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India as a developing economic power, has to rely much on its energy sector for growth and development. The growth is largely interlinked with the availability of energy and its judicious utilization. Also involved is the question whether the available energy is environmentally acceptable and technically viable. With the growth of country's economy, per capita power consumption has also increased resulting greater demands for power. India's power sector is mainly dependent on conventional or fossil fuels i.e., coal (60.1%) and gas (8.7%) (2015). India has around 10% of the world's coal reserves that will last for about another 30–40 years at the present consumption rate. The use of conventional fossil fuels has a negative impact on the environment due to the emission of harmful greenhouse gases. On the other hand, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, the country has untapped source of renewable energies such as, wind, solar power, nuclear energy and biomass. Globally, depletion of conventional fuel resources, is increasingly turning the focus on non-conventional sources of energy. The present paper is a review of biomass energy, its sources and its energy efficiency. Even though sources of biomass fuels are widely available all across India, these are still largely underutilized. According to the available statistics, in India the share of renewable energy has increased from 7.8% to 12.3% during 2012-13 and to 12.95% as on 31st March 2014, this paper also highlights the challenges and advantages of biomass energy over conventional fuels as well as utilization and applicability of biomass in sintering process as a replacement for coke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising population in India the demand for energy is also shooting up. This paper examines the potential, scope and the opportunities of biomass in the Indian economy. India, being an agricultural country, has a lot of possible resources from the agronomic sector like crop residue, animal manure, etc., which has not been utilised in an efficient way. This paper also gives an insight into anaerobic digestion and the many other digesters implemented in India. The accelerating economic growth leads to the rapid rise in urbanisation which in turn generates an increased production of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). This MSW can be used in biomass production in quite a lot of innovative ways. The study also focused on the potential sources and their proper conversion technique. The feasibility of biomass conversion and achievements made by India was also looked into. Use of bioenergy in cheaper and economically feasible ways is also a practical solution to the energy crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy which is incident on the earth surface is mostly in diffused form. Hence, ordinary solar water heating technology is able to supply only low-temperature hot water (40–70 °C), primarily used for residential water and space heating. This range of temperature can hardly meet specific energy demand such as food processes, dairy processes and other industrial process heat requirement. Hence to utilize this diffused form of solar energy efficiently for heating in domestic or industrial applications, solar concentrators have to be used for generating temperatures in the range of 80–250 °C. The medium temperature applications can vary from domestic like cooking, boiling or dairy processes etc. to industrial like heat treatment, sterilizing, dyeing etc. This paper illustrates design and development of various concentrating solar thermal technologies along with its application in Indian market. The paper briefly reviews the need of such technologies; potential markets; and barriers and recommendations for deployment of available concentrated solar thermal technologies used for generation of medium temperature (80–250 °C). The paper focuses on the cases of successful implementation of the technology all over the country and also the government efforts to promote its use further for making it a cheaper and an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels for heating applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas have been used as the major sources of energy in the recent past. However, the negative environmental impacts associated with the emission of the greenhouse gases from these conventional energy sources forced to realize the importance of renewable energy resources. At the same time, the average annual exponential rate of population growth in India needs increasing amounts of fresh-water for the basic necessities. This might result in water scarcity as the overall population in India is expected to increase to 1.60 billion by 2050. It has been forecasted that, by the year 2040, India will rank 40th in the world in terms of water scarcity. To meet the rising fresh-water demand, desalination is an intelligent and sustainable option for India, which has a very long coastline measuring 7517 km. In this paper, an attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive review of water scarcity in India and suggest a possible solution, which is implementing desalination technologies coupled with renewable resources. The paper reviews the ground water scenario in India and the global desalination market. We summarize the energy consumption in various desalination processes and provide a brief outlook of the desalination techniques in India. Apart from this, desalination using non-conventional sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy is discussed. In addition, factors affecting the environment due to desalination and the potential counter measures are presented. This review aims to provide an awareness of the projected water crisis in India, in the coming decades, and is also aimed to help the policy makers for selecting an appropriate desalination technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature has highlighted the existence of a gap in clean fuel usage between the social groups in most emerging nations across the world, which is detrimental to global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 (access to clean energy) and SDG 10 (reducing inequalities) and just energy transition with recognition justice. This paper, assesses the clean fuel gap across social groups in India using three rounds of representative data (2004, 2014, and 2018) by applying the logit model, exogenous switching treatment effect regression (ESTER), and the Blinder–Oaxaca Decomposition Model. Such an analysis is instrumental in identifying the clean energy usage gap and its causes, thereby providing insight to policymakers to design policies to achieve just energy transition and carbon neutrality by 2060. The results show a substantive clean fuel gap between social groups in India, which is a cause of concern for just energy transition. Clean energy utilization gaps among social groups are alarming across geographical locations and consumption quartiles, highlighting the importance of recognition justice for just energy transition. The results show that in rural areas, only 19.6 % of the General Caste households and 14.5 % of the disadvantaged social groups (Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Other Backward Class) in quartile one use clean energy, while in urban areas, the shares are 60.4 % and 46.3 %, respectively. To achieve a just distribution of the benefits of energy transition, energy policies should focus on disadvantaged social groups and simultaneously target General Caste households from a lower economic status and those residing in rural areas, indicating the need for targeting the neglected regions. [Display omitted] • Clean energy use has steadily increased among all social groups in India, indicating some improvement in energy justice. • Clean energy access gap among social groups has declined, but this gap still persists. • Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are the most disadvantaged social groups in terms of clean energy. • All social groups from low-income families have limited access to clean energy. • All social groups from households with low education have limited access to clean energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has a high potential for technically recoverable biomass, sufficient to meet part of its increasing energy needs, promote energy access in rural and remote areas, create economic opportunities at the national scale, and reduce indoor pollution. Effective utilization of surplus biomass resources is often challenged and hindered by seasonal availability, extensive distribution over vast and distanced areas, and the embedded socio-cultural factors associated with its use. Therefore, the development of reliable maps for the assessment of available/surplus biomass resources is the first key step toward the creation of a new supply chain for cost-effective bioenergy production, particularly in developing countries. In this paper, a new methodological approach that combines primary and secondary data sets, social factors, remote sensing data, and software, such as GIS applications, has been developed. The main goal is to create high-quality, land use/land cover (LULC) maps for agricultural and wastelands in India. With an acceptable level of accuracy assessment, the paper also determines the surplus biomass resources in wastelands and municipal solid waste (MSW) distribution in three Indian states: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. These states were selected due to the high level of agriculture production and thus high agro-biomass potential, the presence of large industrial agglomerations, and the high interest in bioenergy development in these states. The maps show that the highest surplus biomass from wastelands exists in Madhya Pradesh, while high MSW potentials exist in Maharashtra state. The developed maps considered the existing uses of biomass in order to calculate the surplus biomass resources. The presented maps are a useful tool to optimize the locations of biomass-based and/or co-generation power plants in the surveyed states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an enquiry into the role of State policies in influencing wind installed capacity. The paper studies the impact of policies on deployment of wind potential across the States of India over two decades. Aggregate indices are computed for each of the seven wind resourceful States of India indicating attractiveness for installed capacity of wind energy. For computing the indices, four policies, Feed-in-Tariff, Renewable Purchase Obligation, Banking facility, and Wheeling charges are considered. Panel data techniques are then employed to investigate the impact of the policy differences on wind potential deployment over the 19 year period (1993–2012) after controlling for three State-specific factors. The controlling factors include per-capita income of the State, power deficit, and ratio of installed capacity of wind to geographic potential indicating unmet capacity. The results show that that policy index positively impacts wind deployment whether control variables are included or not. Moreover, the control factors like the per-capita income of the State and unmet capacity have positive influence over the investment in wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term “polygeneration” is referred to as “an energy supply system, which delivers more than one form of energy to the final user”, for example: electricity, heating/cooling, desalination can be delivered from polygeneration process. The polygeneration demonstrates unique integration of energy efficiency and renewable energy. It is the next generation energy production technique with a potential to overcome intermittence of renewable energy, reduce cost of power generation and greenhouse gas emissions. The feasibility study of this paper is divided in three sections: In first section of this study, solar and biomass have been arranged to produce steam for power generation. In the second section, cooling is produced by vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR; LiBr-H 2 O) system as per demand load requirement using steam, extracted from pass-out turbine. In the last section of this paper, multi effect dehumidification (MED) water desalination is produced by using limited amount of heat from water vapor (refrigerant; H 2 O) through HE1 of VAR cooling system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewables around the globe, provide fuel diversification, energy security and produce little or no emissions during the electricity generation. The unavailability of rotating masses prohibits on-grid renewable energy generation systems from providing inertia during a frequency disruption. This would be extremely unsettling and impactful when the proportion of energy in the grid due to renewables is high. India currently, has a 28.04% share of on-grid renewable energy. The grid infrastructure systems of India would face severe challenges when the share of on-grid renewables leaps past 50% in the future. Thus, this paper primarily addresses the repercussions of increasing share of on-grid renewables in terms of inertia and frequency response in India. The energy scenario of 2040 in India under 80% proliferation of on-grid renewables has been well reviewed in this paper. The novelty of this paper is the narrative literature review of the Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) on frequency response which is unique and exclusive to this manuscript. It demonstrates the current strategies prevalent in the grid system of India towards frequency response and inertia support. This paper also explains the diverse control strategies and energy storage technologies required for adoption with the on-grid renewables in India for frequency response. The other novelty in this paper is the insight about the inertia lost due to an on-grid 100-kW p solar photovoltaic system to explain the readers about the impact when the integration is hundreds to thousands of kilowatts. • Share of renewables in the Indian grid network is 28.04% (113.226 GW) as of 2022. • India aspires to achieve 54% share of on-grid renewables by 2030 and 80% by 2040. • Indian Electricity Grid Code indicates need for expansion in active power reserves. • India requires diverse control strategies and energy storages for inertia support. • On-grid 100-kW p solar photovoltaic system loses inertia of 100-kW for 4.44 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal power plants in India emit around 500 Mt of CO 2 annually. All of it is released into the atmosphere untreated. Microalgae, a third generation feedstock for bio-fuel emerges as a viable option for partly sequestering the emissions. Moreover, its carbon capture capacity of 4.8 kg CO 2 /kg biomass, which is very much as compared to terrestrial substitutes like Jhatropa curcas , enables to produce bio fuel hence adding value to the entire process. This paper intends to build upon this idea and come up with strategies to integrate bio fuel production and CO 2 sequestration with the existing thermal power plants. The raw materials needed for algal growth are available in the plant as elaborated in the paper. Thus the bio fuel produced can be routed back to power the plant consequently lowering the dependence on coal. This would help in putting a check on the carbon emissions thus making the existing systems more environmentally benign and suitable for long haul. This paper reviews currently employed carbon capture technologies and methods and comes up with a strategy to subsume carbon capture through microalgae with power plants of a certain capacity. 3 t/day is taken as the basis for calculations in the proposed flow sheet. An alternative of the above is also provided which substitutes the biofuel production with co-firing. This escalates the nitrogen content of flue gas but deescalates the investment. This brings down the capital investment in the plant but enhances N 2 content of flue gas. Carbon leakage is accounted for in a table of atomic balance. It takes care of input and output of carbon. The paper is inclined towards the conclusion that the Microalgae possess incredible potential and if tapped efficaciously could prove to be extremely helpful in these days of power and environmental crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insatiable appetite for non-renewable fossil fuels in the past has resulted in a plethora of anthropogenic climate changes and pollution across the globe, causing serious threats to human beings and the environment. To avoid this contention, greater use of wind energy could be the solution for economic growth and sustainable environment, in the long run. This paper discusses the ways in which India has started the growth of wind energy and the country’s potential to expand its contribution to meet ever-increasing energy needs. The paper lucidly presents India’s progress to become the top five wind energy producers in the world. This paper also discusses the major achievements, programs, policy, and incentives for the installation of wind power in India. Opportunities and challenges have been discussed along with the ways to remove barriers to achieve higher growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication biomass energy resource, potential, energy conversion and policy for promotion implemented by Government of India are discussed. The total installed capacity for electricity generation in India is 2666.64 GW as on 31st March 2013. Renewable energy is contributed 10.5% of total generation out of which 12.83% power is being generated using biomass. India has surplus agricultural and forest area which comprises about 500 million metric tons of biomass availability per year. In India total biomass power generation capacity is 17,500 MW. At present power being generated is 2665 MW which include 1666 MW by cogeneration. The various category of biomass in India is also discussed in this paper. And the research reveals that India has large potential for bio mass feed stock from different sources. Government of India deployed different policies and executed that the strategies for biomass power generation. Such approaches have included the whole biomass energy sector which incorporated the bio gas, bio diesel etc. in the policies. Government of India has focused on the deployment and development biomass energy sector with strategic policy and program which is notable portion of this review paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 21,136 MW of wind energy installed in 2014, India is considered a success story in terms of net installed capacity. Few existing studies on Indian wind energy have highlighted the important role of institutions, and how they stemmed from the work of advocacy groups; studies also tend to focus on short time periods. This paper uses the notion of collective institutional entrepreneurship to analyze Indian wind energy across three time periods (1985–1995, 1995–2003, and 2003–2013). The analysis shows that Indian wind power development was driven by collective efforts of institutional entrepreneurs using two aggregated strategies, that is, supportive techno-economic and socio-political networks and an indigenous innovation infrastructure. The paper highlights setbacks, controversies, and tensions between various entrepreneurship groups and argues that actions must be taken for including actors who have been marginalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind is one of the most fascinating industries in the renewable energy sector and it is experiencing a remarkable growth. Offshore wind energy generation offers an opportunity in the race to decrease the dependence on fossil fuels, reduce green house emissions, increase energy security and create employment opportunities. UK has proven success in offshore wind and has been enjoying the economic benefits of offshore wind since over a decade. Offshore wind energy is an emergent renewable energy industry in the United States. The United States is coping up with the challenges and heading up fast to catch up with the industry. India is still in its infancy stage where the policy frameworks are framed by MNRE government and getting ready with the tools to enter into the offshore market. This paper researches the current situation and trend of offshore wind industries in UK and US, from aspects of policy, grid connections, operation and maintenance and cost reduction and analyses the proper direction and pathways of the industry to India. Therefore this paper highlights the scenario as to how these three countries UK, USA and India, respectively, are enabling offshore wind, to make a vital and sizeable contribution to the low carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly increasing energy demand and growing concern about economic and environmental consequences call for renewable/sustainable energy technologies׳ adoption in India. Renewable/sustainable energy technologies have faced a number of constraints that have affected their rate of adoption. In this paper an attempt has been made to identify and rank the major barriers in the adoption of ‘renewable and green’ energy technologies in the Indian context. Twenty-eight barriers have been identified from an extensive literature review. These identified barriers have been categorized into seven dimensions of barriers, i.e. Economical & Financial; Market; Awareness & Information; Technical; Ecological and Geographical; Cultural & Behavioral; and Political & Government Issues. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique has been utilized for ranking of barriers to adopt renewable/sustainable technologies in the Indian context. All pair comparisons in AHP have been made based on experts’ opinions (selected from academia and industry). Sensitivity analysis has also been made to investigate the priority ranking stability of barriers to adopt renewable/sustainable technologies in the Indian context. This paper may help practitioners, regulators and academician focus their future efforts in adoption of ‘renewable/sustainable energy technologies’ in India. Further, this understanding may be helpful in framing the policies and strategies towards adoption of renewable/sustainable energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal combustion engines power the great majority of automobiles on the road today. However, the challenges of complying with other propulsion systems and near-zero-emission standards are inevitable. Current stringent emission standards are becoming universal and globally harmonized test cycles are being recommended. As per the BS-VI norms, PM and NOx emissions are to be reduced by 80% and 70%, respectively for diesel engines. Indian OEMs are integrating the Euro-VI emission control technologies into their vehicle and also limiting the production of diesel engines, especially in the passenger sector. In this respect, it is necessary to enhance the current understanding of the improvements in combustion chambers, after-treatment devices, and potential low-carbon fuels for sustainable transport mobility. This paper comprehensively outlines the prospects of future fuels, modified combustion systems, and after-treatment devices. The fuel composition of both fossil and biofuels plays a vital role in altering the exhaust soot and NOx characteristics. Thus an overview of hydrogen formulated fuels, the optimal combinations of the fuel–engine–after-treatment systems are also highlighted. In the end, a brief discussion concerning the total life cycle analysis is also presented in this paper. The review concludes by suggesting potential fuels and technologies for lowering the emission levels and provides directions for future work to address the challenges facing alternate energy resources for automotive applications, particularly in India. • Comprehensively outlines the prospects of future fuels, combustion systems and after-treatment devices. • Fuel composition affects the emissions of NOx and soot formation. • Biodiesel operation enhances the filter regeneration rate and the conversion efficiency of the diesel oxidation catalyst. • Displacing 50% diesel with hydrogen is found to lower the total GHG by 47%. • Implications for technology development roadmap in India are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, more than a billion rural dwellers live without electricity. Billions more endure awfully intermittent service even when connected to the grid. Most of these access challenged communities are in the Global South and may benefit from surging spread of distributed energy resources. However, associated investment necessity is large and so is the time required to address infrastructural bottlenecks. Recognising criticality of universal access to affordable, eco-friendly and reliable electricity in inclusive human development, the United Nations adopted 'affordable and clean energy' as one of the Sustainable Development Goals. To treasure electricity access, measurement of the same is important. The evolution of electricity access measurement has given rise to multi-tier, multi-parameter matrix. This improved measurement framework has facilitated researchers and policymakers in capturing various electricity access parameters in order to script focused energy strategy for the common man. This paper studies electricity availability, consumer aspiration and prevailing consumption in an impoverished, isolated, high-altitude valley, nestled in the Himalayas in India. It outlines evolving technology-aided, access measurement supported innovative access tier advancement opportunities in the valley. The result underscores the importance of consumer-focused approach for improving infrastructure utilisation. Consumer collaboration may result in fast, economical access advancement. Supply reliability may transform from abrupt complete disruption to gradual, cognisant decay. Such transition may encourage consumers to avoid costly, individual backup and instead use available resources sensibly. Embedding aspiration-supporting nudge in electricity regulation may promote co-operation, helping empowered consumers in scaling access tier affordably. • Electricity metering has advanced since comprehensive consumption reporting. • Metering advances can at present support inexpensive consumer Collaboration. • Collaborative consumption may help consumers scale access tier inexpensively. • Improved resource use may favourably impact affordability and consumer utility. • Participative consumption may promote equity, inclusivity and empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wind speed and power forecast is an essential component to ensure grid stability and reliability. The traditional forecasting methods fail to address the non-linearity in the wind speed time-series, thus paving way for machine intelligent algorithms. This paper discusses a hybrid machine intelligent wind forecasting model utilizing different variants of Support Vector Regression (SVR) built on wavelet transform. Various performance indices are evaluated to identify the possible best one among four different machine learning regressors for wind forecasting application. Apart from standard ε-SVR and LS-SVR, two new regression models, namely, ε-Twin Support vector regression (ε-TSVR) and Twin Support vector regression (TSVR) are used to forecast short-term wind speed, and are compared with Persistence model for four wind farm sites. The effect of larger dataset on forecasting performance is evaluated for two wind farm sites from USA and India. Further, wind power ramp events are investigated at different hub heights and the forecasting performance of different variants of SVR is compared for five wind farm sites. Highlights • Machine intelligent SVR variants are discussed for short-term wind forecasting. • Overfitting and underfitting scenarios of variants of SVR are assessed. • Forecasting performance of SVR variants is assessed during wind power ramp event. • Wind power ramp events are analyzed at different hub heights for 5 wind farm sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Global concerns for pressing fossil fuel demand with concurrent emissions deliberated India to direct policies for rapid adoption of clean energy methods as sustainable solutions. Responsiveness for affordable electricity access to its residents induced implementation of off-grid and consumer driven energy models like Community Energy (CE), playing significant role in meeting national energy demand in developed countries. It is evident from energy secured nations that centralized planning and electrification is not alone sufficient for meeting energy security. Renewable CE model is predicted to emerge as an effective system of clean energy access to off-grid communities while reducing emissions vividly. In past few years, cases of renewable CE system have been reported in India as well. Hence, it becomes pertinent to assess the extent of CE projects in Indian context, however a comprehensive landscape of such projects is currently lacking. This paper attempts to profile the status of CE projects with their scope and relevance to ensure national energy security. Six diversified case studies of CE projects are analysed by applying actor network theory. Role of community participation in implementation of these projects and its socio-economic impact on localized growth is represented by reviewing detailed case-studies. Qualitative analysis reveals parameters across diversified CE projects in India leading to an assessment framework for sustainable replication in other regions. Insights provide basis to identify associated challenges and incentives with CE projects, policy implications in interest of developers, end users, beneficiaries, promoters and towards emission reduction. Highlights • ANT critically analyses diversified CE projects and builds grounded concept for actor interactions in different capacity. • Analytical parameters derived define replicability of CE projects in Indian context. • Cross-case comparison highlights socio-techno-economic markers responsible for operational sustainability of CE projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Jaggery is a traditional concentrated product of sugarcane juice which is easily and cheaply available to the Indian rural population. Several value added jaggery based products are also very popular in large section of population throughout the country. Jaggery is a good source of minerals and nutritiants and also has various medicinal values. With the increasing demand of this nutritive sweetener, efforts are being made to develop a standard manufacturing package that will increase its productivity besides quality improvement in terms of hygiene, standardization of shape, size, and storability. The thermal and overall efficiencies of jaggery making plants are very low due to loss of thermal energy through flue gasses and un-designed constructional parameters of plant. The storage of jaggery is also a major problem. Since, it is much influenced by the contents of invert sugars and mineral salts that are hygroscopic in nature. This intends us to study the technological upgradations used for the production and preservation of jaggery in order to prioritise the required advancements. This paper gives an overview of the technological upgradation of jaggery manufacturing plants and the preservation of jaggery by using different storage and packaging methods. Highlights • Jaggery, a natural sweetner is a good source of minerals and essential nutrients. • Jaggery industry is one of the largest and most important among major Indian agro processing industries. • Thermal and overall efficiencies of traditional jaggery making plants are low. • Manuscript discusses elements and operation of jaggery manufacturing processes, its up-gradation, shelf life of jaggery and its storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered global energy consumption, particularly affecting investment in renewable energy projects. In India, strict shelter-in-place orders enforced during March 2020 have since led to a considerable change in public and private sector investments in planned renewable energy installations. In this paper, we attempt to highlight trends in energy consumption and installed renewable energy capacity noted in India during a period concurrent with the shelter-in-place orders. We discuss recent policy measures and additions to installed renewable energy capacity, and propose key policy recommendations that may help the sector adopt a growth trajectory similar to one noted pre-pandemic. This paper is organized into four main parts. In the first section, we draw focus to India's renewable energy policies and pay special emphasis on recent interventions and campaigns targeted towards achieving high growth rates in the sector. We briefly discuss the need for effective public-private partnerships in order to meet these targets. In the second part, we quantitatively characterise the growth of renewables in India. We present an overview of several mechanisms and missions the government has launched in line with their policy to mitigate the environmental impact of India's energy mix. In the third part, we analyse the decrease in electricity demand in India from 24 March to 30 June 2020, a period concurrent with shelter-at-home orders issued by the Government. We also characterise changes in installed renewable energy capacity between March to December 2016–2020 to provide causal evidence of the effect of the pandemic on the growth of renewables. In this section, we also compile and analyse data on state-wise stressed assets across renewable energy generators in the country. Lastly, in the fourth and final portion of this paper, we highlight policy recommendations that may help the sector overcome logistical and financial bottlenecks in the short-term. We do this with the hope of outlining key measures that decision makers may employ to achieve pre-COVID sectoral growth in the long term. Our recommendations cover three different policy instruments: investment subsidies, operational subsidies, and recommendations for DISCOMs. • The increase in Indian renewable energy capacity installations between February to May 2020 hasseen an increment of 0.75%. • Daily electricity demand has decreased by 18.8% after the announcement of the shelter at home orders. • Immediate effects of the pandemic on the Indian renewable energy sector have been quantified. • A 3 tier system may be adopted to regulate incentives among renewable energy power producers. • Key policy recommendations to improve the fitness of the renewable energy sector have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, electricity use in rural areas accounts only 23% of national total usage. It is necessary to expand the access to electricity in Rural India for sustainable development. Biomass, a viable resource is the most direct and simple way at households and rural areas. Organic waste can be converted into an alternative source for cooking, heating and electricity. Biogas, a biofuel produced from organic waste (food scraps and animal waste) through Anaerobic Digestion. It is mainly composed of methane and carbon dioxide produced through Anaerobic Digestion in either large scale or small scale digesters. Traditionally, biogas has been used for cooking. Based on village level survey, electrical energy is the only commercial form of energy that has been used in villages. Biogas production paves the way to produce electricity at villages through high temperature fuel cell unit like Solid Oxide Fuel Cell; thus it is the best possible way to generate and utilize power close to where people live. The present paper discusses about the rural energy requirement, overview of biogas production and fuel cells, potential and operational challenges for biogas fed Solid oxide fuel cell, technical barriers with Solid oxide fuel cell and issues related to rural electrification using renewable energy. Also, a comparative analysis of SOFC with bio and thermo chemical conversion of biomass has been analyzed with a case study and reported. • Based on village level survey in a village at Dindigul Dt, Tamilnadu, India, electrical energy is the only commercial form of energy that has been used. • Biogas production paves the way to produce electricity at villages through high temperature fuel cell unit like Solid Oxide Fuel Cell; thus it is the best possible way to generate and utilize power close to where people live. • The present paper discusses about the rural energy requirement, potential and operational challenges for biogas fed Solid oxide fuel cell. • A comparative analysis of SOFC with bio and thermo chemical conversion of biomass has been analyzed with a case study and reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents planning and optimization of standalone DC microgrids for rural and urban applications in India. Load profiles in the form of a rural village, an urban residential building and a business organisation are considered for the study. Using these load profiles, different microgrid configurations with generation from PV, wind turbine and biodiesel generators are constructed. Optimization studies are then carried out using Homer Energy software to determine the optimal system configuration which has the lowest cost of energy. Historical data of hourly solar irradiation and wind speed were also used in the study to obtain a realistic result. A special case study for the rural scenario with a partial connectivity to the grid is also conducted which is reminiscent to the poor reliability of supply in India. The study also gives a detail comparison between the various cost components, electrical productions, energy management and emissions for each of these systems. The results of optimization show reasonable cost of electricity for reliable supply of power for the various load configurations as compared to the actual grid prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's electricity requirements will continue to grow with its increasing population and urbanization. Climate change, increased carbon emissions, and the depletion of nonrenewable energy resources have forced India to shift to renewable energy resources. India's solar potential is large enough to provide 100-percent of its current electricity requirements if photovoltaic arrays and energy storage infrastructure of sufficient size is deployed. In this paper, we modeled the dynamics of net electricity input and output from a photovoltaic electricity (PV) system as it is built out to provide the entire electricity demand by 2050. The results showed that building a PV system large enough to meet the nation's entire electricity demand by 2050 is possible; however, it will require a rapid increase in the deployment of solar PV and the associated storage infrastructure over the next few decades. Such rapid expansion of the PV system will require substantial electricity allocation away from general societal use and towards building the photovoltaic system equipment and integrating it with existing infrastructure. This will lead to a short-term lack of electricity supply for general use by society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade the demand of power in India has increased manifold, therefore Government has announced the National Solar Mission of generating 100 GW of solar power up to 2022. Around 60% of the total National Solar Mission target is allotted to the national/international large-scale solar power developers/investors. Hence, it becomes important to know the ground reality of large-scale solar PV developers/investors. This paper deeply analyzes the key barriers and bottlenecks faced by solar power developers in achieving the target and their growth. This article also suggests some motivational factors of solar energy which play an important role in attracting large solar players around the world to invest in Indian subcontinent. It concludes by highlighting some key policies of the Government that can help in addressing some identified barriers in order to ensure a secured sustainable energy future of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses attention on the environmental impacts of solar photovoltaic (PV) module production, use and disposal. The present study estimates the goodwill capital embedded within market valuations of the 9 publicly listed PV module manufacturing firms. These goodwill scores are correlated with the ‘solar scores’ awarded by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. Correlation between such scores and the generated goodwill capital appears weak and inconclusive. The study also finds no significant correlation between long-term planning demonstrated by managers within these firms, the environmental impacts of their processes and the goodwill generated among investors. Informing investors of the variants of solar PV technologies, and of the range of potential environmental consequences, could help appropriately internalize risks and rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to examine the link between CO 2 emissions, hydroelectricity consumption, urbanisation and real GDP in China and India during the period of 1965–2013. The long-run cointegration is investigated by the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach, which is augmented with structural breaks. We employ the ARDL cointegration test to establish long run relationship in the variables. Furthermore, we use the ARDL to show that real GDP and urbanisation have long-run positive impact on emission, while hydroelectricity consumption exerts long-run negative impact on emission in both countries. The results support the existence of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in China and India. Besides, the paper assesses the causal link between the variables by using Granger causality procedures and the results show that there is long-run bidirectional relationship between the variables in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many places are dealing with the problem of water scarcity, especially in the summer months. This occurs mostly in the dry areas with hot climates that are exposed to intensive solar insolation which are the main driver for the evaporation of water. Some companies that are in charge of water service, and are operating open water reservoirs, have developed a solution to cover the water with floating balls to limit the solar insolation and to mitigate the evaporation of water. Another good approach is using floating solar panels for the same cause, which will provide an additional power source. It can enhance the productivity of hydropower plants with reservoirs. An additional benefit of the solution is the amount of the available water surfaces for placing the solar panels, instead of potentially useful areas for other purposes (agriculture, buildings ...). This paper reviews the current development of the technology, potentials, and best practices. It shows that this technology is feasible and can compete with other power sources, considering the cheapest LCOE being 46 USD/MWh for a 50 MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. [Display omitted] • FPV is feasible, with LCOE as low as 46 USD/MWh for a 50 MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. • FPV improves water retention in open reservoirs while improving efficiency of PV panels. • Asian countries have recognized potentials of FPV and have the largest plants (150 MW construction in Huainan, China). • Developers from EU have key knowledge for development of FPV projects, why their development should be supported there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste) are the globally recognized hazardous material, though containing a full spectrum of valuable and critical metals. India, being the fifth largest generator of WEEE, is facing a great challenge in the sustainable management of such waste. Therefore since the past few years, Government of India has been trying to establish a proper institutional and legislative framework to implement the sustainable management of WEEE in the country. Accordingly, the global issues related to WEEE and how it is being tackled by other countries/regions with implemented regulations has been reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the status-quo of WEEE generation, management policies and recycling practices in India has been systematically assessed while emphasizing the key issues of future initiatives, environmental and health hazards. The mathematical model of WEEE generation in India along with identifying the influences of recycling in sustainable management of WEEE has also been established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive cooling is a versatile technology through which energy demands to achieve the thermal comfort in a building can be minimized in places like India, where different climatic zones exist. This paper presents the outcome of various research works carried out in the field of evaporative cooling, nocturnal radiative cooling, and phase change material (PCM) based free cooling of buildings under various climatic conditions. Further, the developed empirical equations/correlations for determining the critical design parameters pertaining to the above said passive cooling technologies are summarized in order to provide a panoramic view. The achievable monthly and yearly average cooling potential through the implementation of direct evaporative cooling, nocturnal radiative cooing and PCM based free cooling system are estimated and reported for five selected cities (Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Jaipur, and Jammu and Kashmir) in India, based on their corresponding weather data. It is inferred that Jaipur with hot and dry climatic zone has the highest yearly average passive cooling potential of 251 W m −2 , whereas Chennai with warm and humid climate zone has 127 W m −2 . In addition, concept of a novel hybrid passive system is presented along with the strategies required in the present scenario to promote passive building concepts. This comprehensive evaluation of cooling potential helps the researchers to select the appropriate passive cooling technologies based on the influencing parameters with respect to local climatic zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the benefits and potential of biogas generation and uses in India, with focus on advances made in hydrogen production by catalytic reforming technologies with steam, O 2 , and CO 2 as the oxidants. Utilization of biomass by means of generating biogas is one of the easiest and cost effective methods of harnessing renewable energy. As India is an agricultural country, a tremendous amount of biomass and livestock waste is generated every year. Likewise the large population of India generates much food and municipal solid waste that is not being utilized for biogas generation. Fuel cells are one of the effective means of utilizing biogas, although the synthesis gas or hydrogen generated from biogas can also be used in internal combustion engines. Higher efficiency of fuel cells (45%) compared to internal combustion engines (30%) and even higher with co-generation systems (70%) make them highly desirable for biogas utilization for power generation. Investigations of hydrogen productionfor fuel cell use are in their infancy stage in India. Apart from a few scattered investigations not much work has been undertaken in the area of research. Large scale hydrogen production is achieved by steam reforming of hydrocarbons, in particular natural gas. Although the process is a proven technology it has come under considerable scrutiny due to its environmental impact and the energy intensive nature of the process. Several technical and scientific challenges have to be overcome for assimilation of the technology for hydrogen production from biogas and wide scale application in India. These challenges include development of less energy intensive features, highly active and poisons-resistant catalyst, and fuel cell development for utilization of biogas generated hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to test whether income inequality contributes to environmental degradation in China and India, where both countries are giving a great concern about the implications of their unsustainable energy consumption to the environment not only to themselves but also to the global environmental sustainability. By applying the bounds test approach to cointegration we found in both countries a long-run but not a statistically significant relationship between income inequality and CO 2 emissions both in the long-run and in the short-run. The robustness of our cointegration results is also ascertained by using three different long-run tests. Furthermore, applying the variance decomposition analysis to examine the dynamic causal relationship between the Gini coefficient of income distribution and CO 2 emissions, we found that income inequality was the least important factor in determining CO 2 emissions and that there was no causality running in any direction between CO 2 emissions and income inequality in both countries. Still income and energy consumption are the major determinants of CO 2 emissions in both countries. Nevertheless, even though the evidence is not statistically significant, in the case of China it indicates that reducing income inequality can have a positive impact on environmental quality, while in India redistributing income to improve environmental degradation may not be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world's fastest growing major economy and home to nearly one-fifth of the worlds population, India a vibrant democracy is in the midst of a profound transformation and rapid urbanization. Urbanization improves the quality of life of people while promoting economic growth; however it also increases energy consumption and is capable of generating an energy crisis. Urbanization has a significant impact on Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions as well. This paper empirically investigates the temporal, dynamic and causal relationships between urbanization, energy consumption and emissions. The study also aims to understand the urbanization process in India, in terms of the level and tempo of urbanization and the urban growth morphology, by utilizing the census data of 1901–2011. The rise in energy consumption and resulting emissions in the context of rapid urbanization is also reviewed. To address these problems the study recommends a series of measures and a set of strategies that include energy intensity and emission intensity reduction measures through continuous monitoring, information feedback systems, introduction of industrial energy quota management, incentives for energy efficient facilities, shutting down of inefficient facilities, and setting up of smart residential buildings. Reduction of distribution and transmission losses by investing in smart grids is also highly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equality between economic progress and environmental sustainability is essential for a developing country like India. In the present time, the economy of India is growing rapidly in a vibrant mode and an efficient way, which in turn demands huge uninterrupted energy supplies. The country's energy needs are met mostly by the usage of fossil fuels and nearly 70% of electricity is generated from coal based power plants. In India, nearly 840 million people depend on traditional biomass to satisfy their energy necessities. Approximately 74 million rural people do not have access to modern lighting systems and around 81 million households do not have access to electricity, which is a major challenge to India's energy security. In order to achieve stable sustainable energy in the long-run, significant progress in renewable energy sectors is needed. Favorably, due to India's geographic location, the country is blessed with abundant renewable energy resources, which has not yet been exploited completely. So the central and state governments of the country have framed various policies and are providing subsidies to encourage the utilization of solar photovoltaic systems. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the potential, current developmental status and prospects of solar energy of India is briefed. The various applications of solar energy such as water heaters, desalination units, pasteurizers, food drying units, water purifier, space heating systems, air-conditioning units, cookers, water pumps, aerators, solar-wind hybrid systems and grid connected photovoltaic systems are explained. The study also mentions the current renewable energy policies, the barriers blocking the progress of the solar manufacturing units and some possible future recommendations that might speed up renewable energy developments in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrete choice experiments are increasingly utilized to inform policy makers in various fields in energy on consumer preferences and willingness to pay values. When translating the results into policy recommendations, it is often difficult for non-experts to understand the underlying implications of different models and associated behavioral assumptions. In this paper, I review proposed methods to compare the two most frequently applied models, the random parameters logit model and the latent class logit model and investigate the challenges in and implications of model choice for policy makers and practitioners. As an example application, I use data from a discrete choice experiment on private households’ preferences for electricity supply quality in Hyderabad, India. The procedures used in the comparative analysis – measures of fit, tests for non-nested models, kernel density estimates of conditional willingness to pay values and choice probabilities – emphasize the difficulties in finding the ‘correct’ model. The methods presented here can be readily used by other researchers to better understand model performance which ultimately contributes to improving model choice in applied energy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many rural households in India lack access to reliable energy services but off-grid solar technologies are able to meet basic lighting and electricity needs. The availability and perception of different technologies, appliances, and services influences how households will transition to renewable energy. To identify factors that affect household decisions among various energy sources, this paper examines purchase and use patterns for electricity sources and basic end-uses for twenty-two households in three rural villages in Jharkhand, India using a qualitative, card-based interview protocol. This paper examines energy stacking or the use of multiple fuel sources to meet household energy needs. Results indicate that households use multiple energy sources to meet basic lighting and charging needs, but these patterns vary across households. Adoption of lighting technologies were influenced by a range of factors, with pricing and payment options influencing 88% of solar lantern purchases and 75% of solar home system purchases. In contrast, decisions to connect to the solar microgrid were more heavily influenced by awareness of the technology. Retention of existing lighting options stems from three factors access or availability, capacity, and quality of new lighting additions – with capacity being the most commonly referenced across kerosene, solar lanterns, and solar home systems. This paper argues that different factors influence adoption and retention of household lighting sources with key interdependencies across sources resulting the need for new, or to retain existing, lighting options. • All 22 households stack or retain multiple technologies over time. • Households on the state-provided grid frequently purchased backup sources of lighting after grid access. • Microgrid households use fewer appliances compared to grid-connected households. • Adoption of new technology was often influenced by awareness, pricing, and access. • Retention of sources was influenced by quality, end-uses, and access to repair services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional power plants suffer from issues like fuel scarcity, availability of site and other environmental concerns. Alternate technologies based on renewable energy sources especially solar, wind and bio-mass are utilised to overcome these problems. Among many options available in solar technology, power generation through CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) could be the most promising one for India in the coming future. In this paper, a brief overview on various CSP technologies and site selection criteria has been outlined. Subsequently, the design considerations for the four major CSP technologies i.e. solar tower, parabolic trough, linear fresnel reflector, and parabolic dish are discussed. Finally, the present status and key issues related to the deployment of CSP based technologies in India are summarised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China and India accounted for two-thirds of the world׳s rise in energy use between 2000 and 2012. This paper aimed to calculate the P (population)– A (affluence)– T (technology) effects of energy use in China and India – the world׳s two most populous and largest developing countries. To this end, a combination of the IPAT method and the logarithmic mean divisia index technique, and annual time-series data on population, energy consumption, and gross domestic product during 1970–2012 are used. In China, a 12.53-fold growth of energy use emissions from 1970 to 2012 is driven by a combination of rapid growth in individual income and slow growth in population, with offset by technological advancement since 1980. The accelerating rise in energy use since 2000 is a result of accelerating growth rates in individual income and a reversal of earlier declining in energy intensity (technological advancement). Unlike China, the long-term rise in energy use exceeded the long-term rise in individual income in India. In addition, a strong trend of decline in energy intensity has not yet occurred in India. Thus, a 7.39-folds growth of Indian energy use for 1970–2012 was a result of relatively rapid increase in population and relatively slow increase in income, without effective offset by technological advancement. It suggests that market-oriented economic and energy reforms need to send the correct price signal to promote energy-efficient technologies thus improving energy efficiency, which is the key to a sustainable energy future in China and India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for electricity in rural India has been met by extending the grid electricity distribution network. But the costs of extending lines to rural facilities are prohibitively expensive. Grid extension varies in cost on the distance to be covered, the land, utility and the size of the load. Considering these challenges, rural electrification will require considerable skill in the selection and implementation of technical and economic strategies for electrification. In rural places where the condition and quantity of grid power is expensive or insufficient, renewable energy alternatives may be the only option. So this paper estimates the domestic, industrial, agricultural, BTS load in a remote village called Kadayam, Tamilnadu, South India, identifies the optimal option for RE based electrification and compares it with conventional grid extension using HOMER software. The solution obtained from HOMER software shows that a hybrid combination of solar/wind/hydro/battery is a cost effective, sustainable, techno-economically and environmentally viable alternative to grid extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity generation for rural applications through biomethanation process is very promising in countries like India where availability of biomass feedstock is very high. However, sustainability of biomass power plants requires meticulous planning starting from assessment of feedstock availability to collection, storage, transport and conversion in power plant. All these parameters are spatially inter-linked and therefore use of spatial tools such as GIS is helpful in such planning. This paper investigates electrical power generation potential of a newly constructed biomethanation plant in Sonitpur district of Assam, India. Spatial availability of locally available biomass feedstocks for methane generation is assessed using GIS. The GIS is also used for optimal biomass collection and transportation network design. Altogether, 7 different types of biomass feedstock (kitchen waste, vegetable waste, cow dung, pig droppings, goat droppings, poultry droppings and rice straw) are identified in the surrounding villages of the plant within optimum biomass supply radius. Biomass feedstock of the area can produce 37,000 m 3 methane; sufficient for continuous generation of 5.3 MW electricity. Power supply from the proposed plant would improve rural living standard and key areas such as education and health will be particularly benefited. However, biomass assessment and supply logistics would require managerial attention to minimize cost of power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of biomass resources for power generation can reduce environmental emissions while fulfilling energy requirements in developing countries. But, the biomass conversion to electric power seems to be financially viable under optimized conditions (for some economic objectives). This paper presents a step-by-step methodology to determine the possibility of installation of straw based power plants in a region. Further, various issues regarding installation of power plants are discussed and reviewed. The study takes into consideration the average fuel distribution, the straw collection mechanism, the plant characteristics and the economic objectives. The methodology has been used for optimal sizing of the straw based plants in Punjab (a north Indian state) for minimum power cost and investment. The optimization models that can handle all possible restrictions for installation of the plants are applied and the results are analyzed under the influence of input parameters. The study indicates that the optimum capacity of plant is of the order of 20 MW, which can produce electricity at a cost of 5 Rs/kW h. Each plant requires a collection radius of 14 km for providing a continuous and sustainable fuel to the plant. The capital cost required for installation of the plant has been estimated to be 45,144 Rs/kW. In order to achieve these objectives, it is essential to integrate the power generation system with the biomass management system. The literature review shows that an efficient biomass recovery system is required to be developed for collection of agricultural straw (within the stipulated time) for implementation of power generation programme in the state. In overall, the study reveals that the efficient utilization of straw for electric power requires careful identification of different techno-economic parameters like biomass management cost, scale factor, fuel supply and thermal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent years, small scale power generation has been recognized as a suitable option for energy access in isolated rural areas due to uneconomical grid extension. A techno-economic feasibility study on the development of an Integrated Renewable Energy System (IRES) is carried out in the paper in order to meet the electrical and cooking energy demands of cluster of village hamlets of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state (India). An attempt has been made to estimate the potential of locally available renewable energy resources and demands of the study area. The selection of small wind turbine model for the site specified is performed among the various models available in market. Further, nine different combinations of renewable energy resources have been investigated by considering economic, technical and social aspect criteria. Finally, a sensitivity analysis has also been carried out in order to determine the most sensitive parameter of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitigation of global energy demands and climate change are the most important factors in the modern days. Development and application of solar energy have been regarded by the government of India and common people, and they thought that solar photo voltaic energy can provide more energy in future compare to other renewable energies. In the last decade, solar photovoltaic energy research and development has supported by the central government and state governments. This paper discusses the progress of current solar photovoltaic energy in India. It highlights the renewable energy trend in India with major achievements, state wise analysis of solar parks and industrial applications. Finally, it discusses the Indian government policies and initiatives to promote solar energy in India. This review on solar photovoltaic energy will help decision makers and various stakeholders to understand the current status, barriers and challenges for better planning and management in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decade before conversion of solar energy into electricity was quite expensive compare with other renewable energy or conventional fossil fired generated power. For making solar energy as a main stream source of power generation Indian government has taken several initiatives in last 5–6 years. Presently, the deployment of the solar power project in India is governed by both central and state government under the various schemes. These schemes are mainly includes, Feed-in-Tariff (FiT), Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), long term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), Accelerated Depreciation (AD) benefit and reverse bidding/auctions etc. As an effect of this competitive market environment, the tariff of solar power has come down from INR 17 or US $ 0.27 1 1 In year 2010, US $ 1=INR 45. (year 2010) to less than INR 6 or US $ 0.092 2 2 In year 2015, US $ 1=INR 65. (year 2015). This decremented solar tariff may achieve grid parity soon but also has raised the question of sustainability of the solar power project as well. Additionally, this multi-policy environment of both central and state government has created lots of confusion among the solar power project developers to select scheme and make their investment viable as per other power generation business. This paper summarizes various schemes under the current policy framework in terms of viability of the solar power projects in India. It also includes issues related with the sustainability of the solar power project taken under the competitive bidding process with remarkable lowered tariff than benchmarked tariff (ceiling price)in India (i.e. INR 7 or US $ 0.107). This study will help project developers and other stakeholders to understand the issues related with viability of the project in current multi-policy environment for better planning before investing in the field of solar Power business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is the main staple food in most of the Asian countries and rice crops generate a huge amount of rice straw as crop residue in the fields. Unsustainable use of rice straw and open burning of crop in the field not only produces threat to environment by producing large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, but also make farmer׳s loose a very viable by-product. Rice straw can be used in bio-ethanol production and bring additional income and sustainable utilization. It will also provide clean energy solution to ever increasing energy demand in India. However, it becomes more important to study the sustainability of bio-ethanol production from rice straw and how it can make sense in today׳s Indian agricultural scenario. Although, the bioethanol obtained from rice straw is a carbon neutral in nature, but the concerns of environmental impacts have been raised for the whole process i.e. from rice cultivation, rice logistics, pretreatment techniques, bioethanol generation and transportation. The present review focuses on the environmental sustainability issues arising from use of rice straw for bioethanol production. The environmental impacts are assessed by studying the emission of greenhouse gases from each stage of life cycle. The paper presents an outlook on current status and future prospects of ethanol blending in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present day India has tremendous energy requirements, and with each day it is becoming more difficult to meet those needs through conventional power sources. The never-ending demand of population which is growing exponentially has become very tough to fulfill. To enhance its energy security, mitigate carbon emissions and augment its economic development, it becomes an urgent need to implement innovative policies and mechanisms for the adoption of green and clean energy. India because of its demographics has good solar energy potential. This study aims to examine the solar power implementations in thermal power plants situated all across India. This paper contributes to the literature on solar power by identification of barriers for the adoption of solar power in thermal plants. Still, there is some lack of study about solar power implementations in different areas. In this paper, investigating efforts have been made to examine the solar power implementations in thermal power plants within the Indian context by identifying key barriers. In this study, Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) has been adopted to find the contextual relationships among key barriers and Matriced'Impacts Croises- Multiplication Applique' an Classment (MICMAC) analysis has been carried out for validation of the model. Requirement of gigantic investment, longer recovery period, safety implications, environmental implications, and societal concerns emerge at the top level in ISM structure. Lack of adequate government policies and lack of political leadership appears at the bottom of a structured model and these emerged as the most influential barriers. This research also suggested how to mitigate the key barriers by the installation of solar power in electricity generation utilities. • Identify and evaluate nineteen barriers which influence the development of solar power in Indian thermal power sector. • Establish ISM hierarchy structure to show the contextual relationships among the barriers. • MICMAC technique is conceded for validation of the established ISM model. • Suggestions are proposed to mitigate the key barriers for the development of solar power in electricity generation utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy can play a strategic role in India in meeting the country’s growing energy demands, as well as combating climate change. Policymakers have recognized this potential and over the last decade have intensified their efforts towards creating a conducive regulatory and policy framework. Policy instruments such as renewable obligations, feed-in-tariffs and generation based incentives have specially aided the transformation towards large scale generation, enabling higher efficiency and lower costs of generation. However, financing has emerged as a significant barrier for sustaining the momentum gained in recent years. Given this background this paper provides an overview on the evolution of large scale generation and the consequent changes in financing requirements. It further reviews the emerging trends and barriers in the financing landscape and analyses the impact of policy performance in this context. Finally, it considers the design of a national renewable finance framework complete with targeted finance push instruments that can complement existing demand pull policies in facilitating investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar Tower technology has gained considerable momentum over the past decade. Unlike the parabolic trough, Solar Tower has a lot of variants in terms of type of receivers, working fluids, power cycles, size of heliostats, etc. Most of the literature available on this technology does not address in great depths, details of various parameters associated with tower technology. A detailed examination of plant parameters is required in order to perform a potential assessment, design basis or feasibility analysis. This paper aims to assess the principal parameters of existing plants, namely, solar to electric conversion efficiency, mirror and land area per MW e of equivalent capacity, packing density, field layout configuration, receiver size, tower height and gross costs of plants, wherever data is available. Based on this global review of existing plants, it is observed that, the annual solar to electric conversion efficiencies has an average value of 16% and the packing density has an average value of about 20%. Since most of the existing plants have been constructed for demonstration purposes, the true potential of this technology has not yet been realised. Using this assessment as a basis, the technical, financial and policy drivers and barriers for adopting tower technology in India are discussed. It is seen that based on indigenisation prospects, tower technology with external cylindrical or cavity receivers with storage could be adopted. The role and significance of this technology is brought out in the context of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in order to achieve grid-connected solar power. It is estimated that around 1800 MW of grid connected Solar Tower plants could come up under this mission by 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realistic assessment of utilization potential of solar energy for thermal power generation and identification of niche areas/locations for this purpose is critically important for designing and implementing appropriate policies and promotional measures. This paper presents the results of a detailed analysis undertaken for estimating the potential of solar thermal power generation in India. A comprehensive framework is developed that takes into account (i) the availability of wastelands (ii) Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) (iii) wastelands that are habitat to endangered species and/or tribal population and/or that is prone to earthquakes and (iv) suitability of wasteland for wind power generation. Finally, using an approach developed for the allocation of wastelands suitable for solar power generation between thermal and photovoltaic routes, the potential of solar thermal power generation is assessed for two threshold values of DNI – 1800 kW h/m 2 and 2000 kW h/m 2 . With all the wastelands having wind speeds of 4 m/s or more allocated for wind power generation, the estimated potential for solar thermal power generation is 756 GW for a threshold DNI value of 1800 kW h/m 2 and 229 GW for a threshold DNI value of 2000 kW h/m 2 . Results obtained can be used for identification of best suited areas for solar thermal power generation in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern of China and India, the two most populated countries in the world, with two economies undergoing an important economic transition. The comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern has the scope to characterize and explain a bifurcation in their evolutionary path in the recent years, using the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach. The analysis shows an impressive transformation of China׳s energy metabolism determined by the joining of the WTO in 2001. Since then, China became the largest factory of the world with a generalized capitalization of all sectors, especially the industrial sector, boosting economic labor productivity as well as total energy consumption. India, on the contrary, lags behind when considering these factors. Looking at changes in the household sector (energy metabolism associated with final consumption) in the case of China, the energetic metabolic rate (EMR) soared in the last decade, also thanks to a reduced growth of population, whereas in India it remained stagnant for the last 40 years. This analysis indicates a big challenge for India for the next decade. In the light of the data analyzed both countries will continue to require strong injections of technical capital requiring a continuous increase in their total energy consumption. When considering the size of these economies it is easy to guess that this may induce a dramatic increase in the price of energy, an event that at the moment will penalize much more the chance of a quick economic development of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]