Power Generation In India Research Articles

The effect of regulatory governance on efficiency of thermal power generation in India: A stochastic frontier analysis

This paper investigates the impact of institutional quality – typified as regulatory governance – on the performance of thermal power plants in India. The Indian power sector was reformed in the early 1990s. However, reforms are effective only as much as the regulators are committed in ensuring that they are implemented. We hypothesize that higher the quality of regulation in a federal Indian state, higher is the efficiency of electric generation utilities. A translog stochastic frontier model is estimated using index of state-level independent regulation as one of the determinants of inefficiency. The dataset comprises a panel of 77 coal-based thermal power plants during the reform period covering over 70% of installed electricity generation capacity. The mean technical efficiency of 76.7% indicates there is wide scope for efficiency improvement in the sector. Results are robust to various model specifications and show that state-level regulators have positively impacted plant performance. Technical efficiency is sensitive to both unbundling of state utilities, and regulatory experience. The policy implication is that further reforms which empower independent regulators will have far reaching impacts on power sector performance.

Solar thermal power generation in India: effect of potential incentives on unit cost of electricity

ABSTRACTFor large-scale dissemination of solar thermal power plants, in countries identified with huge potential, governments are offering various incentives. In an attempt towards studying the effectiveness of various incentives in reducing the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) delivered by solar thermal power plants in India, this paper presents simple mathematical frameworks that facilitate the determination of the required level of an incentive so as to ensure that the LCOE is within a pre-specified limit. For example, for a 50 MW solar thermal power plant at Barmer (Rajasthan), LCOE of Rs. 9.75 per kWh can be achieved by providing 6.3% viability gap funding or an interest subsidy of 3% or provision of 32% investment tax credits to the equity investor or provision of production tax credits to the equity investor at the rate of Rs. 0.81 per kWh for first 10 years of operation of a plant.

Gas based power generation in India: Lessons from a transaction cost analysis

We use a transaction cost framework to analyze the performance of gas-based private investments in two coastal Indian states – Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. These states have a similar regulatory set-up and have seen bulk of the initial gas-based private investment being made. Yet they differ greatly in terms of actual generation. Andhra Pradesh's lack of success can be attributed to upstream regulation and arm's length contractual design. This created a weak demand response giving rise to high transaction costs. Whereas in Gujarat, upstream contractual design has ensured that demand response is strong enough to minimize transaction costs for utilities downstream. Our cases reiterate that alternative governance structures (competitive markets and hierarchical systems) need to be subjected to a comparative analysis of transaction cost minimization. Hence, the general policy of promoting competition may not be a strategic solution for India where adequate investment for annual supply of electricity is the real problem.

Renewable energy scenario in India: Opportunities and challenges

Majority of the power generation in India is carried out by conventional energy sources, coal and fossil fuels being the primary ones, which contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emission and global warming. The Indian power sector is witnessing a revolution as excitement grips the nation about harnessing electricity from various renewable energy sources. Electricity generation from renewable sources is increasingly recognized to play an important role for the achievement of a variety of primary and secondary energy policy goals, such as improved diversity and security of energy supply, reduction of local pollutant and global greenhouse gas emissions, regional and rural development, and exploitation of opportunities for fostering social cohesion, value addition and employment generation at the local and regional level. This focuses the solution of the energy crisis on judicious utilization of abundant the renewable energy resources, such as biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and ocean tidal energy. This paper reviews the renewable energy scenario of India as well as extrapolates the future developments keeping in view the consumption, production and supply of power.Research, development, production and demonstration have been carried out enthusiastically in India to find a feasible solution to the perennial problem of power shortage for the past three decades. India has obtained application of a variety of renewable energy technologies for use in different sectors too. There are ample opportunities with favorable geology and geography with huge customer base and widening gap between demand and supply. Technological advancement, suitable regulatory policies, tax rebates, efficiency improvement in consequence to R&D efforts are the few pathways to energy and environment conservation and it will ensure that these large, clean resource bases are exploited as quickly and cost effectively as possible. This paper gives an overview of the potential renewable energy resources in Indian context while evaluating the present status, the energy demand of the country and forecast consumption and production, with the objective to evaluate and assess whether India can sustain its growth and its society with renewable resources.

The impact of monsoon intraseasonal variability on renewable power generation in India

India is increasingly investing in renewable technology to meet rising energy demands, with hydropower and other renewables comprising one-third of current installed capacity. Installed wind-power is projected to increase 5-fold by 2035 (to nearly 100GW) under the International Energy Agency's New Policies scenario. However, renewable electricity generation is dependent upon the prevailing meteorology, which is strongly influenced by monsoon variability. Prosperity and widespread electrification are increasing the demand for air conditioning, especially during the warm summer. This study uses multi-decadal observations and meteorological reanalysis data to assess the impact of intraseasonal monsoon variability on the balance of electricity supply from wind-power and temperature-related demand in India. Active monsoon phases are characterized by vigorous convection and heavy rainfall over central India. This results in lower temperatures giving lower cooling energy demand, while strong westerly winds yield high wind-power output. In contrast, monsoon breaks are characterized by suppressed precipitation, with higher temperatures and hence greater demand for cooling, and lower wind-power output across much of India. The opposing relationship between wind-power supply and cooling demand during active phases (low demand, high supply) and breaks (high demand, low supply) suggests that monsoon variability will tend to exacerbate fluctuations in the so-called demand-net-wind (i.e., electrical demand that must be supplied from non-wind sources). This study may have important implications for the design of power systems and for investment decisions in conventional schedulable generation facilities (such as coal and gas) that are used to maintain the supply/demand balance. In particular, if it is assumed (as is common) that the generated wind-power operates as a price-taker (i.e., wind farm operators always wish to sell their power, irrespective of price) then investors in conventional facilities will face additional weather-volatility through the monsoonal impact on the length and frequency of production periods (i.e. their load-duration curves).

Renewable Power Generation Indian Scenario: A Review

—India is faced with the major challenges of (a) providing energy access to all its citizens, (b) heavy dependence on fuel imports for energy security, and (c) complying with international protocols on climate change mitigation, although the economic and social development is the foremost priority. The increase in energy demand due to growing population and industrialization in the face of depleting fossil fuel resources has stimulated the country's efforts in adopting power generation from renewable energy sources. Starting with 0.34 GW (2%) out of 17 GW of the country's total installed capacity in the year 2002, the share of renewable power generation has reached 31.7 GW (12.5%) of 250 GW as of 2014. In the aspect of total installed renewable power generation, India occupies the fifth position in the world today. While the governmental policies have steadily encouraged the adoption of renewable power generation, there is need and potential for more vigorous engagement in pursuit of achieving power for all citizens along with economic development. This article presents a brief review of emergence and growth of renewable power generation in India, wind and solar sectors in particular.

Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Hybrid Systems for Decentralized Power Generation in India

The main objective of this paper is to find the optimum configuration from amongst the different combination of hybrid energy systems that will fulfill the electrical energy requirement of selected village reliably and economically. The various systems that are considered are solar-grid connected system, solar-diesel system, solar-wind energy system, wind-grid connected system, solar-wind-grid connected system, wind-diesel-grid connected system and solar-diesel-grid connected system. The comparison of these systems is done based on various economic indicators like internal rate of return, net present cost, payback period and cost of energy. From amongst the various systems that have been considered in this study wind-grid connected system is best suited hybrid system for the considered case having lowest cost of energy as Rs. 2.34/kWh. Also the initial cost of this system is less in comparison to other hybrid systems considered.

Job satisfaction of employees working in power industry-a study of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant in India

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of satisfaction of employees working in a coal fired thermal power plant as these plants are not only the biggest sources of power generation in India but also have been reprimanded by Supreme Court of India for not following various laws related to employees’ welfare. Overall satisfaction and facet satisfaction (satisfaction with specific dimension such as compensation) of employees, working in Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant, have been measured using a standard questionnaire. A sample of 400 employees was chose on the basis of convenience. Employees were found overall satisfied. However there were found dissatisfied with training & development; performance appraisal; and safety & health environment.

Assessment of Renewable Energy in India

Most of the power generation in India is carried out by conventional energy sources, coal and mineral oil-based power plants which contribute heavily to greenhouse gases emission. This focuses the solution of the energy crisis on judicious utilization of abundant renewable energy resources. This paper reviews the renewable energy scenario of India. It begins by describing the importance of renewable energy and its advantages over fossil fuels. It gives an overview of the renewable energies in India while evaluating the current status and the deployment of each of these technologies to date in India. It also reviews the multi-criteria assessment of different renewable energy and draws out vital conclusions. It is based on the secondary information collected from various mass media including internet, various reports and other International Institutions.

Wind Power Generation in India: Evolution, Trends and Prospects

In the present context of shrinking conventional resources coupled with environmental perils, the wind power offers an attractive alternative. Wind power generation in India started way back in early 1980s with the installation of experimental wind turbines in western and southern states of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. For first two decades of its existence until about 2000 the progress was slow but steady. In last one decade Indian wind electricity sector has grown at very rapid pace which has promoted the country to the fifth position as largest wind electric power generator and the third largest market in the world. The galvanization of wind sector has been achieved through some aggressive policy mechanisms and persistent support by government organizations such as MNRE and C-WET. This paper articulates the journey of Indian wind program right since its inception to the present trends and developments as well as the future prospects.

Preliminary feasibility evaluation of solar thermal power generation in India

Results of a preliminary techno-economic appraisal of solar thermal power generation at three locations in India are presented. The study uses System Advisor Model developed by NREL, USA. The results of the study provide useful insight into (a) selecting appropriate reference direct normal irradiance for design of solar thermal power plants, (b) identifying suitable combinations of solar multiple and hours of thermal energy storage and (c) cost reduction potential. The parabolic trough technology is used for exemplifying the procedure for this purpose. The estimated levelised unit cost of electricity is in the range of Rs (US$1=Indian rupees 51.66 on 5 October 2012) 16–21 per kWh for the most likely range of input parameters. The results also indicate possibility of about 30% reduction in unit cost of electricity by year 2021.

Mineralogical influence of mining intrusions in CFB combustion of Indian lignite

Lignite has emerged as an additional important fuel source for thermal power generation in India. Circulating fluid bed combustion technology is applied considering the impurities, moisture, ash and sulfur content, and wide variations for large units. Lignite mineralogy greatly influences combustion behavior. Agglomeration and clogging/blockage are experienced due to sintering of lignite at lower temperature regime in which circulating fluid bed boilers operate (800°C to 900°C). At this low temperature range, the extensive knowledge built for pulverized coal combustion with respect to slagging, fouling, and high-temperature corrosion is not useful. Sintering studies using the heating microscope’s potential are applied for understanding this phenomenon. The gray clay, which occurs as intrusions/thin bands in the lignite mine, is sampled at the mine site and taken up for analysis. Morphology of sintered deposits in the bottom ash is matched with the properties of clay which is very close to halloysite mineral (kaolinite group). Sintering is avoided by selecting the operating temperature range of combustion on either side of peak sintering temperature in the sample case. With higher ashing temperature, the lignite ash loses part of its sintering tendency. This indicates to a new hypothesis that once the lignite ash undergoes transformations resulting in sintering, its sintering tendency is lowered. Conventional slagging indices are also analyzed, and correlation was derived for sintering behavior of lignite.

Assessment of retrofitting possibility of an Indian pulverized coal boiler for operation with Indian coals in oxy-coal combustion mode with CO2 sequestration

Coal is the mainstay of electrical power generation in India. In this study, an experimental and theoretical assessment is made of the possibility of retrofitting an existing pulverized coal boiler for operation in oxy-coal mode. Experiments have been conducted using non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis for a typical Indian coal to assess its reactivity under simulated oxy-coal combustion. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of a tangentially fired, 210 MWe pulverized coal boiler of a typical Indian design have been carried out with a typical Indian coal composition to study the relative effect of oxy-coal mode operation on the flow and heat transfer characteristics within the boiler. A process flow diagram has been developed for a 662 MWt power plant to include a retrofitted boiler and CO2 sequestration. It is concluded that a 70:30 volumetric mix of CO2 to O2 in the oxidizer composition will leave the essential features of the flow, temperature and heat transfer characteristics more or less unchanged, thus enabling retrofitting. An overall thermal efficiency loss of 11% is estimated for a retrofitted plant which delivers a flue gas which does not require chemical means of CO2 sequestration.

An optimal electricity allocation model for sustainable resource use in India

Energy demand is increasing rapidly because of developments in the agricultural, industrial, commercial and transportation sectors. Improved lifestyle and population rise are other reasons for the increase in energy demand. The development of an electricity allocation model will help in the proper allocation of the energy sources to meet the future electricity demand in India. In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a fuzzy-based linear programming, optimal electricity allocation model (OEAM) that minimizes the cost and determines the optimum allocation of different energy sources to the centralized and decentralized power generation in India. The potential of energy sources, energy demand, efficiency of the energy systems, emission released by the energy systems and carbon tax for the emissions released by each system are the main factors that influence the pattern of electricity distribution and are used as constraints in the model. Executing this model results in an optimal electricity distribution pattern. The results indicate that the commercial energy sources such as coal, nuclear and hydro would meet nearly 68% of total electricity demand and that the remaining 32% of the electricity demand will be met by the renewable energy sources, namely, wind, biomass, biogas, solid waste, cogeneration and mini hydel for the year 2020. Various scenarios are also developed by varying the demand, potential, emission and carbon tax. This studywill help in the formation of strategies for effective utilization of energy sources in India.

Distribution of trace elements in coal and combustion residues from five thermal power plants in India

Abstract The rapid increase of coal fired thermal power generation in India has resulted in increased generation of fly ash and bottom ash of various properties. In this study, coal and ash samples collected from five different thermal power plants across India were characterized and quantified to determine trace element concentration so as to understand their distribution, enrichment, and partitioning behavior. Concentrations of Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Mg, Li, Co, Hg, and As, were estimated in fly ash, bottom ash, and coal samples. The concentrations of toxic elements, such as As, Hg, Pb, and Cd in fly ash were in the range of 0.19–0.35 μg/g, 0.51–2.13 μg/g, 7.6–35.3 μg/g, and 0.6–0.93 μg/g, respectively, whereas in bottom ash, concentrations of these toxic elements were in the range of 0.1–0.29 μg/g, 0.41–1.58 μg/g, 8.8–28.28 μg/g, and 0.49–0.79 μg/g, respectively. Cadmium and As were the lowest in both coal and ash samples, whereas Fe, Mn, and Zn were found to be the highest. The elements were classified into three groups based on their volatility. All the elements were found to be enriched more in fly ash than in bottom ash. To evaluate the influence of the elements on local environment, enrichment factor with respect to Fe was calculated for all the elements in fly ash and bottom ash. The enrichment ratio, relative enrichment index, and partitioning behavior were used to describe the differences of trace-element concentrations in coal, fly ash, and bottom ash. Among the elements, maximum enrichment was observed for Mn in both fly ash and bottom ash.

An Optimal Hybrid Wind-biomass Gasifier System for Rural Areas

Renewable hybrid energy systems have great potential to provide high quality and more reliable power. This offers the advantage that the strengths of each type of sources can be used to complement one another. Renewable hybrid energy systems are mainly recognized for remote area power applications and are nowadays cost-effective where extension of grid supply is expensive. Biomass gasifier-based power generation has a lot of potential for power generation in India. In this article, optimal sizing and operation of a wind-biomass gasifier-based hybrid energy system is proposed. A case study is done using real-time load demand data collected from a site. Economic analysis of wind-biomass gasifier hybrid energy system is also presented. The cost of energy is found to be Rs 3.499 (US$0.078). The cost of energy of the wind-biomass system is also compared with the wind-diesel system. It is found that economically, the wind-gasifier system is a very good alternative for wind-diesel system.

Materials and Manufacturing Technologies for Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors and Associated Fuel Cycle: Innovations and Maturity

Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) are emerging as vital source of power generation in India towards meeting energy security and sustainability for the growing economy of India. The success of FBR programme depends on continuous operation of reactor system and reprocessing and waste management facilities to ensure economy and also to achieve sustained fissile material production for several FBRs planned in future. Extensive research and development in domains of materials and manufacturing technologies are demanded towards development of FBRs and their associated fuel cycle technologies. This paper highlights the work and the approaches adopted at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam for the successful development of materials, manufacturing and inspection technologies for both reactor and reprocessing facilities of the current and future Indian FBR programme.

Status of thermal power generation in India—Perspectives on capacity, generation and carbon dioxide emissions

India’s reliance on fossil-fuel based electricity generation has aggravated the problem of high carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, primarily coal, in the country’s energy sector. The objective of this paper is to analyze thermal power generation in India for a four-year period and determine the net generation from thermal power stations and the total and specific CO 2 emissions. The installed generating capacity, net generation and CO 2 emissions figures for the plants have been compared and large generators, large emitters, fuel types and also plant vintage have been identified. Specific emissions and dates of commissioning of plants have been taken into account for assessing whether specific plants need to be modernized. The focus is to find out areas and stations which are contributing more to the total emissions from all thermal power generating stations in the country and identify the overall trends that are emerging.

Techno-economic evaluation of concentrating solar power generation in India

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) of the recently announced National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) by the Government of India aims to promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar competitive with fossil-based energy options. The plan includes specific goals to (a) create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022; (b) create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability, particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership; (c) promote programmes for off grid applications, reaching 1000 MW by 2017 and 2000 MW by 2022, (d) achieve 15 million m 2 solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by 2022, and (e) deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022. The installed capacity of grid interactive solar power projects were 6 MW until October 2009 that is far below from their respective potential. In this study, a preliminary attempt towards the technical and economic assessment of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies in India has been made. To analyze the techno-economic feasibility of CSP technologies in Indian conditions two projects namely PS-10 (based on power tower technology) and ANDASOL-1 (based on parabolic trough collector technology) have been taken as reference cases for this study. These two systems have been simulated at several Indian locations. The preliminary results indicate that the use of CSP technologies in India make financial sense for the north-western part of the country (particularly in Rajasthan and Gujarat states). Moreover, internalization of secondary benefits of carbon trading under clean development mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol further improves the financial feasibility of CSP systems at other locations considered in this study. It may be noted that the locations blessed with annual direct solar radiation more than 1800 kWh/m 2 are best recommended for installation of CSP systems. The results obtained can be used as preliminary indicators for identifying niche areas for immediate/short-term utilization of solar energy for concentrating solar power generation in India.

Allocation of energy resources for power generation in India: Business as usual and energy efficiency

This paper deals with MARKAL allocations for various energy sources, in India, for Business As Usual (BAU) scenario and for the case of exploitation of energy saving potential in various sectors of economy. In the BAU scenario, the electrical energy requirement will raise up to 5000 bKwh units per year or 752 GW of installed capacity with major consumers being in the industry, domestic and service sectors. This demand can be met by a mix of coal, hydro, nuclear and wind technologies. Other reneawbles i.e. solar and biomass will start contributing from the year 2040 onwards. By full exploitation of energy saving potential, the annual electrical energy demand gets reduced to 3061 bKwh (or 458 GW), a reduction of 38.9%.The green house gas emissions reduce correspondingly. In this scenario, market allocations for coal, gas and large hydro become stagnant after the year 2015.