Renewable energy

Prospects and Problems

-MOHAMMED NIZAR.N

The ever increasing price of fossil fuels exepted with high pollution
caused by plans using fossil fuels has made the world concern about the very
feature of our planet. For instance, economic activity in countries across the
world which were depended heavily on imported petroleum and petroleum
products was thrown out of gear by a sudden increase in petroleum price
since 2000. Although the supplies of these fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and
natural gas are vast out they are not unlimited. And more important, the
earth's atmosphere and biosphere may not survive the environmental impact
of burning such enormous amounts of these fuels. Carbon stored over
millions of years is being released in a matter of decades, disrupting the
earth's carbon cycle in unpredictable ways. There is thus increasing
recognition of the role of renewable energy in ensuring energy security,
sustainable development, decentralized energy supply and growth without

Renewable energy?

Now what is renewable energy? Why is everyone out there concerned about
the future of renewable energy? Well, the answers are not as tough as we
would have expected, nor do they require a lot of action in order to succeed.
Our planet is dependent upon us to keep it thriving, and the best way to do
that is to switch over to renewable energy.

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as

sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable
(naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies include solar power,
wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydro, biomass and biofuels. According
to IEA, "Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are
replenished constantly. In its various forms, it derives directly from the sun,
or from heat generated deep within the earth. Included in the definition is
electricity and heat generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower,
biomass, geothermal resources, and biofuels and hydrogen derived from
renewable resources."
Renewable energy from all sources accounts for only
about 8% of global energy production. Nuclear makes up
another 6% of global energy production. This leaves
about 86% of global energy coming from fossil fuels,
which are both non-renewable, and also the major cause
of global climate change.
Renewable energy sources

1. Wind

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as
electricity, using wind turbines. At the end of 2007, worldwide capacity of
wind-powered generators was 94.1 gigawatts. Although wind produces about
1% of world-wide electricity use, it accounts for approximately 19% of
electricity production in Denmark, 9% in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in
Germany and the Republic of Ireland (2007 data). Globally, wind power
generation increased more than fivefold between 2000 and 2007. Wind
energy has a huge potential for electricity generation. The power output of a
turbine is a function of the cube of the wind speed, so as wind speed
increases, power output increases dramatically. Areas where winds are
stronger and more constant, such as offshore and high altitude sites are
preferred locations for wind farms. India ranks fourth amongst the wind-
energy-producing countries of the world after Germany, Spain and USA.
More than 95% of installed capacity belongs to Private Sector in seven
states. It is learnt that Tata power would be investing Rs. 500Crs for
additional 115 MW wind project in Gujrat and Karnataka states. The order
for the turbine have already been placed .This project shall be in addition of
85 MW wind power capacity of the company already have in Maharashtra
state. The Central Ministry and several State Nodal Agencies encourage
growth of Wind Energy Sector through financial incentives and policy
support

2. Solar Electricity

"Solar energy" refers to energy that is collected from sunlight. Currently,

solar electricity generation accounts for less than 0.01% of total Global
primary energy production, but like wind it is growing very rapidly.
Generation of electricity from the sun can be accomplished either by
concentrating solar heat and using steam to generate electricity, or using
solar photo-voltaic panels, the majority of the growth is in the latter
technology. Solar photo-voltaic panels are undergoing a technology
revolution, with many emerging companies and technologies competing for
market share.

As regards solar energy, India had designed, developed, manufactured,

installed in the field, and maintained around one million solar photovoltaic
cell (SPV) systems by the end of March 2005, the largest number in any
country. There are some 30 types of SPV systems — for rural homes and
street lighting, for pumping water for drinking and irrigation, for community
TV sets and rural telephone exchanges, wireless links to interconnect
exchanges, satellite communication terminals, and to power the electronics
on offshore oil production platforms. Optical fibre communication systems,
anti-corrosion systems for oil and gas pipelines, and chargers for back-
packed wireless communication sets for the Army are also covered by SPV
systems. Besides, SPV systems are used in vaccine storage refrigerators in
rural primary health centres (PHCs), railway signals, and warning systems at
unmanned railway-road intersections. There are some 19,000 such
intersections along the country's railway network — a huge market for the
SPV companies.

The country's annual production of solar cells and modules is currently

around 70 MW by eight manufacturers. The country's two leading SPV
manufacturers — the public sector Central Electronics Limited (CEL) and
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) — are currently engaged in
expanding their production capacities. There is huge opportunity for
investing in this sector because the energy is completely renewable. The
government had announced a generation-based subsidy of Rs 12 per unit for
solar photovoltaic and Rs 10 per unit for solar thermal generation.

3. Hydroelectric power

Hydro electric power uses the force of moving water to produce electricity.
Hydropower is one of the main suppliers of electricity in the world, but most
often in the form of large dams that disrupt habitats and displace people. A
better approach is the use of small, "run of the river" hydro plants. The
Indian government considers hydropower as a renewable economic, non-
polluting and environmentally benign source of energy. The exploitable
hydro-electric potential in terms of installed capacity is estimated to be
about 148,700 MW (See Table ) out of which a capacity of 30,164 MW
(20.3%) has been developed so far and 13,616 MW (9.2 %) of capacity is
under construction. In addition, 6,782 MW in terms of installed capacity
from small, mini and micro hydro schemes have been assessed. Also, 56
sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity of
94,000 MW have been identified. The government expects to harness its full
potential of hydropower by 2027 with a whopping investment of 5,000
billion Rupees.

With the economic liberalisation, the Indian government also opened up the
doors in 1991 to private companies for the setting up of private hydropower
projects. However, so far only about 910 MW has been commissioned by the
help of private players, which constitutes less than 3 percent of the total
installed hydropower capacity. The present major private developers are
Malana Power Company Ltd., the Jaypee Group and S. Kumar Group.
Seeing the vast potential present in the hydro power generation, Jaypee
ventured into private power generation on a “Build, Own, Operate” (BOO)
basis. So far Jaypee has the distinction of participating in 54% of new
hydropower projects under India’s Tenth Five Year Plan. Also, the Indian
government is encouraging development of small hydro power (SHP)
projects in the country because small and mini hydel projects have the
potential to provide energy in remote and hilly areas where extension of an
electrical transmission grid system is uneconomical.
*load factor is a measure of output of a power plant compared to the
maximum output it can produce

4. Ocean Power

4. (a) Tidal Power

Energy can be extracted from tides by creating a reservoir or basin behind a

barrage and then passing tidal waters through turbines in the barrage to
generate electricity. Tide mills are actually a very old form of power, that
was used along the coasts of western Europe in the Middle Ages, and was
only abandoned with the initiation of the fossil fuel era. In modern times, a
tidal dam was built across the Rance estuary in Brittany, France, in the
1960’s. This project has an installed capacity of 240 MW, and has operated
successfully for over thirty years. The cost of tidal generation is higher than
traditional hydro-electric and can have impacts on marine estuarine
environments. Deep marine currents, which are largely driven by tidal
movements, offer a very stable energy source with low environmental
impacts, but the technology has been very little studied. This type of
generation is most comparable to wind, but has the advantages of
predictability and high power-output per size of turbine. The future of tidal
power is uncertain, but likely to grow. Since India is surrounded by sea on
three sides, its potential to hamess tidal energy has been recognised by the
Government of India. Potential sites for tidal power development have
already been located. The most attractive locations are the Gulf of Cambay
and the Culf of Kachchh on the west coast where the maximum tidal range is
11 m and 8 m with average tidal range of 6.77 m and 5.23 m respectively.
The Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans in West Bengal also has good locations
for small scale tidal power development. The maximum tidal range in
Sunderbans is approximately 5 m with an average tidal range of 2.97 m. 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 Kachchh and less than 100 MW in Sundarbans. The Kachchh
Tidal Power Project with an installed capacity of about 900 MW is estimated
to cost about Rs. 1460/- crore generating elctricity at about 90 paise per unit.
The techno-economic feasibility report is now being examined.

4. (b) Wave Power

Wave energy has only been harnessed in a scattering of pilot projects around
the world, without any major commercial application to date. However, that
will likely change over the next few years, with projects potentially coming
on-line in Portugal, The United States, South Africa, and elsewhere. Wave
power is most commonly harnessed several km out from shore, where the
waves are most consistent. Often some form of buoy is used, which
generates electricity as it bobs up and down, however a long snake-like
structure has also been created by one company that generates power as the
wave moves along it. The Indian Wave Energy Program started in 1983 at
the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Early research led to the
conclusion that the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) type of device was
most suitable for Indian conditions and a 150 kW pilot plant was actually
built and commissioned in October 1991 in the breakwater of the Vizinjham
Fisheries Harbor near Trivandrum in Kerala.

In 1993 the National Institute of Ocean Technology was established within

the IIT-M campus and it took over the wave energy program. NIOT
continues research on wave energy as part of its overall mandate to exploit
India's ocean resources. While an improved model was again installed at
Vizinjham in April 1996. The Maharashtra Govt is setting up a small tidal
power plant in 2 coastal villages in Ratnagiri district. A pilot of sorts it will
produce between 15 to 20 kW of power when it goes operational this May.
The project costs about Rs 4.5 million ($100,000), and similar projects are
underway in 15 other villages. The hope is that the success of this project
could lead to a similar project with a capacity of 250 kW.

5. Biofuels

Biofuels are an extremely fast-growing, but also very controversial form of

alternative energy. Two key questions remain unclear regarding the use of
biofuels: do biofuels provide more energy than it takes to grow, harvest and
transform them? And, is there enough land available for biofuels to grow any
meaningful quantity? The answers to these two questions are linked.

Current biofuel crops and processes are extremely inefficient. For instance,
the U.S. department of energy concludes that "the 'net energy balance' of
making fuel ethanol from corn grain is 1.34; that is, for every unit of energy
that goes into growing corn and turning it into ethanol, we get back about
one-third more energy as automotive fuel." However, other studies,
including a 2005 study from a Cornell University researcher, conclude that it
actually takes more fossil fuel energy to create ethanol than you actually get
back in the resulting fuel. In short, according to these studies, using a litre of
ethanol actually contributes more to global warming than just using a litre of
gasoline. Biodiesel has similar controversy, although the energy returns are
somewhat better. Also, According to the USDA, amount of the total corn
crop consumed to make ethanol will rise from 12 percent in 2004/05 to 23
percent in 2014/15. This will likely drive up the price of corn used for food,
and even while using almost a quarter of the U.S. corn crop, ethanol will
make up a fairly small proportion of the fuel used in the United States. The
food to fuel problem is the strongest argument against the current
generation of biofuels. A report from PotashCorp on this trend in agriculture
reads as follows:

“With the growing demand for food and now a surge in the production of
biofuels, the annual increase in grain consumption has grown from its
historical rate of 1.2 percent to 2.0 percent. That has led to a widening gap
between consumption and production – one that would become even more
pronounced if production failures or other supply disruptions occur."

Biofuels only have a meaningful future if the means of production are

shifted away from agricultural crops.

6. Hydrogen

Hydrogen fuel can be implemented as a renewable energy medium with

immense potential. When utilized properly, it has the potential to entirely
replace fossil fuels altogether. Hydrogen is not an energy source, it is an
energy carrier, and potentially a means of storing energy. Currently, most of
the world's hydrogen is produced from natural gas by a process called steam
reforming. Using this process, Carbon Dioxide is still released leading to
climate change, and non-renewable resources are still consumed. There is
another way to make hydrogen, however, which is the use of electricity to
break water down into hydrogen and oxygen. If this is done using renewable
energy sources, the 'hydrogen economy' is born. Hydrogen can be used to
very efficiently generate electricity in fuel cells. Fuel cells are based on the
chemical reaction in which hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water,
but instead of letting the reaction happen explosively, it happens in a
controlled process that generates large amounts of electricity and relatively
little heat. Because it can be stored and transported without losses, hydrogen
may be an important intermediary in going from our fossil-fuel economy to
one based on renewable energy, and because it is a high-energy fuel it may
be particularly important in tranport, although batteries may instead fill this
role. More and more research is going on developing new technologies in
this area.

7. Geothermal

Geothermal energy is the energy of the core of the earth. This energy is
replenished by the slow decomposition of nuclear isotopes in underground
rocks. The core of the earth is at about 4,000 degrees Celcius, and hot
springs near the Earth's surface can reach 350 degrees Celcius. This energy
can be used to heat homes or generate electricity in areas of geological
activity where it is most readily available. Today, 22 nations are generating
geothermal electricity, in amounts sufficient to supply 15 million houses.
Geothermal energy is also used as a direct heating source in areas where it is
available. Most modern geothermal electricity plants use a binary
technology, where a heat exchanger transfers the heat from subsurface water
to a liquid with a lower boiling point than water, which is then used to
generate electricity. This has the advantages of no emissions to the
atmosphere and low consumption of water, and allows power generation
from lower temperature reservoirs. A second, unrelated type of geothermal
heating system uses the relatively small amounts of heat in the ground in
non-geologically active areas to generate heat in a system quite similar to a
refrigerator. These heat pump systems, while relatively efficient, are costly
to install and still require significant amounts of electricity to run.

Current penetration of renewable energy technologies in the market

place:

The penetration of renewable energy into the energy system of human

settlements on Earth is from one point of view nearly 100%. But, only
0.02% of this energy system is currently managed by human society. A larger
part of this renewable energy is in the form of biomass energy, either in food
crops or managed forestry providing wood for industrial purpose of for
incineration(fire wood used for heat or cooking in poor countries or for
mood-setting fire-places in affluent countries, residue and waste burning in
combined power and heat plants or incinerators). Hydropower is a
substantial source, but it is no longer growing due to environmental limits
identified in many locations. Passive solar heating is a key feature of
building design throughout the world, active solar heat or power panels are
still at a very minute level of penetration. The thing is that it requires lot of
spaces to set up. This also involves high costs. Also wind has both passive
and active role. Passive use of wind energy for ventilation of buildings plays
a significant role. And active power production by wind turbines is today a
rapidly growing energy technology in many parts of reaching nearly 20% of
total electricity provided is found in Denmark. India ranks among the wind-
producing countries of the world after Germany, Spain and USA.
 Further renewable energy technologies, so far with small global
penetration, include biofuels such as biogas and geothermal power and heat.
the dominant energy sources are still fossil fuels, despite the fact that they
are depletable and a cause of frequent national conflicts, due to mismatch
between their particular geographical availability and demand patterns.

Problems

Renewable energy increases diversity of energy supplies and can replace

diminishing fossil fuel resources over the long run. Their use in place of
fossil fuels can substantially reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
While experts believe that many new markets could sustain even higher rates
of renewable energy penetration, numerous barriers remain. The cost of
renewable energy technologies remains high, although it continues to fall.
Though the world has realized the need for the importance of renewable
energy system there contribution to these areas are lower (see why are we
still addicted to oil). Another disadvantage with renewable energy is that it is
difficult to generate the quantities of electricity that are as large as those
produced by traditional fossil fuel generators. Another disadvantage of
renewable energy sources is the reliability of supply. Renewable energy
often relies on the weather for its source of power. Hydro generators need
rain to fill dams to supply flowing water. Wind turbines need wind to turn
the blades, and solar collectors need clear skies and sunshine to collect heat
and make electricity. When these resources are unavailable so is the capacity
to make energy from them. This can be unpredictable and inconsistent. The
current cost of renewable energy technology is also far in excess of
traditional fossil fuel generation. This is because it is a new technology and
as such has extremely large capital cost.
 So a key strategy for market acceleration is by removing trade and
investment barriers between countries with significant renewable resources.
Global strategies for accelerating the market penetration and diffusion of
renewable energies need to engage both developed and developing
countries. Governments can employ a number of strategies to improve the
competitiveness of renewable energy. Technology up gradation is also an
important factor to be met.

Why are we still addicted to oil?

In 2006 it was estimated that the cost to the US of the Iraq war will be
between $1 trillion and $2 trillion, according to a report written by Joseph
Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor who won the Nobel prize for
economics in 2001, and Linda Bilmes, a Harvard budget expert. Many
people now believe that the Iraq war was fought primarily because of the
Iraq's large oil resources, and U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The result is a
one trillion dollar invoice. But imagine if the same amount had been spent
on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Consider, by contrast, that in
2006 all funding for renewable energy and any related scientific research
through the U.S. Department of Energy was less than 10 billion dollars.
Even multiplied over ten years, the total budget for renewable energy adds
up to less than one tenth the cost of the Iraq war. Since the United States is
seeking energy security, one speculates that investing 1-2 trillion dollars in
renewable energy and energy efficiency might have got it there with a far
greater degree of permanence than the Iraq war, even had the war been

successful.

ACTIONS NEEDED

 Governments should substantially facilitate the use—in an

environmentally sustainable way—of renewable energy
 resources through adequate policies and subsidies. A major
policy step in this direction would include implementing clear
price signals for avoided greenhouse gas emissions.
 Governments should also promote research and development in
renewable energy technologies by supplying significantly more
public funding.
 The private sector, aided by government subsidies, should seek
entrepreneurial opportunities in the growing renewable energy
market.
 The S&T community should devote more attention to
overcoming the cost and technology barriers that currently limit
the contribution of renewable energy sources.
 NGOs can assist in promoting the use of renewable energy
sources in developing countries.
 The media can play an essential role in heightening the general
public’s awareness of issues related to renewable energy.

Conclusion:

In comparing the various forms of energy—coal, solar, and wind—there

are pros and cons to each in such a unique way that no overall quantitative
assessment can be made. What is most pertinent for the sake of the
environment—and for species’ health—is the fact the emissions released
from coal are severe, indeed. Using renewable energy would eliminate this
problem entirely. However, the needs of people—especially those in
developing countries—must be mixed into the equation for a realistic result
to be obtained. Even China, completely aware of the problem at hand,
cannot simply switch energy forms if the alternative will not be able to
securely sustain its people. Thus, for such developing countries, it seems that
the only thing that can be done for the time being is to slowly offer
alternatives, to give aid in implementing new forms of energy, and to
suggest laws through international policy that will force the abatement of
emissions.

However, renewable energy does offer a great alternative to us. It is

the answer for energy crisis. It is the answer to global warming. It is the
answer to a more comfortable life. All but not least, renewable energy is our
future.

REFERENCES:

 Renewable Energy, by Bent Sorensen- edition 2004

 ENERGY SOURCES: the wealth of the world, by Eugene Ayres,

Charles A.Scarlott
 www.wikipedia.org
 www.ecoworld.com
 www.ourclimate.net
 www.financialexpress.com/news
 www.iea.com/textbase/subjectqueries
 www.interacademycounsil.net/cms/reports
 www.indiasolar.com
 www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy
 Renewable energy sources coming of age, Ashok Parthasarathi, The
Hindu, 2005/08/17