Feature Article

Should solar thermal be preferred over photovoltaic solar power ? Concentrated solar power (CSP) or solar thermal technology is to be given substantial allocation in the second phase of the national solar mission (2013-2017). This was revealed by the joint secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy, Tarun Kapoor, at the third concentrated solar thermal power summit on March 14, organised in Gurgaon. He stated that detailed plans would be revealed in the next few months. At the same time he admonished the industry.

A megawatt scale grid-connected photovoltaic power plant was commissioned on 27 December 2009 in Yalesandra in Kolar district in Karnataka. The Yalesandra plant is one among more than 20 such Megawatt size solar power plants in India during the past few years. The performance of this plant during its first year of operation has been discussed. The total electrical energy generated by the Yelasandra plant during 2010 was 3.34 million kWh. Although the performance of photovoltaic modules was good, there were problems associated with the inverters which led to reduction in energy generation.

A number of solar mission projects operational only on paper. The Government has decided to act tough with 14 companies which did not commission their solar power projects in time. NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN), the power trading arm of the state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation, penalised them by encashing a part of their bank guarantees. These erring firms are among the 28 that were awarded solar photovoltaic projects under batch one of first phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The date of commissioning of these plants was January 9.

Girish Sant, a leading energy sector analyst and the coordinator of the Prayas Energy Group – a Pune-based voluntary organisation working on policy analysis and advocacy in the energy sector – died in New Delhi on 2 February after a cardiac arrest. A tribute by his colleagues.

Energy security has become a national issue and several attempts are being made to seek viable alternatives in the form of renewable energy to meet the futuristic needs. Biofuel production from microalgae is considered as an effective strategy in this endeavour. Seven microalgae, viz. Chlorella, Haematococcus, Ulothrix, Chlorococcum, Scenedesmus, Rivularia and

Activists say similar plants elsewhere in the country are lying defunct. The small municipality of Bhagalpur in Bihar is considering setting up a waste-to-energy plant in the city. On February 19, the city municipal corporation selected one of the proposals submitted to it to manage the city's waste. The proposals were submitted in response to a request sent out by the municipality in December last year. The proposal under consideration is based on private-public partnership model that promises to generate three megawatts (MW) electricity.

NVVN recovers Rs 28 crore from erring firms. Acting tough on companies that did not commission solar power projects on time, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited has encashed a part of bank guarantee of 14 of them. The companies were awarded projects under batch one of the first phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The last date of commissioning was January 9. About Rs 28 crores have been encashed from these firms located in Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Power producers demand higher benchmark prices for cost components. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) recently went public with its proposed terms and conditions for determining electricity tariffs to be paid to renewable energy power producers. A public hearing on the draft regulations was held in December last where stakeholders submitted their objections and suggestions. The regulations, which will replace the regulations that expire this year, will be valid for the next five years, starting April 1.

Renewable energy is a sunrise industry, offering huge potential for employment generation, besides promising energy security for a developing country like India. However, the Union Budget 2012 has failed to provide for it the much needed impetus.