5 Jul 2009
India has the potential to meet its energy needs through renewable sources. India remains the only nation with a full-fledged ministry for new and renewable energy (MNRE). Yet, renewable currently contribute only about 4% of power generation in the country. Although the country has set a target of generating 10 % electricity from renewable sources by 2012, there a number of bottlenecks that are hampering the better use of our renewable potential.
- The renewable market in India is limited by state regulations. For instance, if Tamil Nadu has a surplus, it cannot sell to Delhi which is in deficit. We need a nation-wide target and a trading platform.
- Most power grids were not built to access renewables, but to deliver bulk power from coal and hydro stations.
- Another roadblock is high costs, especially in the case of solar energy.
A long-term solution to the problem would be to take into account the two different Indias. It must be a government priority to provide either a wind or solar power system plus a drilled well for clean water in every village as well as upgrade transmission lines and bottlenecks between regional grids, since they lead to way too much economic loss.
Source: Times of India
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