Towards Clean Energy | Gist of Rajya Sabha TV / RSTV (now Sansad TV) - UPSC PDF Download

Introduction:

Electricity drives our lifestyles. Everything from a computer to a television to refrigerator needs energy. The energy supply sector (electricity, heat, and other energy) is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for approx. 35% of total emissions. Switching to renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind or hydroelectric power, also means less pollution and new and better jobs. To get back on track for the 1.5°C goal, emissions from the energy sector need to be halved by 2030 and eliminated by 2050. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson jointly launched the 'one world, one sun, one grid' initiative at the COP 26 Climate Meet in Glasgow, envisioning a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy green grids. One Sun, One World & One Grid will not only reduce storage needs but also enhance the viability of solar projects. This creative initiative will not only reduce carbon footprints and energy cost but also open a new avenue for cooperation between different countries and region. India has also made a commitment at COP 26 Summit that by 2030 it will fulfill 50% of its energy requirement through renewable energy and bring its non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.

Clean energy:

• It is energy that comes from renewable, zero emission sources that do not pollute the atmosphere when used, as well as energy saved by energy efficiency measures. In other words, it is the energy derived from renewable, zero-emissions sources (“renewables”), as well as energy saved through energy efficiency (“EE”) measures.
• Clean energy is energy gained from sources that do release air pollutants, while green energy is energy derived from natural sources.
• There is a degree of crossover between clean energy and green or renewable energy sources, but they are not exactly the same.
• The perfect clean energy mix occurs where green energy meets renewable energy, such as with solar energy and wind energy.
• Clean energy Sources
• Sunlight
• Wind power
• Hydro or water power
• geothermal power
• Biomass
• Clean energy works by producing power without having negative environmental impacts, such as the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. A lot of clean energy is also renewable, including wind power, some hydro resources and solar powered energy generation.

Increasing accessibility to clean energy:

• India has already committed to bring electricity to every household by 2022. An even more ambitious goal would be to provide electricity to all households on 24×7 basis.
• To bring clean fuel in rural areas the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana, should be complemented by: Setting up of biomass pelletising units; and distribution of ‘efficient biomass chullahs’.
• On the agricultural front, solar irrigation pump distribution target must be stepped up and financed through credit support from NABARD and government subsidy.
• The potential non-conventional energy sources must be explored and researched to make them technologically economical and accessible, like geothermal energy, tidal energy etc.

Prospects for India:

• Clean energy provides a variety of environmental and economic benefits, including a reduction in air pollution.
• NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) have released Towards a Clean Energy Economy: Post-Covid-19 Opportunities for India’s Energy and Mobility Sectors report.
• The report states that India’s transport sector can save 1.7 gigatonnes of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions.
• It can also avoid about 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent in fuel demand by 2030.
• A diverse clean energy supply also reduces the dependence on imported fuels and the associated financial and environmental costs this incurs.
• Renewable clean energy also has inherent cost savings, as there is no need to extract and transport fuels, such as with oil or coal, as the resources replenish themselves naturally.
• Other industrial benefits of a clean energy mix is the creation of jobs to develop, manufacture and install the clean energy resources of the future.
• There are financial benefits related to clean energy, not least due to the creation of work to improve the infrastructure, manufacture clean energy solutions and install and maintain them.
• Renewable and clean energy are growth sectors as the world begins to move away from fossil fuels, meaning that more opportunities will arise in areas ranging from eMobility to power generation and storage.
• The expertise that comes with developing these next generation power solutions can be of benefit of those that attain it, offering work and contracts to those who are slow to take up clean energy.

Challenges:

• Availability of Power: One of the biggest concerns in the field of renewable energy is power generation depending on natural resources that are uncontrollable by humans. For example, solar powered electricity is generated only when sunshine is available and turns off at night; wind energy also depends on the availability of wind, so if the wind speed is very low, the turbine will not turn, and this result in zero power flow to the grid. The uncertainty in energy production in renewable energy technologies is making integration more complex.
• Power Quality Issues: Consistently high power quality is needed to ensure stability and high efficiency of the network. It can lead to high costs and equipment failure. Power quality problems include frequency disorder, voltage/current harmonics, low power factor, voltage variation and transmission lines transits.
• Resource location: Most renewable energy plants that share their energy with the grid require large areas of space. In most cases, renewable energy sources are dictated by location which can be off-putting to users. Firstly, some renewable energy sources are simply not available in different regions. Secondly, the distance between the renewable energy source and the grid is a major aspect in term of cost and efficiency.
• Information Barrier: While this area is improving, there is a lack of information and awareness about the benefits and need of renewable energy. Investment and capital allowances have been made available for the implementation of renewable energies.
• Cost Issue: The high initial cost of installation is one of the major hurdles in the development of renewable energy. Although the development of a coal plant requires about $6 per megawatt, it is known that wind and solar power plants also required high investment. In addition to this, storage systems of the generated energy is expensive and represents a real challenge in terms of megawatt production.

Way forward for India:

• India needs to identify strategic opportunities for economic recovery in the short, medium, and long terms that can translate challenges posed by the pandemic into clean energy transition opportunities.
• Opportunities in the transport sector include making public transport safe, enhancing and expanding non-motorized transport infrastructure, reducing vehicle kilometres travelled through work-from-home where possible, supporting national strategies to adopt electric vehicles in the freight and passenger segments, and making India an automotive export hub.
• In the power sector, opportunities include improving the electricity distribution business and its operations, enabling renewables and distributed energy resources, and promoting energy resilience and local manufacturing of renewable energy and energy storage technologies.
• To support growing clean energy, the expansion of transmission infrastructure, for both intra and inter-state should be strengthened.
• It should be carefully assessed to ensure that domestic content requirement does not hinder the growth of solar capacity.
• Investment in R&D programmes, as well as human resource development is necessary in addition to local content requirements
• Strengthen the institutional structure to facilitate effective flow of central financial assistance. It is also important to strengthen institutional structure to monitor implementation of Government policies and programmes.
• The government also needs to ensure that India’s distribution companies have the capacity to continue to purchase renewable electricity, especially if bid prices level off or rise.

Conclusion:

• Clean energy appears to be the future for the power needs of humanity across the globe as reliance of fossil fuels continues to diminish.
• As the drive towards clean, green and renewable energy continues to advance, the cost will fall and work will be created to develop and install these new power solutions.
• More and more people are recognising the environmental, societal and economic benefits of clean energy and, as more cities, states and nations sign up to a green power agenda, this will continue to advance.