Skip to main content

Solar powered IP sets 'ideal' for Karnataka farmers to reduce coal energy crisis

By Shankar Sharma* 
The tag line for the article on the issue of coal supply in the country, Coal back in focus as scorching summer spikes energy demand, says: "In 2018-19 all three thermal power stations in Karnataka received only 39.89 lakh tonnes of coal against the annual linkage quantity of 119.55 lakh tonnes."
Actually, Karnataka has five coal power stations: (1) RTPS at Raichur; (2) BTPS near Bellary; (3) NTPC at Kudigi (Vijayapura dist.); (4) UTPS near Udupi; (5) Yermarus (2x800 MW) Thermal Power Station, near Raichur.
The coal supply saga (especially for those states having no coal reserves within their own borders) in the country can only get worse, in view of the fact that more and more coal power plants are being added, and the railway/road/ sea based transportation infrastructure are already close to the saturation stage to transport coal from coal mines/ sea ports to power plants.
Since the agricultural IP sets constitute about 25% of the annual electricity consumption in the country (more so in the southern states, and about 35% in Karnataka), a satisfactory solution to the acute problems associated with the supply of reliable quality/ quantity of coal is feasible only by shifting the electricity demand of agricultural IP sets to solar power through locally commissioned solar power plants.
Since the solar powered IP sets are ideal for our farming community (with maximum output during day time and during summer months), an effective deployment of this technology across the state/ country will not only reduce the burden on the national electricity grid, but can also can provide net additional power capacity to the grid, if suitably designed grid interactive inverters are also used for these solar powered IP sets.
Such solar powered IP sets can feed the excess electricity generation back to the grid at no great additional cost to the economy, and at almost nil social and environmental cost to the country.
It is of great concern to the entire country, that many such low hanging fruits are not being harnessed fully, whereas coal, nuclear and dam based power plants are being added at enormous costs to the country.
So, the question that needs to be asked of our policy makers is: are they really interested in finding economical and sustainable solution to the acute problems of the power sector in the country? As has been the experience during the last few decades, it should be very clear that our policy makers are not at all considering strategic solutions; but they seem to be interested only in short term commercial benefits to few corporate houses.
Media can play an important role in persuading governments to think rationally on these lines, at a time when few individuals/ domain experts, who have been writing on such critical issues, have had no influence on the associated decisions of the government.
---
*Power and climate policy analyst

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”