Energy Issues in India

            India, the third-largest coal producing country in the world, is also the third largest coal consuming country, accounting for around 9% of total coal consumption in the world (Renewable, 2007). With 8.6% of the global coal reserves, India has the fourth largest share in the world, behind only the United States, Russia, and China. The fast pace of India’s development in the most recent decade will soon lead to an increase in the use of coal, and other non-renewable resources, such as oil and gas. The Indian Renewable Energy Status Report predicts that for India to “provide adequate electricity to its population, it needs to more than double its current installed capacity to over 300 GW by 2017.” A rapidly expanding population requires more energy to meet their daily demands; in a country where the population is already over one billion people, these energy demands will be quite high.

However, India’s leaders have chosen to directly tackle this impending problem. The Eleventh Five-Year Plan, for 2007-2012, establishes a target that 10% of power generating capacity will be from renewable sources by 2012. India has already reached this goal, through efforts in solar, wind, biogas, biomass, and small hydropower projects (Arora, 2010). In 2007, wind energy accounted for 65.15% of total energy produced by renewable energy technology. Though solar energy has yet to reach its full potential in a sun-drenched country such as India, government funds are promoting research and development, further promoting the use of renewable energy technologies. Hydropower, which has come close to reaching capacity in the United States, still has a prominent future in India, as the myriad of streams in villages could potentially be harnessed for small-scale energy production.

Biomass, one of the most interesting methods of renewable energy, is the creation of energy from organic materials. In India, the use of cow manure as fuel is a prime example of biomass generated renewable energy. 40% of India’s non-commercial energy resources come from organic materials such as manure or wood (Arora, 2010). The vast majority of India’s population utilizes organic fuel for cooking; harnessing these already ingrained capabilities would be to India’s great advantage. Biomass uses agricultural output and organic waste, thus reducing the amount of waste that could end up in a landfill, while also decreasing dependence on non-renewable resources, such as coal. Also, biomass has much fewer toxic byproducts, unlike coal or gas, which have the potential to produce carcinogens such as carbon monoxide.

Biogas, the most prevalent use of biomass for energy in India, “is obtained via an anaerobic process of digesting organic material such as animal waste, crop residues, and waste from industrial and domestic activities to produce the combustible gas methane” (Arora, 2010). This method has primarily been used in India for small-scale projects in rural areas, “as it is the cheapest and the most widely available fuel” (Biomass, 2010). Currently, 4 million small-scale plants have been installed in India, with the potential for many more to be created. With about 28% of the world’s total cattle population, fuel such as manure is not difficult to come by, further perpetuating ease of household use. The gas produced by burning organic material is most often used on a family basis for cooking and providing lighting.

Liquid biofuels, most notably ethanol and biodiesel, are primarily used to offset dependence on transportation fuels, such as gas. As discussed in previous classes, one of the primary debates about the production of ethanol is the use of food crops for energy creation. In a world where millions are starving every day, many of them in India, how can fuel that utilizes vast quantities of food crops be justified? However, India is now investigating the potential of non-food sources, such as sugar molasses and non-edible oilseeds. In India, there are about 320 distilleries for producing ethanol from fermenting molasses, though India is also experimenting with producing liquid biofuel from other sources such as sweet sorghum, sugar beet, and sweet potatoes. There is also increasing research in the use of forest and agricultural residue, which would be able to preserve the food crops for feeding the population (Arora, 2010).

India’s investment in renewable energy technology is one that should be commended on an international scale. Though only a few methods were touched upon in this article, there are a multitude of research projects and development strategies that are being implemented for future use. Having previously visited a developing country, China, I can almost visualize the potential for biomass in India. With village streets strewn with trash and agricultural byproducts, methods that could both reduce such unsightly and unsanitary conditions while also utilizing it as an energy resource would be highly beneficial. Based on the amount that India has invested in renewable energy and the outcomes thus far, it appears that the country has the potential, with its abundance of natural resources, to address upcoming energy issues while also reducing its dependence on non-renewable resources.

References

Arora, D.S., et al., (2010). Indian Renewable Energy Status Report, National Renewable Energy

Biomass Consumption in India (2010). International Energy Agency. 

       Retrieved from http://www.iea.org /country/Poverty_India/Biomass2.pdf

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency status in India (2007), ICLEI Report.