Article: The Energy Scenario Article Abstract
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Published: March 09, 2008
The per capita consumption of energy is considered to be a reliable indicator of the standard of living of a people. India is far below the world average. The main source of power generation in India are thermal (coal and natural gas). Coal contributes nearly two-thirds of India’s energy needs. At the current rate of production, coal reserves are estimated to last for another hundred years. Natural gas contributes another tenth of India’s energy requirements. Though India has invested heavily on the exploration and indigenous production of natural gas, India still depends on imports to meet its energy requirements. Being fossil fuels, coal and natural gas are non-renewable sources of energy. Hydroelectricity is also an important source of power generation. Hydroelectricity is considered to be a renewable source of energy. The other renewable source of energy is wind power – the coastal states of peninsular India in particular are considered suitable for the generation of wind power. India even has many companies that manufacture wind turbines. But India has exploited only a small part of its total hydroelectric and wind potential . As for solar energy, it is still in the research and development stage! Though the development of nuclear power is on the national agenda, the contribution of nuclear power is not significant. Besides safety issues and environmental concerns, the economic viablity of nuclear power has also been questioned. India has set up a National Power Grid, so that unutilized capacity (in surplus regions) may be transferred to defecient regions. But an inefficient distribution network (for the supply of power) is a major infrastructural bottleneck, and urgently needs to be upgraded. Transmission and distribution losses are a very high percentage of the total power generated. There is a conflict of interest (still unresolved) between power generation and protection of the environment. Though India’s primary objective in the energy sector is to achieve energy independence, it is unlikely to do so in the forseeable future given its deficiency in fossil fuels, and lack of focus on the development of renewables.