Feature Article

In the energy-poor country of Rwanda only 10% of households have an electricity connection. But scientists have now discovered a renewable energy source in the depths of Lake Kivu: methane gas. Rwanda aims to soon be generating so much electricity from this that it will be able to export to neighbouring countries too.

Energy is an essential requirement for overall development of the nation. Pulp & Paper Industry in India has complex structure of old and new plants having diversified technology with varying raw materials and producing different grades of paper. This significantly affects the energy requirement of the mills and therefore results in wide variation in energy consumption pattern.

The energy consumed in irrigation pumping constitutes a major share of the total energy utilised for agriculture. As the increasing demand of energy has aroused viz. in electrical, oil and gas, hence there is a strong need to explore the possibility of using the alternate and renewable energy sources like wind particularly for irrigation water pumping. Keeping this in view, the present study was taken up to assess the wind potential of the region and its utilisation in irrigation pumping.

The objective of this study is to develop a mathematical model for the effective utilization of renewable energy sources in a developing country like India. Decentralized energy planning (DEP) is in the interest of efficient utilization of resources. DEP is one of the options for meeting the rural and small scale energy needs in a reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable way.