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c
Dr. T. V. Ramachandra
PIE, FIEE (UK)
Energy & Wetlands
Research Group, Centre for
Ecological Sciences, indian
Insfitute of Science,
Bengaluru
Dr. TLV. Ramachandra
obtained Ph.D. in Ecology
ond Energy from indian
Institute of Science. During
the past fifteen years he has
established an active school
of research in the area of
energy and environment
(http://ces jisc.ernet.in/ener
gy) At present, Coordinator
of Energy and Wetlands
Research Group (EWRG) and
Convener of Environmental
Information System (ENVIS)
at Centre for Ecological
Sciences, Indian institute of
Science. He is a Member of
Karnataka State level
Environment Expert
Appraisal Committee (2007-
2010), appointed by the
Ministry of Environment and
Forests, Government of India
‘ond a member of Western
Ghats task force appointed
by the Government of
Karnataka. TVR's research
interests are in the area of
energy systems, renewable
energy, energy
conservation, energy
planning etc. He has
published over 148 research
papers in reputed peer
reviewed intemational. and
national journals, 12 in
conference proceedings as
‘well as 14 books. In addition,
hehos delivered a number of
plenary lectures at national
and international
conferences. He has guided
67 students. for Master's
dissertation and four
students for Doctoral
degrees.
TC EMERGY INDIA BOO
RENEWABLE
ENERGY
TRANSITION:
PERSPECTIVE AND CHALLENGES
Energy is essential for economic and social development of a region or a
nation. However, consumption of fossil fuels is the major cause of air pallution
and climate change. The threat posed to sustainability by greenhouse gas
emissions and deterioration of the natural resource base {for example oil
crisis, Fuelwood scarcity, etc) has caused worldwide concem. Improving
energy efficiency and de-linking economic development from energy
consumption (particularly of fossil fuels) is. essential for sustainable
development of a region. The energy sector, on one hand, is a part of the
economy and on the other hand ititself consists of parts such as energy supply
‘and energy demand interacting with each other. Both these interactions are of
immense complexity. Energy is required for all the economic activities. Energy
supplies ore essential for both intermediate production as well as final
consumption. So, economic development is dependent on the eneray system
of the country. In tum, the implementation of technologies or improvement of
the energy system is dependent on economic factors such as capital costs,
eneray prices etc. Also, the demand supply balances involve the flow of
energy from source as primary energy 10 service as useful energy. At each
stage of the energy flow, technologies are involved with different conversion
efficiencies and losses.
Energy has always been a major component in the day-to-day life of humans.
More thar’ a billion people in the industrialised countries (about 20% of the
world’s population) consume nearly 60% of the total energy supply whereas
about five billion people in developing countries consume the other 40% of the
total energy supply. The two billion low income people ($ 1000 annual income
per capita or less) scattered in rural areas and scanty towns use only 0.2 toe
{tonne oi! equivalent) of energy per capita annually, whereas about o billion
rich people {S 22000 annual income per capita or more} use nearly 25 times
more, at5 toe per capita annually.
Every country is trying for economic growth through energy intensive paths.
Energy intensities are useful indicators in describing the energy used for entire
production chains. The combination of sectoral energy intensities with the
demands for sectoral outputs provides insight into total energy use in an
economy. Changes in energy use reflect the combined effects of changes in
. 175 ENERGY INDIA BOZO
energy intensities in various sectors and changes in the volume cad structure of demand, Energy needed per
Unit of production (referred os energy intensity or specific energy consumption) shows the sensitivity of products
or sectors to changes in energy prices. Temporal analyses or a historical study of energy intensilles provides
information about changes caused by energy-price changes and their effects on total eneray use. The paradox
when dealing with energy is that itis needed for man to live and develop, and at the same time, unplanned
developmental aciiviies focusing more on fossil fuels is affecting the environment he is living in, Moreover, the
evolution of the societies, the economic growth and the way countries develop lead to an increasing demand for
energy, Two problems arise with the increasing energy consumplion: frsly, pollution associated with energy
consumption increases leading to unknown changes in world climate that could have tremendous
repercussions, and secondly, fossil fuels commonly used are not renewable. Even if people are concemed about
the future of the planet, power of money and need for economic growth dominate the debate. Studies have
been made on the different resources, nuclear power and the friendly environmental energies like solar, wind
and others in order to replace the fossil fuels and more generally thenon-renewable energies.
The energy use per-capita has been used as an index of a nation/region’s development. Energy per-capita is
quite small for developing countries and high for developed countries. However, this approach does not reveal
any picture of development or efficiency of usage. To achieve this itis necessary to look at the energy intensity,
which is energy/GDP. The energy consumption per GDP gives the efficiency for the energy sector. The energy
intensity of a process (energy consumed per unit of output) is the inverse of the energy efficiency of the process
(output per unit energy consumed). The impact of more efficient energy use in reducing energy demand, andthe
overall prospects for restraining energy demand growihy ore coment issues in the contex! of environmental
policy. Energy iniensity is directly: j= =
elated to price signals whereas
‘energy efficiency depends more on
the diffusion of the most cost
effective technologies. itis important
to point out where the loss of energy
is the highest in order to reduce
them. If happens that some
developed countries have lower or
similor energy consumpiion per
capita and a much higher gross
domestic product (GDP) per capita
than some developing countries.
Energy services will be fulfilled only if
GDP growsin asustainable manner.
Such economic growth will require
the provision of corresponding
energy related services ci on
affordable price with no reasonable
expectation to break the linear
relationship between GDP growth.
and the increase in the energy
demand that has been experienced
so far. Figures 1 and 2 depict the
‘energy consumpiion per capita and
energy consumption per GDP for all
the countries’.
These figures [Fig 1 and 2) highlight
that even though energy
consumption/capita is low,
energy/GDP for Asia and
particularly for India is quite high.
The energy/GDP is 10-20 times
higher than that for some of the
industrialised countries. This shows
that there is great room for
176 mints — = z ENERGY INDIA 2020
Improvement of the efficiencies in energy consumptions. in order to have more disposable eneray, plausible
approach hence would be to increase the end-use efficiency or to minimise the loss. This results in surplus
‘energy for more productive uses. Thus, if a country wants to increase its GDP per capita, itwill have to reach high
efficiencies. Improving efficiency can save huge amounts of energy. Thisiilustrates that the increase in per capita
GDP is not linked to greater energy use. Rather it lies with the judicious use of eneray without contributing to
carbon emissions. This analysis is revealing and results are contrary to the views “increasing per capita energy
consumption to increase the GDP” ofpseudo energy experts,
Coal is the predominant energy source (58%) in India, followed by oil (27%), natural gas (7%, lignite (4%),
hydropower (3%), and nuclear power (0.22%. Energy consumption pattems the Indian residential sector vary
widely not only among the rural and urban areas but also across various income classes in urban areas.
Approximately 86.1 % rural households in India use fuel wood and dung cakes for cooking. 3.5% rural
households use LPG for cooking, 50.6 % of rural households use kerosene and 48.4% use electricity as a primary
source of lighting. The annual average fuel wood consumption is around 270 - 300 million tonne (Mt), kerosene
consumption is about 10.5 Mt out of which 60% was in rural areas.
The energy transition from coal to oil during the industrialization era, the emphasis on conservation and fuel
efficiency and also the present energy scarcity highlight the need for important shifts in the economy, Earlier
planning for energy development and.use meant increasing the supply of energy from various sources.
However, with the changing scenario of scaricty, expensiveness and unreliability has forced the energy planning
to focus on the provision of sustainable energy systems including the development of energy sources and
utilisation of energy. Improving efficiency can save huge amounts of energy. Itis estimated that, 15 % of the
electric power production was used for lighting consumption. Improving the energy efficiency of lighting had a
tremendous impact on a country’s energy consumption. The analysis shows a national saving potential of 40%
by shifting to lamps with performance characteristics typical of current western practice (without changing the
market share of various lamp types), and 60 % saving by adopting the best commercially availablelamps._
However, this would be contrary to the proponents of supply driven energy approaches who argue for
enhancing the energy supply to maintain the momentum of Indian economy and minimise the gap between
energy demand and supply. According to India’s Planning Commission, in order to realise or maintain the
annual GDP growth rate of about 8 percent, require India to at least triple its primary energy supply and
quintuple its electrical capacity, This will force india, which already imports a majority ofits ol, to look beyond its
borders for energy resources. The natural resource base has deteriorated considerably due to the rapid growth
in population coupled with unplanned developmental activities including industrialization and urbanization.
This also has resulted in exponential increase in fossil fuel consumption. Sustainable development of a region
depends on the health of renewable energy resources like water, vegetation, livestock, etc. The integrated
development of all these components essential for environmentally sound development of the region. India’s
energy sectorsis currently facing the challenges, that are:
‘© Depletion of coal resources and poor quality: A look at energy consumtion at national level shows that
coal accounts for more than 50%. The poor quality of indian coal, coupled with a lack of infrastructure to
clean it, poses a major environmental threat, Studies reveal that coal reserves could run out in another thirty
years.
+ Rising oilimports: Oil consumption has increased six fold in the past 28 yeasr and accounts for about 35% of
energy use. Now we import about 65% of petroleum andis likely to shoot up to 85% by 2025.
* Natural gas demands: Limited domestic gas reserves and the increasing demind hds increased the
dependency on neighboring countries. Due to poor quality of coal and low stock the power sector is
gradually shifting to natural gas for power generation in place of coal.
© Inefficient electric systems: High transmission and distribution losses (>30%) coupled with unreliable
power supply are the main problems encountered by the power sector today. The authorities are unable to
cope up with the situation dueto financial scarcity consequent to the unrealistic subsidies, free electricity and
political interventions.
* Energy related land degradation and water shortuges: Access to heavily subsidized power to pump
water for irrigation has seen wasteful water use, depleting the water tables. As water tables lower, larger
” 77 ENERGY INDIA 2020
pumps require more power to access deeper water supplies. Stagnation of water over a longer period in
‘agricultural fields has|ed to salinity and alkalinity problems in soll rendering them unproductive.
* Coherent, integrated policy: Energy planning in is not can integrated activity in our country. The plans for
electricity, oi, coal, and firewood are separate exercises as the central energy minisiry was divided into the
Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Nonconventional Energy Sources, and Power ministries in 1992, Several
other government agencies, including the Planning Commission and Depariment of Atomic Energy, play a
role in energy policy. Lack of coordination among competing government ministries has slowed the effort to
institute effective energy policies. This emphasises the need for a coherent integrated eneray policy.
Road Ahead: Conserve or Perish
Region's stability and prosperity is critically dependent upon the availability of secure, reliable, environment
friendly and affordable energy supplies. Improvements in energy economy has to be through improvements in
energy efficiency, use of renewable sources of energy , CO, capture and sequestration (CCS) on a massive scale
‘and development of carbon free transport. Stabilising CO, emissions in the 445-490 ppm CO, equivalent,
corresponding to the increase of 2-2 4 °C above the pre-industrial temperature through decorbonsiation has to
be done on priority3. Use of low carbon footprint biofuels and improvements in the efficiency of vehicles, will
reduce the carbon in transport sector. Decarbonsiation in the consumer sector include the design of
environment friendly green building (depending on the region's climate}, heat pumps, solarheating, use of high
efficiency appliances and lighting (CFL: Compact fluorescent lamps, LED: Light emitting Diodes) shifling to
renewable like solar, wind, hydro, bioenergy, etc.|, low-carbon electricity, etc. Renewable energy resources,
which the country has in abundance, such as solar, wind, biomass, small hydro, etc. can effectively meet energy
demand and are environmentally benign. About 5200 MW of power generating capacity based on renewable
energy sources has been installed in the country so far. This constitutes about 3.8% of the total installed capacity
The effective transition from a fossil fuel driven energy system to the renewable energy systems is possible only
through the policy shifi, capacity building, strengthening institutions and building infrasiructure. There is aneed
for strengthening of existing research institutions and creation of a few centers of excellence that have state of
the arf research / testing facilities for renewable energy technologies. Setting up of a public sector renewable
energy corporation on the lines of National Thermal Power Corporation would help in promoting the renewable
energy in the country. The R & D allocation on renewable energy by the government and also Indian companies
is very marginal. The present system is bogged down by favoritism and biased approaches which is rather
discouraging for young researchers. Current science managers need fo motivate and encourage bright young
researchers of 21st century.
Centralised energy planning exercises cannot pay attention to the variations in socio-economic and ecological
factors of a region which influence success of any intervention, Decentralised eneray planning advocated these
days is in the interest of efficient utilisation of resources, ensuring more equitable sharing of benefits from
development. The regional energy planning endevaour needs to focus on the area based decentralised energy
plans for meeting energy needs for subsistence and development with least cost to the environment and the
economy. The regional planning mechanisms take into account all resources available and demand in aregion.
This implies that the assessment of the demand and supply, and the intervention in the eneray system which
may appear desirable due to such exercises, must be at c similar geographic scale. For example, bioresource
assessment of supply and demand at the aggregate level is likely 1o be misleading as scarcity and surplus is
always at a localised level. Consequently, the energy interventions in the form of energy supply enhancement,
containing demand and/or encouraging alternative fuels may be aimed at the wrong ares or target group.
India’s present energy scenario calls for the effective management of all available resources in order fo attain
national objectives. A well-balanced fuel mix, in which all energy resources are appropriately utilized, is
essential for sustainable development. An energy resource that are renewed by nature and whose supply is not
affected by the rate of consumption is often termed as renewable energy. Planned interventions to reduce
energy scarcity can take various forms, such as :
* energy conservation through promotion and use of energy efficient stoves for cooking and water heating,
compact fiuorescent bulbs in place of ordinary incandescentbulbs,
* supply expansions through agroforestry, farm forestry and community forestry, and
* allernatives—renewable sources of energy such as micro/ mini/small hydropower plants and wind, solar
and bionass- based systems
178 ————————————— ENERGY IndiA 2020
Ecologically sound development of the region is possible when energy needs ate integrated with the
environmental concerns at the local and global levels. Energy planning entails preparation of area based
decentralised energy plans for meeting energy needs for subsistence and development with least cost fo the
environment and the economy. The need fo search for renewable, alternate and non-polluting sources of
energy assumes fop priority for self-reliance in the regional energy supply. This demands an estimation of
available energy resources spatially to evolve better management strategies for ensuring sustainability of
resources. The spatial mapping of availability and demand of energy resources would help in the integrated
regional energy planning through an appropriate energy supply - demand matching. Now let us look at the
energy situation in Karnataka.
Eneray utilisation in Karnataka considering all types of energy sources and sector wise consumption revealed
that traditional fuels such os firewood (7.440 million tonnes of oil equivalent - 43.62%), agro residues (1.510
million tonnes of oil equivalent - 8.85%!, biogas, cowdung (0.250 million tonnes of oll equivalent - 1.47%)
‘accounts for 53.20% of the total energy consumption in Karnataka. In rural areas the dependence on bioenergy
tomeet the domestic requirements such os cooking and watler heating purposes are as high os 8010 85%.
Efficient use of energy is achieved when unnecessary energy conversions are avoided, as each conversion has
limited efficiency and therefore, implies a certain loss of energy as wasted heat. For instance, if secondary
energy can immediately serve as final energy or even as useful energy, substantial losses can be avoided, for
example wind machines in irrigation or hydro turbines powering a shaft. This principle favors decentralised
energy generation and is particularly relevant with new and renewable energy sources. Very high efficiencies
can be achieved with cogeneration, where heat as a by-product of power is not wasted, but put to good use on
the spot*
Renewable Energy: Perspective and Challenges
India has the potential to emerge as a key global player in renewable energy by shifting the energy policy
focusing on renewable sources of energy and also by posttioning India’s expertise / knowledge and making it
ayailable for the developing world”. Feasible energy sources are:
Solar Energy: An annual energy of 1.5 x10" kWh is obtained from the sun to the earth. This is about 10,000 times
larger than the current annual energy consumption of the world. The surface temperature of the sun is around
5503.85°C. Eneray is continuously released from the sun by a fusion ea which produces 3. 94x10" kW of
power. Radiation from the sun takes about 91/3.
min {o cover 93 million miles to the earth. The |
earth receives only a small fraction of the total
power emitted by the sun, an amount of 1.73 x
10" kW or 340 w/m’ averaged over the whole
earth surface. Approximately 30% is reflected
back fo space and 20% is absorbed by clouds,
dust and “greenhouse” gas such as water
vapour, carbon dioxide and ozone. The annual
global radiation in India varies from’ 1600 to |
2200 kWh/m*, which is comparable with |
radiation received in the tropical and sub-
tropical regions. The equivalent energy
potential is about 6,000 million GWh of energy |
peryear.
India receives solar energy equivalent to more
than 5,000 trillion KWh per year, which is far
more than its total annual energy consumption.
The daly average global radiation is around 5
kWh per m? per day with the sunshine hours
ranging between 2300 and 3200 per year. |
Though the energy density is low and the
availability is not continuous, it is now possible |
fo harness this abundantly available energy ENERGY INdIA 2020 —
very reliably for many purposes by converting it to usable heat or through direct generation of electricity,
Karnataka has a gross potential of about 20000 MW. A project of 4 MW has been commissioned of 18 projects
sanctioned by the government [of 16 MW).
Karnataka recelves global solar radiation in the range of 5.1 - 6.4 kWh/m’ during summer, 3.5 - 5.3 kWh/m!
during monsoon, and 3,8 - 5.9 kWh/m* during winter. Districtwise potential analysis (figure 3) reveals thot,
maximum global solar radiation is in districts such as Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada etc. The study
identifies that coastal parts of Karnataka with higher global solar radiation are ideally suited for harvesting solar
energy. Global solar radiation in Uttara Kannada during summer, monsoon and winter is 6.31, 4.16 and 5.48
kwh/m respectively. Similarly, Dakshina Kannada has 6.16, 3.89 and 5.21 kWh/m* during summer, monsoon
‘ond winter, while Mandya district has minimum global solar radiation of 5.41, 3.45, 3.73 kWh/m* during
summer, monsoon and winter.
Wind Energy: According to initial estimates,
India's wind power potential was assessed at
around 20,000 MW. It has been re-assessed at
45,000 MW, assuming 1% of land availabilty for
wind power generation in potential areas,
However, the present exploitable technical
potential is limited to 13,000 MIN, on account of
the limitation of grid capacity in the State Grids
Grid penetration of more than 20% could result
in grid instability, The technical potential will go
up.with the augmentation of grid capacity in the
potential States. Karnataka has a gross
potential of about 10000 MW. 428 projects
totaling to 1500 MW have been commissioned
of 600 projects sanctioned by the government
{of 8000 MW). Wind potential assessment in
Karnataka (Figure 4) shows the number of wind
wig velcky h'sumimer | rronitoring stations. Chikkodi in Belgaum has
Geni the highest wind velocity. Wind velocity in
21028 | Chikkoditoluk, Belgaum district during summer,
ine | monsoon and winter are 6.06, 8.27, and 5.19
| mvs, while Bagalkote district has lowest wind
| velocity (0.52, 0.85, 0.33m/s during summer,
monsoon, and winter respectively!’
\________“__________________| jiydre Energy: The capacity of hydropower
plants can vary between a few kW to about 1000’s of kW. Depending on this hydro power plants are classified as
Micro (upto 100 kW), Mini (up to3 MWI.and Small (up to 25 MW) plants. The small hydropower plant (SHP), ie., up
to 25 MW capacity is set to attain commercial satus in the country, SHP projects are becoming economically
viable with appropriate systems for evacuation/ utilisation of power from the project being increasingly put in
place. In india over 4215 small hydro power plant sites have been identified with a total copacity of 10279.71 MW.
India has an estimated SHP potential of about 15,000 MW. 453 SHP projects with an aggregate installed capacity
of 1463 MW have been installed, Besides, 199 SHP projects with an installed capacity of 538 MW are being
commissioned. The Karnataka state government has so far accorded permission fo private developers to
establish small hydro projects in more than 320 locations amounting to 2100 MW. 64 projects have been
commissioned with an installed capacity of 490 MW. Figure 5 illustrates the location of small hydro power plants
with their capacities”,
Bioenergy: The total bioenergy potential in india is about 19,500 MW, including 3,500 MW of exportable surplus
power from bagasse-based co generation in sugar mills ond 16,000 MW of grid quality power from other
biomass resources. The total installed capacity in the county, as of December 31, 200? is 468 MW and projects
of capacity 530 MW are in various stages of implementation. Biomoss gasifier of total capacity 55.105 MW has
sofarbeen installed, mainly for stand-olone applications.
Quality of life in rural areas have improved through the efficient use of locally available bioenergy sources by
480 ___ ENERGY INDIA 2020
recovering the energy from cattle dung, human | Fig ‘Small hydel plants in Karnataka t
waste and non-woody organic wastes without .
losing their manure value through biogas
plants. Against an estimated potential of 12
million biogas plants, about 3.44 million family
type plants have been set up so far,
representing coverage of aver 28 per cent of the
potential. in addition, about 4000 night soil-
bosed and institutional biogas plants have
been set up. Monitoring of these plants by the
regional offices of the Minisiry of New and
Renewable Energy Sources {http://mnes.nic.in}
shows an overall functionality of 86 per cent.
These plants have helped to save 44 lakh
tonnes of fuelwood, produced 450 lakh tonnes
‘of manure per year. An estimated 4.5 million
people/day of employment has also been
generated in the rural areas, Research and
development efforts are to be encouraged to
develop new designs andimprove the efficiency,
of biogas plants in different geographical and
climatic conditions”.
Hyde energrtcanscity, OW
3838
The bioenergy resource potential assessment
reveals that maximum bioresource is in
Channagiti taluk (8990963 Mkcal) Davangere
district, where agricultural residue constitutes
1.67% of the total bioresource, 13.65% from
forest residue, 83.97% from horticulture residue,
0.04% from plontation and 0.65% from
livestock. Anekal taluk in Bangalore Urban
district derives minimum energy from
bioresource (40210.28 Mkcal). Agricultural
residue constitutes 21.16% of the total
bioresource, 8.80% from forest residue, 37.74%
from horticulture residue, 3.74% from plantation
and 28.54% from livestock. Figure 6 illustrates |
talukwise bioenergy availability from plant and |
animal residues. Resource wise analysis of the |
study area reveals that bioresource from
horticulture constitutes the major share of
43.6%, forest 39.8%, agriculture 13.3%, livestock
3.01%, and plantation. 15%.
‘otal Biowneroy, Kea! |
Bioresource Status: The ratio of bioresource
availability to demand indicates the bioresource
status, Ratio greater than one indicates the
presence of surplus bioresource, while a value
less than one characterises a bioresource
deficient zone. When this ratio is less than one,
bioresources become non-renewable eneray sources as there is scarcity of resources. The computation of
bioresources status, talukwise shows that Siddapur taluk in Uttara Kannada district has the highest bioenergy
status of 2.004. Anekal taluk in Bangalore Urban district has the least status of 0.004 Figure 7 shows taluk wise
bioresource status of Karnataka".
The energy conservation to the tune of 42% is possible by using improved cook stoves. Apart from this, the
‘options such as sustainable management of energy plantation {optimal utilisation of the wastelands, biomass
gasifier and biogas technology would help in overcoming the vel crisis,
— 181 ENERGY INDIA 2020 — —
Energy plantations raised on [Figure 7: Bioresource surplus (valve >1) and deficit (valve <1) toluks
degraded londs will help in[ 2
improving the ecological status of
the region, provide biomass
feedstock for rural bioenergy
programmes ond also help in
meeting urban fuelwood demand.
With appropriate species mixes, it |
also provides fodder for livestock,
leaves for biogas and other valuable |
Bioresource Surplus and deficient zones
tree products. In the agro climatic 12702
zones having higher bioresource | oziw 127
potential, sustainable usage should | 02308
be emphasized to maintain their Bono2
status. This has become imperative
‘owing to the alarming population
growth, mainly in the coastal zone.
Active participation of the rural
people in bioenergy programmes is
required for its successful |
implementation. in the bioresource LEE
deficient zones, the forest stocking ES pee Se
canbe improved by afforestation of the degraded lands, popularizing social and community forestry. In he drier
zones, judicious cropping patterns, improved irrigation facilities and adopting innovative techniques for dry land
forming will not only increase the grain production, but also provide enough residues for energy. Adopting a
holistic approach to elevate the bioresource status requires sound planning considering the agro climatic,
social, economical and technical aspects. Apart from meeting the rural energy demand, such programmes
provide local employment generation (production and processing of wood feedstock, operation of biogas and
producer-gas systems], promote self-reliance, and improve the quality of life, especially of women and rural
poor. Even though bioenergy provides significant environmental and social benefits, large-scale shift towards
this option cannot be realized in the absence of awhole range of policy measures. A well-established network
between the government, local people, NGO's together with technical expertise ond financial backup will help
building society sustaining on bioenergy.
Innovative Technologies
tn the face of increasing CO, emissions from conventional energy (gasoline), and the anticipated scarcity of
crude oil, a worldwide effort is underway for cost effective renewable alternative energy sources. In this regard
myresearch group (Energy Research Group at Iisc~RamachandraT V, Supriya G, Karthick B and Durga Madhab
‘Mahapatra) in collaboration with DrRichard Gordon (University of Manitoba, Canada) is developing the
gasoline secreting dialom solar panels to produce gasoline from diatoms sustainably". Diatoms being the
mojor group of planktonic algae can be used sustainably for production of bio-fuel, by the usage of diatom
based solar panels. Studies have shown that diatoms could make 10 10 200 times os much oil per hectare as oil
seeds. The publication” entitled “Milking Diatoms for Sustainable Energy: Biochemical Engineering versus
Gasoline-Secreting Diatom Solar Panels” is published in the October issue ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2009, 48, 8769-
8788 of American Chemical Society (http://pubs.acs.org and http://ces jisc.emet.in/energy). Tillnow wherever
theres biofuel generation by way of using bioresources, the process involved growing them arrficially, crushing
them to collect the lipids and then fillering the lipid to extract oil and use os biofuel. But our technique dees not
involve crushing biomass for extracting oil. The approach also looks at reducing the cost of oil extraction. Our
study resulted in some basic and a few unusual findings thus far. It was found that some diatoms secrete more
lipid content when subjected to unfavourable environment or culture conditions, such as nutrient starvation or
extreme temperatures. Unlike crops, diatoms multiply rapidly. Some diatoms can double their biomass within
an hour fo a day's time. Since each diatom creates and uses its own gas tank, itis estimated that diatoms are
responsible for up to 25 percent of global carbon dioxide fixation. This means that while diatoms can be
cultivated for oil extraction, they can automatically reabsorb carbon dioxide in the process. We propose to
manipulate cells in diatoms so that they actively secrete oil (similar to mammary gland secreting milk), Unlike
ordinary solar panels that produce electricity, a diatom solar panel would produce oil for us, therefore, in
designing itwewould haveto solve various optical and mass transponl problems
182 ______ ENERGY INDIA 2oz0
Diatorns may have a mojor
role 10 play in the coming
years with regardto the mass
production of oil. This entails
appropriate cultivation and
extraction of oil, using
‘advanced technologies that
mimic the natural process
while cutting down the time
period involved in oil
formation.
Energy from Wastes: Urban
areas are generating large
quantum of waste. For
example, Greater Bangalore :
generates about 1200 MLD of =SSass = ne
liquid waste and about 2800 tonnes of solid waste every day. Untreated wastes are contributing to Green house
{gases in the system and also to global warming”. Viable technologies are available to conver! this to energy. For
‘example; an algae photo-bioreactor that grows algae in municipal wastewater to produce biofuel and a variety
of other products [s in place. This bioreactor won't compete with agriculture for land, fertilizer, or freshwater.
Similarly, to handle the organic traction of municipal waste (which constitute 60-70% of Bangalore's municipal
waste), Centre for Sustainable Technologies ot iSc has developed a viable technology. The policy shifi, poliical
will and active participation of local community are required to see these technologies are in place and
Bangaloreis free of wastes".
‘Acknowledgement: am grateful fo indion Insitute of Science for providing ¢ wonderful ecademic environment Yo carry out energy, ecology
‘endeevironment research during helast nwo decades. Ithank NROMS Cision the Ministry of Science and Technology DST and The Ministry
‘of Environment and Forests MoER), Government ofindia forthe sustained support
References
1. Ramachandra TV. 2009. REP: Regional Integrated Energy Plan, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 12 (2009) 285-317
