Feature Article

As of mid-October 2012, India's small-hydro power (SHP) capacity stood at 3,434 MW. Of this, about 1,850 MW across 600 projects has been developed by the state sector. Though private sector participating in the SHP segment has been increasing over the last few years, the role of state agencies in the growth of the SHP segment is expected to be critical.

A small-hydro power (SHP) developer can either sell power directly to the state utilities at feed-in-tariffs determined by the state or indirectly through renewable energy certificate (REC) trading. In the latter case, the power generated is sold to the state discom at the average power purchase cost (APPC) or used for captive consumption and/or third party sale at marked-based prices.

After establishing itself as the leading Indian state in terms of installed wind capacity, Tamil Nadu has announced ambitious plans for solar power development. With a reasonably high solar installation of 5.6-6 kWh per square metre and around 300 sunny days per annum, the state aims to ramp up its installed solar base from about 15 MW to 3,000 MW by 2015.

A study of 32 tribal villages of Pimplad, Maharashtra, shows that the solar lamp is the most sought after renewable energy gadget. The study also revealed that proper training of each benefi ciary family and the provision of a dependable, low cost and easily accessible facility for repairs and maintenance ensures that the
lamps continue to remain in regular use.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) solar lights is emerging as an alternative to the grid powered conventional street lighting systems in rural areas because of their superiority in energy effi ciency, lumen depreciation, operation and maintenance. Solar PV powered LEDs for street lighting systems are ideally suited for rural areas where grids are weak and there are frequent disruptions and outages of conventional electric power.