Feature Article

Biomass based power generation is one of the promising renewable options. This article reviews the status and potential of biomass based power for India.

The international momentum of renewables is leading to new proprietary structures. Will future wind and solar parks be predominantly owned by utilities or can independent power producers hold their ground? Financially strong players and experienced project developers are well positioned.

After harsh contention the conservative and social democrats forming the fractious German government have agreed on a revision of the Renewable Energy Sources Act that regulates clean power promotion. Dispute was sharpest over provisions of photovoltaics.

The ability to know today how much wind power will be produced over the next few days provides a decisive advantage over the energy market. Thanks to a new system developed by German University spin-off energy & meteo systems, it's now possible to obtain an accurate forecast of the energy output from wind parks for up to ten days in advance.

Concerns for energy conservation, developing sustainable energy sources and interest towards national energy security benefits combined with growing environmental pollution is necessitating the search for renewable energy sources. Of the renewable energy sources, biomass is highly flexible and the least cost alternative.

China's rocketing economy makes it look like a environmental villain, but take population into account and the picture is very different. (Editorial)

Wildlife and environmental groups are opposing the construction of the world's largest tidal power scheme on grounds that it will damage a unique ecosystem and that it will cost too much.

Karnataka is bestowed with good wind energy potential in the country. An assessment by the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), Chennai shows that Karnataka has encouraging wind profile for harnessing of wind power. Further, C-WET had established 49 wind monitoring stations in Karnataka.

With increasing prices of fossil fuels across the globe, harnessing of renewable energy resources has assumed significance like never before. The Electricity Act, 2003 has several enabling provisions for promotion of renewable energy resources. However, renewable energy sources such as wind, small hydel, biomass etc are site specific resources, and the policies for promotion have been essentially driven by State specific requirements.

Storing energy from wind is an enormous challenge. Given the intermittent nature of wind, if wind power can be harnessed and stored during wind periods in on site batteries, it can ensure a constant supply to the power grid. This in turn will help to improve the penetration of the grid by wind energy.