Feature Article

Cost escalation made Maharashtra's power generation company reconsider present site in Dhule district. The Sakri solar power plant in Maharashtra's Dhule district is touted as the world's largest solar power plant till date. Sometime ago there was a proposal to shift the plant to Chandrapur district in Vidarbha region following dispute over the land where the project will be developed. The move triggered protests in the tribal district where people see the 125 MW project as a lifeline that would usher in industrialisation and employment.

Wildlife board worried over the impact of public-private project on wildlife habitats. The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has put the Demwe Lower Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh on hold till an expert committee asseses its impact on the flora fauna downstream. The 1,750 MW project is being executed jointly by Athena Demwe Power Ltd, promoted by the India-based Athena Energy Ventures Pvt Ltd, and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh in Lohit district and is sheduled to be commissioned during the 12th Five-Year Plan.

India's estimated small hydro potential is over 15,000 MW. As of August 31, 2011, the segment had achieved a grid-connected capacity of 3,153.93 MW. The capacity addition target for 2011-12 is 350 MW, of which 111.3 MW had been added as of August 2011.

Biomass resources have significant potential for improving the rural energy access and economic scenarios in a country like India. These are the only sources of renewable energy available across the length and breadth of the country, thereby providing a local resource base for rural energy availability. Practically half of the income generated from the sale of biomass-based power goes back to farmers.

So far, Rajasthan has accounted for 80 per cent of the total project allocation under the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission (JNNSM). The state has assigned top priority to stepping up private investments in solar power and has taken several steps in this direction. Rajasthan also has high potential for the development of wind energy and the state government is in the final stages of drafting its wind policy.

Increasing urbanisation and industrialisation has increased the amount of waste generated, leading to a greater need for scientific waste management. Due to the presence of high organic matter in industrial and, specifically, urban waste products, generating power from waste is a potential solution to the problem of both waste management and clean energy generation.

Geothermal power continues to be one of the least exploited renewable energy segments in India. Almost the entire estimated potential of about 10,600 MW remains unutilised except a few pilot installations for power generation and direct heat transfer. India is yet to establish its first commercial geothermal power plant.

India has abundant bioenergy resources and although the segment has made progress in the past few years, less than 10 per cent of the total potential has been achieved so far. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) expects the launch of the long awaited National Bioenergy Mission (NBEM) to provide a platform for achieving this potential by providing an enabling environment for large-scale biomass-based capacity addition during the Twelfth and Thirteenth plan periods.

The Indian wind power segement recorded its highest ever capacity addition in 2010-11. A total of 2,350 MW capacity was added during the year (accounting for about 16 per cent of the total capacity addition in the power sector and 74 per cent in the renewable segment) compared to the average capacity addition of slightly over 1,570 MW in the period between 2007-08 and 2009-10.

The generation-based incentive (GBI) scheme for wind energy projects was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to stimulate wind power generation rather than merely subsidise capacity creation.