GREEN NEWS - RENEWABLE ENERGY (BIOMASS, BIOFUELS, SOLAR, WIND, GEOTHERMAL, TIDAL)

Low carbon aviation fuel developed, The Hindu, Oct 11, 2011, New Delhi

Virgin-LanzaTech to tap byproducts from steel processing

Leading private international carrier, Virgin Atlantic, on Tuesday said India could soon be producing a world-first low carbon aviation fuel with just half the carbon footprint of the standard fossil fuel alternative.

In partnership with LanzaTech, it has achieved a breakthrough in aviation fuel technology. The new process will see waste gases from industrial steel production being captured, fermented and chemically converted using Swedish Biofuels technology to be used as a jet fuel. The revolutionary fuel production process recycles waste gases that would otherwise be burnt into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

India, which is amongst the world's largest steel producers, will be one of the first countries where the fuel will be produced as LanzaTech and partners develop facilities in the country.

Within three years, Virgin Atlantic routes from Delhi to London Heathrow could see flights running on the new fuel. A demonstration plant will be commissioned in China this year and the first commercial operation will be in place by 2014. A facility in India should follow around six months later.

The technology is currently being piloted in New Zealand. After successful implementation, a wider roll-out could include operations in the U.K. and the rest of the world, Virgin Atlantic said in a statement.

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Enough of thermal power plants, says Pune based think tank Prayas Energy Group, The Hindu, Sept 06, 2011

Mumbai: A Pune-based think tank has called for an immediate moratorium on any further grant of environmental clearance for thermal power plants (TPPs). These include a 5,00,000-MW capacity awaiting environmental clearance, apart from plants which have reached the terms of reference (TOR) stage or are awaiting the TOR.

Massive expansion: The report, “Thermal Power Plants on the anvil, implications and the need for rationalisation” by Prayas Energy Group (Initiatives in Health, Energy, Learning and Parenthood), says a massive expansion of the thermal generation capacity is on the anvil. The total installed electricity generation capacity in India as on April 30, 2011 was 1,74,361 MW. Of this, coal-based capacity was 94,653 MW and gas-based capacity, 17,706 MW. Information collated from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) shows it has accorded clearance for a large number of coal and gas-based plants, whose capacity totals 1,92,913 MW. Environmental clearance is at various stages for another 5,08,907 MW units. The report notes that denial of environmental clearance for a thermal plant is extremely rare. This means coal and gas plants, envisaged to produce around 7,01,820 MW, are waiting to be built. Coal-based plants account for 84 per cent of the projects in the pipeline.

Thermal capacity: These additions are more than six times the existing installed thermal capacity of 1,13,559 MW. It is also three times the capacity addition that is required to meet the needs of the high-renewable, high-efficiency scenario of 2032 projected by the Planning Commission's Integrated Energy Policy report. The Prayas report points out that many of the projects in the pipeline will be concentrated in a few areas. Only 30 districts (or 4.7 per cent of the total 626 districts in India) will have more than half of the proposed plants with their capacity adding up to about 3,80,000 MW. Several of these districts are adjoining, and hence the real concentration of power plants is even higher than that revealed by the district-wise figures.

Private corporate groups: The private sector too has stepped in a big way and accounts for 73 per cent of all the projects in the pipeline. The State and Central sectors have a large share in the existing TPPs at 82 per cent. Only 10 corporate groups are planning to build projects of about 1,60,000 MW.

Revamping: Despite environmental clearance, the projects (about 2,00,000 MW), which could be put on hold include those causing very high social and environmental impact, which do not have broad local acceptance, and the projects which could lead to a sub-optimal use of transmission, fuel, land and water. The report also called for revamping environmental clearance procedures to minimise the social and ecological impact. Considering the capacity that has already been granted environmental clearance and is under construction, a moratorium and review can easily be carried out without jeopardising power needs in the next decade, the report points out.

‘Critically Polluted': The projects in the pipeline are likely to have a severe social and environmental impact. In 2009, the MoEF identified several areas as “Critically Polluted.” A large number of proposed plants, with a total capacity of 88,000 MW, are located within the same districts where eight of these critically polluted areas have been identified. The geographic concentration and location within critically polluted areas is likely to exacerbate the pollution impact of these thermal projects.

Coal production: Close to 85 per cent of the projects in the pipeline are coal-based. While coal resources are said to be abundant, such a massive expansion raises questions about the adequacy of fuel supply for these TPPs, the report says. As noted in the Mid Term Appraisal of the 11th Plan, coal production is falling short of projections, and there is a need to import a quantity larger than what was planned for. In addition, coal-based plants need massive amounts of water, for both cooling and ash disposal. Out of the 1,92,804 MW plants that have got environmental clearance, about 138,000 MW or 72 per cent are inland. Of these, close to 50 per cent are concentrated in four river basins — Ganga (33,255 MW), Godavari (16,235 MW), Mahanadi (14,595 MW) and Brahmani (6,534 MW). This will impinge on water use for drinking and irrigation.

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Grants for educational institutions to use renewable energy, The Hindu, Sept 05, 2011

Madurai: The Central Government is now offering grants to educational institutions that adopt renewable energy to meet their power requirements. The grants would meet nearly half of the project cost. Several institutions in southern districts of Tamil Nadu have already begun installation of power plants to join the project.

The project is being implemented in the State through Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA). S.E.S. Syed Ahamed, Deputy General Manager, TEDA Madurai Region, which comprises 11 southern and central districts, told The Hindu here on Sunday that the grants would be disbursed under the recently-announced Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), which plans to generate 20 gigawatts by 2020 through establishing solar photovoltaic (SPV) and solar thermal power plants across the country. It offered grants to establish Solar Roof Top Power plants in educational institutions for which a maximum Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of Rs. 81 lakh would be provided for every 100 KW. The total cost of a 100 KW SPV power System was Rs. 2 crore.

In the past year, several engineering colleges in southern Tamil Nadu held seminars, symposiums and celebrations on renewable energy. They were keen to implement the solar and wind projects in their institutions and some institutions had already commenced projects. They include a 25 KW SPV project in Sethu Institute of Technology in Kariapatti and a 10 KW SPV in Cape Institute of Technology, Kanyakumari besides a 50 KW SPV in two other engineering colleges in Dindigul and Madurai. The subsidies for these institutions would be released soon, he said.

Mr. Syed also said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had directed all banks to provide loans for renewable energy projects at a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent, repayable in 5 years. A minimum generation of 600 units per day from solar power plants would save Rs.15 lakh in annual electricity cost. It would lead to a payback in not more than eight years with the solar plant having a life period of nearly 25 years.

Another alternative was the wind-solar hybrid systems, for which the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) would provide a CFA of Rs.1.5 lakh per one kilowatt. In these systems, the wind solar capacity was in the proportion of 60:40. The total cost of a 100 KW wind-solar hybrid system is Rs. 1.6 crore, of which the subsidy itself would be Rs. 1.5 crore or nearly the entire project cost, he said.

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Renewable energy certificate prices hit a new high; volumes up 50%. Business Line, Sept 05, 2011

New Delhi: Rising buyer interest has driven up renewable energy certificate (REC) prices by about 16 per cent to a new high of Rs 1,800 a unit (Rs 1,555 a unit) in the latest trade on Friday.

The bids to buy RECs crossed the one-lakh mark for the first time since the trading began in February this year. The buy bids were at 1,45,204 against 81,493 in the previous trade in July. Similarly, the number of bids offered by sellers also inched up further to 49,897 as against 34,976 in the previous trade. The traded volumes in RECs went up by 50 per cent to 22,096 against 14,668. This reflects a growing interest in the market mechanism, said an Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) official. Since April, the REC trade, which hitherto has been confined to non-solar RECs, has picked up pace.

Big participation

The latest trading session saw participation from 109 buyers (108 non-solar and one solar) and 16 sellers. Major traders and buyers included Instinct Infra & Power Ltd, Knowledge Infrastructure Systems Pvt Ltd, Manikaran Power Ltd, PTC India Ltd, Reliance Energy Trading Ltd, and REConnect Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Entities have started warming up to the trading once they have got clearer picture of their actual renewable energy obligation, official said. “Now in 24 States, the commissions have made open access and captive consumers obligated for renewable purchase in line with Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's regulations,” the official added. The National Load Dispatch Centre, the nodal agency for REC market, had issued a total of 31,813 certificates for August and 1,989 were issued on September 1. The REC trade happens on the last Wednesday of every month. The August trading session scheduled on August 31 was postponed to September 2. At present, REC-eligible generators registered with Central Agency are 151 projects having 967 MW capacity. Out of this 178.5 MW is from bio-fuel, 528.15 MW is wind power, 51.5 MW is small hydro and 208.7 MW is biomass.

Introduced as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, REC trading allows entities such as power distribution companies and State Governments which do not have sufficient green component in their energy mix to buy these certificates and meet their renewable energy purchase obligations as prescribed by State power regulators.

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GMDC to set up 5 MW solar plant in Kutch - Business Line, Sept 02, 2011

New Delhi: State mineral and mining PSU Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd today said it will set up a 5 MW solar plant on the reclaimed land of mined out pits at Panandhro in Kutch district.“It will be for the first time in country that a 5 MW solar plant shall be set up on the reclaimed land of mined out pits. The project would serve as a milestone for the mining industry of the country to replicate,” the GMDC Managing Director, Mr V.S, Gadhavi, said.

Tapping the opportunities in the non-convention energy sector, GMDC has set up a 100 MW wind power project during the period under review.“We have set up a 100 MW wind power project and during the quarter ended June 30, 2011, the power generated from it was 58 million units (MUs), thereby generating a revenue of Rs 20 crore,” Mr Gadhavi said.

“On the power front, our lignite fed power plant produced 346 MUs for the quarter under review,” he said.The state PSU reported a rise of 46 per cent in its net profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 at Rs 153 crore.The company had posted a profit of Rs 104.74 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.The company reported a rise of over 36 per cent in its turnover for the quarter under review at Rs 467 crore compared with Rs 341.85 crore in the same period a year ago, a company official said.

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Related News:

Inadequate capacity clouds solar power renewable purchase obligations - Economic Times, August 27, 2011

AHMEDABAD | NEW DELHI: Most electricity distribution utilities will fail to meet their obligation to supply a minimum amount of solar power as there are very few plants that supply such electricity. Utilities are bound by a renewable purchase obligation (RPO) which mandates that a part of the electricity they supply should be sourced from renewable plants. As against the projected demand for 1,000 mw of solar power generation, India has less than 50 mw of capacity operational. According to industry sources, India will barely have the desired solar power installations by March but it would be too late for the distribution companies to procure solar power to meet the entire year's obligation. 
The state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs) have directed the distribution companies to meet separate solar RPO as per the tariff policy at least at 0.25% of total consumption of electricity in their respective areas in 2011-12 and 2012-13. SERCs of states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar have set even bigger targets of distributing 0.50% of solar power. However, none of the state utilities are equipped to meet the solar RPO.  

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Govt to invite bids for large solar PV projects soon- Business Line, August 25, 2011.

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Wind power gets Rs 1,500-cr FDI: Minister - Business Line New Delhi, Sept 02, 2011

The wind energy sector has attracted foreign direct investment of Rs 1,510 crore over the past three years.In the renewable energy sector, wind energy has emerged as the fastest growing category, the Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah, informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. "An investment of about Rs 1,510 crore has been received as FDI in the wind energy sector during the last three years and the current year (up to June 2011),” he said. The Minister was responding to a query on whether the FDI in wind energy is nominal.The Government allows 100 per cent FDI in the renewable energy generation and distribution projects including wind energy, subject to provisions of the Electricity Act 2003.

A total wind power capacity of 14,723 MW has already been installed up to July 2011 in various States. Of this 42 per cent capacity has been installed in Tamil Nadu.A target of 9,000 MW wind power capacity addition has been fixed for the 11 {+t} {+h} Five-Year Plan. Out of this, 7,629 MW capacity has already been set up and the balance is expected in the remaining period of the current financial year. Besides existing policy enablers under the Electricity Act, the other key initiatives taken in the recent past to attract foreign investment in wind energy include introduction of a generation-based incentive scheme for wind power projects which do not avail themselves of accelerated growth of depreciation.

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Biomass power producers form pan-India body - Business Line, Hyderabad, August 26, 2011,

Important energy source

In an exclusive interaction with Business Line, Mr. Krishna Kumar said biomass forms an important part of renewable energy source and holds promise to add to the existing generation capacity. Yet, it has been largely untapped. The fuel costs have nearly doubled and per unit tariff works out to about Rs 5.50 to Rs 6 a unit. Mr D. Radhakrishna, Director of Deeaar Group, said though the tariff policy clearly stipulates preferential tariff for renewable energy industry, the prices fixed by State regulators for biomass are at great variance causing difficulty to producers. The disorganised nature of biomass also adds to the problem, he said. Biomass producers today held a closed door meet here at the Biomass Conclave 2011. More than 120 companies and their representatives took part in the meet.

Mr Santoh Kamath, Co-Founder, Auro Mira Energy Company, said mandatory purchase of a fraction of biomass power by high tension users will encourage more companies to go ahead with their projects. “In addition, lack of support and encouragement from some States are hindering the setting up of new projects in the country. In fact, even several developers which have permission are holding up investments due to local issues. Therefore, this pan-India body will play a role,” he said.

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