Talwandi thermal power plant order needs corrections
The dismissal by Punjab power commission will not only stall implementation of pollution control norms at the plant but also set a wrong example for others
A step in the right direction – says CSE of power ministry’s move to fix starting temperature of room air conditioners at 24oC and not lower to save energy
POWER PANGS CSE releases new analysis of Delhi’s electricity demand this summer
For a place in the sun
How will solar energy be made to work in India? As I discussed in my previous article there are three key challenges. One, how will the country pay for solar energy in a situation where there is no money to pay for even the crashed costs of installation. Two, what is the best model for the distribution and use of this relatively expensive energy in a country where millions still live in the dark? Three, how should India combine the twin objectives of supply of clean energy and creation of domestic manufacturing capacities?
Going off-grid to power solution
Supply issues comprise one part of the energy conundrum, as we discussed last fortnight. The cost of energy and our ability to pay for it is the other. The matter gets vexed because the rise in price of raw material of all energy sources is accompanied by huge inefficiency in distribution and accounting. But importantly, we remain a poor country where cost of energy is a factor in its availability and accessibility for all.
Powerless and lost
The power blackout in northern India on two days should not be dismissed or misjudged. Analysts are jumping to conclude that the crisis was foretold. They blame delays caused by environment and forest clearance procedures and demand winding down the regulatory framework so that we can re-energise ourselves. Their other favourite whipping horse is ‘free’ electricity to farmers, which is said to be crippling the state electricity boards. These explanations are naïve and mistaken.
New business for new renewables
It was a trade exhibition abuzz with the restrained chatter of busy suited executives at company stalls making contacts and finalising deals. Nothing out of place except that this trade was about renewable energy technologies, which have unconventional reasons for growth. First, these technologies are seen as the most economical and feasible source of energy for millions of people unconnected to the electricity grid and having no electricity to light their houses or cook their food. This energy poverty is disabling and needs to be eradicated.
Bidding exposes solar tariff game
The solar mission is not showing up By: Ruhi Kandhari Bidding for the first phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission has put a question mark on the ambitious target set to enlarge the country’s energy needs through the solar route. Out of the 30 short-listed bidders, almost 20 have had nothing to do with solar photo voltaic (PV) power. It seems as if the projects they promise may soon turn unviable.
CSE analyses: EIA report of thermal power project, Bhadreshwar, Kutch, Gujarat
This is a technical analysis by CSE of the rapid EIA report for the 3,300-MW coal-based super-critical thermal power plant proposed by KPGL