadu

[edit] Renewable Energy

Main article: Renewable energy in India Renewable energy in India is a sector that is still in its infancy. Even though India was the first country in the world to set up a ministry of non-conventional energy resources, in early 1980s. Its success has been very spotty. It still lags behind many developed nations in terms of the use of renewable energy (RE). As on 30-06-2011 about 18,454.52 MW of Energy is being generated through renewable means. This forms about 10.42% of total Electricity Generation in India. Renewable energy in India comes under the purview of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

[edit] Solar power

Main article: Solar power in India Solar energy is tapped using both solar thermal and Photovoltaic cell. In Solar thermal the solar energy is used to produce steam which is subsequently used to drive a turbo-generator to produce electricity. But in case of a Photovoltaic cell semiconducting materials are used to produce positive and negative charges under the influence of light i.e. Energy from sun light. Solar energy can alternatively, also be used for water heating, Air Conditioning and Cooking. India is endowed with rich solar energy resource. India receives the highest global solar radiation on a horizontal surface. The average intensity of solar radiation received on India is 200 MW/km square (megawatt per kilometre square). With a geographical area of 3.287 million km square, this amounts to 657.4 million MW. However, 87.5% of the land is used for agriculture, forests, fallow lands, etc., 6.7% for housing, industry, etc., and 5.8% is either barren, snow bound, or generally inhabitable. Thus, only 12.5% of the land area amounting to 0.413 million km square can, in theory, be used for solar energy installations. Even if 10% of this area can be used, the available solar energy would be 8 million MW, which is equivalent to 5909 million ton oil equivalent per year. The desert areas in India have the solar radiation required for CSP production. A 60 km x 60 km area can produce 1,00,000 MW of power. India has a desert area

of 2,08,110 sq kilometres in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Even if India uses only 15,000 sq. kilometres of the desert, it can produce 3,00,000 MW of power. The first Indian solar thermal power project (2X50MW) is in progress in Phalodi (Rajasthan), and is constructed by CORPORATE ISPAT ALLOY LTD. The solar thermal power plant has cost 4 times as much as the coal based steam thermal power plant, CIAL carried this 2x850 crore solar thermal project. It is the "pioneering of solar energy" in India. India is densely populated and has high solar insolation, an ideal combination for using solar power in India. Much of the country does not have an electrical grid, so one of the first applications of solar power has been for water pumping, to begin replacing India's four to five million diesel powered water pumps, each consuming about 3.5 kilowatts, and off-grid lighting. Some large projects have been proposed, and a 35,000 km area of the Thar Desert has been set aside for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 gigawatts. The Indian Solar Loan Programme, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme has won the prestigious Energy Globe World award for Sustainability for helping to establish a consumer financing program for solar home power systems. Over the span of three years more than 16,000 solar home systems have been financed through 2,000 bank branches, particularly in rural areas of South India where the electricity grid does not yet extend.[35][36] Launched in 2003, the Indian Solar Loan Programme was a four-year partnership between UNEP, the UNEP Risoe Centre, and two of India's largest banks, the Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank.[36] Announced in November 2009, the Government of India proposed to launch its Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change with plans to generate 1,000 MW of power by 2013 and up to 20,000 MW grid-based solar power, 2,000 MW of off-grid solar power and cover 20 million square metres with collectors by the end of the final phase of the mission in 2020.[37]

[edit] Wind Power

Main article: Wind power in India In this system the velocity of the wind is used to rotate large fans attached to turbines. The turbines then rotate the Generator to produce electricity. The short gestation periods for installing wind turbines, and the increasing reliability and performance of wind energy machines has made wind power a favored choice for capacity addition in India. The development of wind power in India began in the 1990s, and has significantly increased in the last few years. Although a relative newcomer to the wind industry compared with Denmark or the US, a combination of domestic policy support for wind power and the rise of Suzlon (a leading global wind turbine manufacturer) have led India to become the country with the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world.[38] As of June 2010 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 12009.14 MW, mainly spread across Tamil Nadu (4132.72 MW), Maharashtra (1837.85 MW), Karnataka (1184.45 MW),

Rajasthan (670.97 MW), Gujarat (1432.71 MW), Andhra Pradesh (122.45 MW), Madhya Pradesh (187.69 MW), Kerala (23.00 MW), West Bengal (1.10 MW), other states (3.20 MW)[39] It is estimated that 6,000 MW of additional wind power capacity will be installed in India by 2012.[40] Wind power accounts for 6% of India's total installed power capacity, and it generates 1.6% of the country's power.[41]

[edit] Biomass Power

In this system Bagasse, Forestry and agro residue & Agricultural based industrial wastes are burnt to produce steam which is used to produce electricity. Waste to energy remains mostly unrealized while there is a massive potential for generating Biomass electricity from agri residues like rice husk etc. In present day scenario, Biomass utilization for generation of energy has gained momentum because of limited availability of the conventional energy resources as well as environmental concern due to GHG emissions. Technological developments relating to the conversion, crop production, etc. promise the application of biomass at lower cost and with higher conversion efficiency than was possible previously. When produced by sustainable means, biomass emits roughly the same amount of carbon during conversion as is taken up during plant growth. The use of biomass therefore does not contribute to a build up of CO2 in the atmosphere. India is very rich in biomass and has a potential of 16,881MW (agro-residues and plantations), 5000MW (bagasse cogeneration) and 2700MW (energy recovery from waste). Biomass power generation in India is an industry that attracts investments of over INR 600 crores every year, generating more than 5000 million units of electricity and yearly employment of more than 10 million man-days in the rural areas.

[edit] Geothermal Energy

In this system the geothermal energy is utilized to produce steam for generation of electricity. Geothermal energy is earths natural heat available inside the earth. This thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid that filled up fractures and pores in the earths crust can profitably be used for various purposes. This energy is accessed by drilling water or steam wells in a process similar to drilling for oil. Geothermal energy is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases), reliable (average system availability of 95%), and home grown (making us less dependent on foreign oil). India has reasonably good potential for geothermal; the potential geothermal provinces can produce 10,600 MW of power. Rocks covered on the surface of India ranging in age from more than 4500 million years to the present day and distributed in different geographical units. The rocks comprise of Archean, Proterozoic, the marine and continental Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, Teritary, Quaternary etc., More than 300 hot spring locations have been identified by Geological survey of India (Thussu, 2000). But yet geothermal power projects has not been exploited at all, owing to a variety of reasons, the chief being the availability of plentiful coal at cheap costs. However, with increasing environmental problems with coal based projects, India will need to start depending on clean and eco-friendly energy sources in future; one of which could be geothermal. India occupies 15th position in geothermal power use by country.

[edit] Tidal Wave Energy

The high energy of sea tides is used to rotate turbines which drive generators to produce electricity. The identified economic tidal power potential in India is of the order of 8000-9000 MW with about 7000 MW in the Gulf of Cambay about 1200 MW in the Gulf of Kutch and less than 100 MW in Sundarbans.

Strategies

Power Generation Strategy with focus on low cost generation, optimization of capacity utilization, controlling the input cost, optimisation of fuel mix, Technology upgradation and utilization of Non Conventional energy sources Transmission Strategy with focus on development of National Grid including Interstate connections, Technology upgradation & optimization of transmission cost. Distribution strategy to achieve Distribution Reforms with focus on System upgradation, loss reduction, theft control, consumer service orientation, quality power supply commercialization, Decentralized distributed generation and supply for rural areas. Regulation Strategy aimed at protecting Consumer interests and making the sector commercially viable. Financing Strategy to generate resources for required growth of the power sector. Conservation Strategy to optimise the utilization of electricity with focus on Demand Side management, Load management and Technology upgradation to provide energy efficient equipment / gadgets. Communication Strategy for political consensus with media support to enhance the general public awareness.,

[edit] Rural Electrification

Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh are some of the states where significant number (more than 10%) of villages are yet to be electrified.

Number of Villages (1991 Census) - 593,732 Villages Electrified (30 May 2006) - 488,173 Village level Electrification % - 82.2%

[edit] Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) Main article: Rural Electrification Corporation Limited

Ministry of Power launched Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) as one of its flagship programme in March 2005 with the objective of electrifying over one lakh un-electrified villages and to provide free electricity connections to 2.34 Crore rural BPL households. This programme has been brought under the ambit of Bharat Nirman, Under RGGVY, electricity distribution infrastructure is envisaged to establish Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone (REDB) with at least a 33/11KV sub-station in a block, Village Electrification Infrastructure (VEI) with at least a Distribution Transformer in a village or hamlet, and standalone grids with generation where grid supply is not feasible. Subsidy towards capital expenditure to the tune of 90% is being provided, through Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC), which is a nodal agency for implementation of the scheme. Electrification of un-electrified Below Poverty Line (BPL) households is being financed with 100% capital subsidy @ Rs.2200/- per connection in all rural habitations. Rural Electrification Corporation is the nodal agency for implementation of the scheme. The services of Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSU) are available to the States for assisting them in the execution of Rural Electrification projects. The Management of Rural Distribution is mandated through franchisees. So far, Ministry of Power has sanctioned 576 projects for 546 districts to electrify 1,10,321 villages and to provide free electricity connections to 2.30 Crore BPL rural households. As on 30 June, 2011, works in 97,940 villages have been completed and 165.79 lakh free electricity connections have been released to BPL households. The revised Bharat Nirman target for RGGVY is to electrify 1 lakh villages and to provide free electricity connections to 175 lakh BPL households by March 2012.