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The most significant development activity on the Teesta River in India is the construction of a series of cascade dams for hydropower generation in the state of Sikkim, India. Approximately 30 major hydropower projects have been planned on the Teesta River, with a planned capacity of over 5000 MW of electricity. This paper discusses hydraulic model studies conducted at Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, India, for Teesta-IV Project in Sikkim which played an important role in enhancing the overall performance of spillway and energy dissipator by incorporating various modifications such as providing curved dam axis, tilting the dam axis anti-clockwise by about 3°, modification of breast wall profile, etc. The details of model studies conducted for improving the overall performance of spillway and energy dissipator are described in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, uniform price was assigned to renewable energy certificate (REC) irrespective of renewable energy (RE) type, technology, and location. Moreover REC price bands are higher than existing preferential tariff. There are distinct renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) specified for various RE types, whereas there is lack of efficient tools to check RPO compliance. Because of these reasons, REC market stabilisation is getting delayed. This paper proposes a method using plant performance multiplier to convert non-solar and solar REC to single equivalent REC with competitive REC pricing, which can be traded on unified REC market. The method combines solar and non-solar RPOs into a single composite RPO, to make RPO compliance and its checking simple and efficient. A sample illustration of the proposed method is given. The benefits offered by the proposed method in REC pricing, REC trading and RPO compliance are discussed. A comparative economic analysis of present and proposed method is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Distributed power generation based on renewable energy sources brings new life and hope to electrify remote villagers. The proposed work suggests the techno-economic feasibility of three different energy-supplying alternatives namely the solar photovoltaic (SPV) system, diesel generator system and extending the grid connection for energy supply to a remote village located around 15 km away from the place where grid supply is available. Design of all the above three systems along with their economic analysis is carried out in this paper. A comparison on the basis of economic indicators like unit cost of electricity, net present value and payback period among the three systems is also discussed. The results show that the SPV system is economically more viable among the three options apart from environment benefits. This study may provide a new direction for energy planners to supply energy in remote non-electrified areas of India through SPV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The techno-economic viability of a combined heat and power system (CHAPS) for urban areas in India is analyzed in this paper. This approach considers the electrical and thermal energy delivery subsystems for which the cost considerations were based on the present market values. A sensitivity study based on capacity utilization factor (CUF) was carried out to evaluate the unit cost of electricity produced. Other financial figures of merit like simple payback and internal rate of return were also calculated. It is observed that when the system utilization was 0.3, the payback of the system is attained within the CHAPS' lifetime of 20 years. Based on the economic evaluation, it is evident that favorable financial benefits for a typical system with a collector area of 4.5 m2 will occur if the system cost is limited in the range of Rs 100,000 to Rs 120,000. A comparison with the actual CHAPS system cost based on the current market price is done and the difference is off set by the carbon credits earned by the CHAPS system during its lifetime due to CO2 mitigation. The carbon credits earned by the CHAPS system caused a reduction of the unit cost of electricity generated from Rs 11.02/kWh to Rs 9.0973/kWh. This study further helps to introduce the CHAPS system in the Indian market at an acceptable price for the consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The clean development mechanism (CDM) could play an important role in the power generation sector of developing countries and emerging economies by providing additional revenue to support the diffusion of renewable energy sources (RES). This paper investigates the contribution of the CDM to deployment of renewable electricity projects in China and India, and highlights the main potentialities and limitations of this mechanism for their support. The outcome of our analysis shows many differences and similarities in the way and scale of CDM projects for renewable electricity generation have been implemented in the two countries. In both cases, the CDM has made a contribution to greening investments in the power generation sector, which is still largely dominated by subcritical coal-fuelled power plants. Nonetheless, some major problems still remain and they are mainly related to the distribution of projects across different technologies and to the environmental integrity of the mechanism. In view of the likely revision of the CDM in the post-Kyoto period, we find that the differentiation of the credit generation rate of different project categories could bring some level of improvement without significantly altering the current system functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, hybrid systems have been proved to be revolutionary concepts for meeting the deficit in electrical energy with better overall system reliability. The proposed system includes the combination of solar, wind, MHD (magneto-hydrodynamics) and fuel cell, to exploit the advantage of each, and reduce the dependency on any one source, and explores a new perspective for using renewable sources as a hybrid system. MHD generator is proposed as a substitute for the conventional thermal power plant. In the proposed hybrid system, both MHD and Modified PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell), also known as Proton Battery, are used. Both are static and totally sustainable energy sources. Moreover, the use of a proton battery offers an added advantage that it can work in a reversible mode. In the electrolyzer mode, the hydronium ions will be absorbed in the porous carbon electrode. In the fuel cell mode, the stored hydronium ions combine with free electrons and oxygen to give pure water as a by-product. The fuel cell is an environment-friendly alternative to the traditional energy storage system and also acts as an energy source for the MHD generator. In this manuscript, an attempt has been made to check the feasibility of the proposed system through a case study. The economic assessment and impact on the environment of the system is also investigated using HOMER Pro software. Simulink results are presented to justify the technical viability of the hybrid proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External cost or negative externality is a cost that a transaction or activity imposes on a party that is not part of the transaction or activity. In the present work, an attempt is made to calculate the external cost per unit of electricity generation from coal-based power plants in India due to the emissions of SO2, CO2, NOx and Particulate Matter. Purchasing Power Parity and population density correction factor are considered for the estimation of external cost to suit Indian economic and demographic conditions. Total external cost due to release of emissions from nine states having more coal-based power plants in India during the year 2018 is estimated to be INR 19.5 trillion and unit external cost of coal-based electricity generation is estimated to be INR 2.92. The cost of power generation from coal-based power plants in India with and without considering the external cost is estimated till the year 2030. Comparison is also made between the cost of solar power generation and coal-based thermal power generation. It is predicted that the cost of solar power generation without energy storage is cheaper than the power generation from coal-based power plants if the external cost of power generation is included in the cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India’s government has extremely lofty ambitions for future nuclear energy generation, but the author argues that the poor economics of such generation, among other reasons, will not allow those to be realized. The nuclear establishment’s calculations are flawed, and any expansion is likely to lead to a price hike in a country where so many people already cannot afford electricity. The author writes that the government’s inordinate focus on nuclear energy is therefore misguided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Power generation in India is primarily coal-based in the present scenario. About 70% electricity generation produced by combustion of pulverized coal in thermal power plants. The available Indian coal quality is very poor; generate the large quantities of ash produced as by-products of combustion. The objective of the present study was to reduce the ash content and to produce ultra-clean coal. The coal sample was treated with chemical treatment of NaOH followed by HCl. The effect of particle size, temperature, and concentration on ash content was studied and found to be significant. Experimental influence parameters were optimized using Taguchi method. The result indicates that the temperature contributes the most dominant factor followed by acid concentration and particle size. The maximum reduction in ash content was observed at, particle size range of 53–75 µm, temperature 70 °C, and concentration of NaOH 40% (by volume), respectively. After chemical leaching, the ash content was reduced from 35.33% to 0.65% so as to produce ultra-clean coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work seeks to assess the sustainability of different solar photovoltaic (SPV) electricity-generating systems based upon energy, environment and economics. The sustainability indicators evaluated for energy, environment and economics are electrical output, life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and life-cycle cost of electricity generated per kilowatt hour. The selected SPV-based electricity generation technologies for sustainability evaluation are amorphous, monocrystalline and polycrystalline at different locations and tilt angles across India. For SPV systems, most of the emissions are the result of electricity use during manufacturing. In these cases, an average grid mix for the region of manufacture is typically used to calculate energy use and emissions. Based upon these three indicators, a figure of merit (FM) has been proposed. The results proposed that polycrystalline gives the maximum electrical output, minimum GHG emission, minimum cost and maximum FM at a radiation level of 6 kWh/m2/day with latitude and tilt angle of 34° and 35°, respectively. This work will be helpful to users of solar energy, academicians, researchers and other concerned persons, in understanding the importance, severity and benefits obtained by the application and implementation of the SPV electricity-generating systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian thermal coals are usually high-moisture, high-ash, and high-volatile sub-bituminous type coal and are difficult to wash. Beneficiation of high-ash thermal coals of India has become the prerequisite for improving the overall economics and efficiency of power generation. The article highlights the studies carried out on the cleaning potentialities of thermal coal samples collected from three major coalfields through washability investigations followed by the identification of the level of cleaning by linking with the burning behavior. Conventional float-sink testing was used to determine the washability characteristics, and based on the washability data, clean coal was generated at three different ash levels. Combustion studies of the raw and clean coal have been conducted in a Drop Tube Furnace basically to observe the change in the burning behavior with the level of cleaning. From the combustion behavior of the washed fraction, it was found that, for two coal samples, Burnout Efficiency (BE) has improved compared to that of the raw coal, while for another sample, a reverse trend was observed. The studies concluded that it is better to fix the level of washing a particular coal based on combustion properties of the clean coal rather than taking an arbitrary value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of proximate analyses, ash fusion temperatures, and energy values of different components of paddy, maize, arhar, and coconut agricultural residues and their impact on decentralized power generation structure. In general, the results indicated the highest energy values in the components of arhar, followed by those of coconut, maize, and paddy agricultural crops. The results also indicated the highest ash contents in the components of paddy and lowest in the coconut residues. The paddy and maize crops exhibited highest ash contents and lowest energy values for their leaves, while the leaf of arhar possessed a higher calorific value (just after stalk). Except for the ash of maize crop residue, the softening temperatures of other studied biomass ashes were observed to be in the range of 1,080–1,105°C, the highest being for the arhar crop ash. This indicates there will be no chance of bed agglomeration problems during the combustion of paddy, arhar, and coconut agricultural residues up to about 900°C. The calculation results have shown that approximately 216/750/4,220 hectares of land are required for plantations with coconut/paddy followed by maize/arhar crop in order to ensure a perpetual supply of electricity for a group of 10–15 villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significance of energy storage on various industries in India. The author mentions that energy storage technologies play a vital role in the country because it improves power generation to help meet shortage of demands during off-peak periods. Moreover, he adds that it is also important for the nation's energy security and to reduce the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions of various sectors. Emerging energy storage technologies, electrochemical principles, and the role of chemical engineers in the development of these devices are also featured.

In this article, an atlas of solar electricity potential of Stirling dish power generation system is presented. Important parameters needed for solar power generation modeling are direct solar insolation, ambient temperature, wind speed, concentrator aperture area, rim angle, mirror reflectance, working fluid, operating temperature, receiver insulating material and intercept factor. The input data values averaged over a 10-year period is obtained from India Meteorological Department, Pune. The useful energy delivered by a collector is evaluated with consideration for various heat losses. An average value of solar electricity potential of a 25.3 kW parabolic dish collector is found to be maximum of 15.3 kW for Jodhpur and minimum of 12.7 for Calcutta. Maps of annual variation of solar electricity potentials, comparison of electricity potentials of Indian cities for different months, average electricity potentials and annual electrical energy generation for various Indian cities have been developed. To produce 25 kW of electrical power on all the days of a year, three different dishes are recommended for the Indian cities of Jodhpur, Trivendrum and Calcutta. This atlas provides knowledge and aids in exploitation of solar electricity generation for Indian climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal will continue to play an important role in overall energy scenario in India. Despite its high-ash content, the run-of-mine (ROM) Indian coals are used directly for thermal power generation. There is an urgent need to improve quality of coal by reducing ash so that a consistent supply of quality coal can be supplied to the power plants. Pilot-scale studies were conducted on beneficiation of High Ash Indian Non Coking Coal obtained from the Samleshwari mines using a 20-t/h Baum Jig Washer. The results of the pilot-scale studies revealed that the ROM coal, containing 50% ash content, could be cleaned with the Baum jig providing a clean coal containing 36% ash at a yield of 52%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview of wind resource evaluation in India. It seeks to reappraise the progress of wind farming technology in the country focusing on the issues of measurement and prediction. Wind resource assessment provides significant contributions to India's energy needs as it offers a foundation toward the enhancement of wind farming since it is established out of scientific and commercial necessity. The author highlights the impact of the stakes and risks of the creation of wind farms in the field of wind energy.

Water holding capacities of fly ashes from different thermal power plants in Eastern India have been compared. Moreover, the effect of size fractionation (sieving) on the water holding capacities has also been determined. The desorption rate of water held by the fly ash fractions at ambient temperature (25-30°C) has been investigated. The effect of mixing various size fractions of fly ash in increasing the water holding capacities of fly ash has been studied. It is observed that the fly ash obtained from a thermal power plant working on stoker-fired combustor has the highest water holding capacity, followed by the one that works on pulverized fuel combustor. Fly ash collected from super thermal power plant has the least water holding capacity (40.7%). The coarser size fractions of fly ashes in general have higher water holding capacities than the finer ones. An attempt has been made to correlate the results obtained, with the potential use in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]