Electricity In India Research Articles

Optimal sizing and economic assessment of grid connected active distribution network for reliable rural electrification in India

Majority of rural areas in India have already been electrified, yet the disparity between demand and supply is considerably higher and broadened due to which nation’s rapid financial growth as well as rising standards of living in both the urban as well as rural areas. Hence, the utilisation of renewable resources is rising steadily for the mitigation of such energy crisis. It has become necessity to use a hybrid sustainable energy system by exploiting the strengths of each source in combination with one another to minimise the dependence on the congested power grid. For the efficient use of readily available renewable energy and sustainable rural electrification, this study proposes an effective Active Distribution Network (ADN). A comprehensive techno-economic analysis has been performed on the design of an ADN system that includes the exploitation of solar and biomass energy as sources of power for sustainable rural electrification. In the proposed work, performance assessment elements such as output responses, component costs, feasibility and sensitivity of the project, emissions, inflation rate, and changing the pricing of integrant have been taken into consideration and analysed. Results shows the improvement in rural electrical system while lowering system energy costs along with consideration of environmental impact.

Fracking, farmers, and rural electrification in India

The shale gas revolution in the United States induced an unprecedented commodity boom across northwestern India. Leveraging population-based discontinuities in the contemporaneous roll-out of India’s national rural electrification scheme, we show that access to electricity increased total employment and non-agricultural employment in villages affected by this exogenous economic shock, but had no impact on labor markets elsewhere. This combination of two natural experiments highlights how complementary economic conditions drive heterogeneity in the labor-market impacts of rural electrification. It also helps explain the large variation in the reported impacts of such resource-intensive infrastructure investments globally.

Rural electrification in India: A wicked problem

AbstractDespite concerted efforts, several plans and policies of the government addressing rural electrification remained unrealized since India's independence. Although India attained near‐complete grid connectivity in 2018, the problem of inconsistent, unreliable and unaffordable electricity persists, expressly in remote and rural areas. This paper conceptualizes issues of rural electrification in India as a ‘Wicked Problem’ – a systems thinking approach used vastly for understanding complex and multidimensional aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The problem is characterized as a sub‐target of SDG 7 i.e. universal energy access. The stakeholders of rural electrification in India were approached ‐ their feedback was mapped in the power‐interest matrix. A causal loop diagram was prepared that helped in the identification of various themes through balancing and reinforcing loops. This study makes a methodological contribution to conceptual analysis prompting decision‐making through mental models over existing frameworks used for addressing rural electrification in India.

Design and optimization of an off-grid integrated renewable energy system for remote rural electrification in India

Design and optimization of an off-grid integrated renewable energy system for remote rural electrification in India

Optimal Design of PV/WT/Battery Based Microgrid for Rural Areas in Leh Using Dragonfly Algorithm

This study proposes an optimal microgrid design for rural electrification in India’s Leh and Ladakh regions, using wind energy, solar, energy, and battery energy storage system. The Dragonfly Algorithm (DA) is used to calculate the optimal number of microgrid units, and results are compared with popular optimization algorithms such as Grey Wolf optimization (GWO), Differential Evolution (DE), and Discrete Harmony Search (DHS). The optimal design is based on an objective function to minimize the Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) while keeping the loss of power supply probability (LOPSP) as a reliability constraint. Three configuration studies are carried out, with three cases, each with a different maximum permissible LOPSP (LOPSPmax) value. The results show that optimal design and efficient energy management reliably meet the load demand. The energy generated from the proposed microgrid is clean compared to the grid supply, and the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is reduced by 91.2% from Configuration-I, Case-I, which is the most economical configuration. The LCOE obtained from Configuration-I, Case-I is 0.129 $/kWh, the lowest among similar systems available in the literature. To determine the parameter cost with supply, the LCOE and Total life cycle cost (TLCC) sensitivity to LOPSPmax are considered. Furthermore, statistical analysis shows that DA outperforms GWO, DE, and DHS in terms of accuracy and convergence rate.

Air quality, health, and equity impacts of vehicle electrification in India

Ambient air pollution in India accounts for 870 000 deaths per year, including 43 000 from road transportation. Vehicle electrification could posit a sustainable solution. However, 3/4th of India’s electric grid is powered by coal, emitting large amounts of PM2.5, SO2, and NO x . This leads to uncertainty regarding the health benefits and distributional consequences from vehicle electrification. Our results show that if electric vehicles made up 30% of vehicle kilometers traveled, there would be 1000–2000 additional deaths each year under present day conditions. Higher increases in pollution exposure are seen in scheduled castes/tribes, poor, and rural populations particularly in high coal production states. Switching to net zero-emitting electricity generation for charging would reduce air pollution attributable deaths by 6000–7000 annually and PM2.5 exposure across all groups of population.

Modelling and forecasting India's electricity consumption using artificial neural networks

AbstractPrecise electricity forecasting is a pertinent challenge in effectively controlling the supply and demand of power. This is due to the inherent volatility of electricity, which cannot be stored and must be utilised promptly. Thus, this study develops a framework integrating canonical cointegrating regressions (CCR), time series artificial neural network (ANN) and a multilayer perceptron ANN model for analysing and projecting India's gross electricity consumption to 2030. Annual data for the years 1961–2020 have been collected for variables like gross domestic product (GDP), population, inflation GDP deflator (annual %), annual average temperature and electricity consumption. The study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase of the study, the CCR method was used to check the significance of the selected variables. In the second phase, the projected values of independent variables (GDP, population, inflation GDP deflator [annual %] and annual average temperature) were predicted using the time series ANN model. Finally, a multilayer perceptron ANN model with independent variables was used to forecast the gross electricity consumption in India by 2030. The result shows that the electricity consumption in India will increase by around 50% in the next 10 years, reaching over 1800 TWh in 2030. The proposed approach can be utilised to effectively implement energy policies, as an accurate prediction of energy consumption can help capture future demand.

Impact of climate change on the heating and cooling load components of an archetypical residential room in major Indian cities

Residential heating and cooling (H/C) accounts for ∼7 % of India's electricity consumption. A warming climate will increase residential cooling requirements while heating needs will decrease — an alarming consequence for India, which has predominantly cooling requirements. Thus, to reduce the Indian building sector's energy and carbon footprint, it is essential to assess the impact of climate change on future H/C needs and develop energy-efficiency solutions.This research evaluated the effect of climate change on the H/C energy needs of an archetypical residential room in India by conducting energy simulations for current and future climates. We developed future weather files for eight major Indian cities, covering all climate zones of the country, using predictions from multiple general circulation climate models under two different representative concentration pathways (RCPs): RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. We also developed a novel approach to quantify the H/C load components (walls, windows, infiltration, etc.) for identifying building elements to target for improving energy efficiency.The ensemble median of climate model projections showed that the room's cooling energy demand would increase by 20–179 % by the 2090s compared to the 1990s, depending on the room's orientation, city, and emission scenario. Walls and windows account for over 63 % of the current and future cooling needs and should be the prime targets for energy-efficiency measures. In contrast to rising cooling needs, the room's heating energy demand will decrease by 34–100 % by the 2090s. External walls contribute to over 67 % of the heating needs; thus, insulating them could effectively reduce the heating demand.

Sustainable utilization of biogas technology: A promising solution to combat the energy crisis in India

India is facing a significant energy crisis due to its rapidly growing population, which is not being met by an equivalent increase in energy supply. According to the US Energy Information Administration, India's electricity consumption is projected to grow by 3.3% annually until 2035. Biogas technology, which converts waste into clean energy, offers a promising solution to this problem and accounts for 9% of global energy consumption. Despite being introduced in 1981, biogas technology's potential in India remains largely untapped, with only 7.34 MWe of off-grid projects generated by 2020. However, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have significant potential for biogas generation. The National Biogas and Manure Management Program (NBMMP) have installed 5,056,139 biogas plants between 1981-82 and 2020-21, with Maharashtra being the top performer. India's agrarian economy provides ample raw materials for biogas generation, making it a crucial renewable resource for the country's energy crisis. Given the pressing need to address global warming, greenhouse effects, depleting fossil fuels, and pollution, biogas technology is essential for a cleaner, more sustainable future. Focusing on biogas technology can help India meet its increasing energy demands and contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable future. From 2018-19 to 2020-21, the NBMMP received a total allocation of INR 1,439,249,000.

Techno-economic Feasibility Analysis of Optimized Stand-alone PV and Hybrid Energy Systems for Rural Electrification in INDIA

Techno-economic Feasibility Analysis of Optimized Stand-alone PV and Hybrid Energy Systems for Rural Electrification in INDIA

Impact of demand growth on decarbonizing India's electricity sector and the role for energy storage

Global energy sector decarbonization efforts are contingent on technology choices for energy production and end-use in emerging markets such as India, where air conditioning (AC) is expected to be a major driver for electricity demand growth. Here, we assess the impact of demand and supply side-drivers on the long-term evolution of the electricity sector in India under various technology and policy scenarios. Our analysis is based on developing: (a) multiple demand scenarios produced from a bottom-up forecasting model with high temporal resolution that capture structural changes in electricity consumption resulting from (AC) and electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and (b) a multi-period power system capacity expansion model with high temporal resolution of grid operations to model supply-side evolution in response to changes in demand and technology and policy factors. Such a framework allows us to, for example, quantify the impacts of improving appliance efficiency standards for AC systems or shifts in EV charging patterns on power system decarbonization prospects. Under projected renewables and Li-ion storage cost declines, our modeling points to solar and wind generation contributing substantially (46–67%) to meet annual electricity demand in India by 2030. However, without appropriate policy measures to phase out existing coal generation, even such rapid adoption of variable renewable energy coupled with one or more technological levers such as low-cost energy storage and demand-side measures such as setting aggressive AC efficiency standards and deploying distribution level storage, are insufficient to reduce annual CO2 emissions in 2050 vs. 2020 because of the relatively higher growth rate of projected electricity demand over this period. This suggests that deep decarbonization of India's power sector will require policy measures beyond efforts related to accelerating renewables deployment.

Replacement of LVDS to HVDS for Reduction in Distribution Losses, Improvement in Voltage Profiles and Economic Analysis for National Saving

Introduction: Rural electrification in India is planned with high-capacity distribution transformers which supply the isolated location loads of various categories like agricultural, household, small business, etc. This distribution system planning with non-optimal distribution transformers leads to poor voltage profiles and high power losses in the distribution network. This paper presents that a High-Voltage Distribution System (HVDS) is more suitable than a Low- Voltage Distribution System (LVDS). Methods: A model is developed to evaluate the technical losses, voltage profiles, and optimal payback period of the investments for the planned HVDS network. The replacement of LVDS with HVDS is achieved by replacing high-capacity distribution transformers with small-capacity at optimal locations. Results: The results of this study are validated on the real 11kV agricultural feeder of the Narshinghpur District of Madhya Pradesh, India. Conclusion: The results demonstrate improvement in voltage profiles, low power losses, and optimal payback period for the proposed problem. The obtained results proved that the replacement of LVDS with HVDS would be more beneficial for rural electric power distribution system planning.

A Comprehensive Perspective of Different Compensators of Railway Traction System

Due to their non-linear load characteristics, train locomotives play a significant part in the installation of railway electrification in India and around the world. Numerous techniques have been researched and used with both AC and DC locomotives to enhance power quality. The development of train locomotives is used in this research to provide a viewpoint on various power quality issues as well as to explore the demand for power quality problems and system requirements for acceptable power quality. The many sorts of compensation schemes are contrasted with one another. this would help academics and engineers working on railway electrification.

India's biomethane generation potential from wastes and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions abatement possibilities under three end use scenarios: electricity generation, cooking, and road transport applications

Waste-to-biomethane generation can supply 47% of India's electricity, 91% of transportation fuels, or all cooking fuels, while removing between 284 and 524 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent of greenhouse gases.

Sustainable carbon-dioxide storage assessment in geological media using modified Pythagorean fuzzy VIKOR and DEMATEL approach

In a developing country like India, the primary source of power generation is fossil fuels. The lion's share of India's electricity production is from fossil fuels leading to massive greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) like CO2, which causes global warming. To deal with climate change and control global warming, the carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) project in geological formation is a practical, comparatively secure, inevitable and emergent method to be materialized. However, CO2 storage in deep geological structures in the sedimentary basin has a risk of leakage due to the geological formation of different seams, which might harm human beings, including different underground, terrestrial, and aquatic species. It could affect the energy sources of our environment also. Therefore the selection of CO2 storage site in geological media is based on some criteria, and therefore it is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. The multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method is proposed to get a more impartial result, using the soft computing methodology Pythagorean fuzzy VIKOR (“VIekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje”, a Serbian term for “multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution”) modified with a novel divergence called Pythagorean fuzzy Jensen-Shannon Song (PJSS). The fuzzy DEMATEL (DEcision MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) method is introduced to evaluate the criteria weights. A Comparative Study and Sensitivity analysis are also presented in this article. Finally, the outcomes of the work show that the proposed methodology is feasible.

Study on Emission and Performance of Diesel Engines by adding Nano Particles to the Blended Fuels

India has the world's second-largest population and the demand for transportation is increasing. However, our energy resources for car engines are limited. Every day, India consumed over 4.9 million barrels of crude oil. 85 percent of total oil consumption is imported from nations such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia, among others. India is ranked third in the world. Despite our efforts to transition from internal combustion to electric power, India's electricity is heavily reliant on coal, which accounts for 55 percent of total production. As a result of this circumstance, jatropha biodiesel is being sought as a diesel engine alternative fuel. According to the Indian government, the country will spend about Rs 8 lakh crores on diesel and petrol imports in 2021, with this figure expected to rise to Rs 25 lakh crores in the next five years. The features of jatropha biodiesel with various percentages of blending with diesel fuel, such as B0, B5, B10, B15, B20, B30, B40, B50 and B100 are investigated in this work.

Towards convergence of central grid and decentralised electricity solutions – Assessment of Indian rural electrification cases using a socio-technical framework

The paper examines the dynamics of rural electrification in India and explores the transition to a complementary convergence of decentralised and centralised electricity systems for sustainable rural electricity services. A novel socio-technical framework of analysis for assessment of cases of rural electricity systems is developed and applied in Indian villages to explore the interplays of different elements of rural electricity systems, enabling and hindering factors, and actors and institutions that affect the governance and sustenance of rural electrification. A mixed research method, along with document analysis, was applied to study the socio-technical perspectives, using 21 indicators representing nine different interplays of elements of rural electricity systems. The analysis reveals there is a significant effect of governance on technology performance, which in turn affects customer practices. There is also a significant correlation between customer practices and governance. Policy enablers along with strong institutions and actors - both at the subnational and local level - are key drivers to effective governance. Furthermore, irrespective of centralised or decentralised technology, adequacy and reliability of electricity supply and effective customer service delivery at the local level are important i.e., both supply reliability and quality, and customer service quality are equally important. The findings have clear policy implications for the governance of the electricity sector in India.

Route Towards Road Freight Electrification in India: Examining Battery Electric Truck Powertrain and Energy Consumption

Medium-duty/heavy-duty trucks (MD/HDTs) are yet to be included in India's electric mobility plans. With the improvement of electric vehicle (EV) technologies, there is a growing interest in battery-electric trucks (BETs) from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The time is opportune to consider electrification as a future direction for road freight in India. Accordingly, this article presents the results of an energy consumption simulation study of a BET under Indian conditions. This study specifically considered an MDBET over a domestic drive cycle. These energy consumption figures can facilitate future studies that analyze the technical and practical feasibility of BETs in the country. In addition, the article provides the requisite groundwork for BET modeling for a simulation study by reviewing available EV powertrain systems and components. Appropriate powertrain considerations are thereby obtained for a typical medium-duty/heavy-duty battery-electric truck (MD/HDBET) in the Indian context.

Self reliant India: renewable energy an emerging alternative for country’s self reliance in energy sector

India's electricity sector is dominated by fossil fuels, in particular coal. During the fiscal year 2019-20, fossil fuels produced more than three-fourth (1044.44 GWh of total 1385.1 GWh) of the country’s total generation. The government is making efforts to increase investment in renewable energy. Share of renewables in India’s total installed capacity has increased from 12.25% as on 31 March 2012 to 23.45% by 31 March 2020. Similarly, the share of renewable energy sources in country’s electricity generation is gradually increasing and it has reached to 9.96% in FY 2019-20 which was only 5.83% during FY 2013-14. Renewable sources have emerged as an environment friendly and potential energy resource. India is blessed with suitable conditions for renewables, as the number of sunny days is more and having a 7517 km long coastal bank. Government is committed for faster growth of renewable sector and India is now ranked fourth in the world in total installed renewable capacity, which has become possible only because of remarkable efforts of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Therefore, for India to become self reliant in energy sector and to achieve the goal of sustainable development, the role of renewable energy is vital. Renewable energy can help a lot to achieve the dual objective of fulfulling the growing energy demand and curb the emission of pollotants and thus to comly with country’s committment at international forums towards reduction of emission. In this way, renewable energy may be one of the best alternatives for sustainable development and self-reliance of India in energy sector.

Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in India – A multi‐stakeholder analysis

Roughly 400 million people in India had no access to electricity in 2011. With concerted efforts by the government, the electrification progressed fast to achieve near universal electrification in 2019. Despite the commendable progress, multiple challenges continue to afflict the sector. If policies and actions to sustain electrification and encourage development are to be successful, understanding the nature of drivers and barriers is essential. However, there has not been any systematic attempt to comprehensively identify and analyze the drivers and barriers to rural electrification. This study tried to identify and systematically prioritize the drivers and barriers, based on their strengths, for centralized grid and renewable energy (RE)-based mini-grids using a common analytical framework. The drivers and barriers were first identified through an exhaustive study of literature and consultations with electricity sector experts. Thereafter, their strengths were analyzed based on a perception survey with sector actors. The research provides lessons that despite achieving near-universal electrification, there are barriers to the advancement and sustenance of central grid and mini-grids. The results specify that driver and barrier elements with higher scores are across the political, economic, and financial categories. In contrast, institutional and social categories are ranked lower. The overall ranking indicates that enabling policies and government support to be the most significant driver for grid expansion. For RE-based mini-grids, convergence with livelihood programs and electricity for irrigation are perceived as strong drivers. The high cost of electricity and customers’ inability to pay are perceived as barriers for both central grid and mini-grids.