CONTENTS
1 Background to India's National Action Plan on Climate Change
2 Some Current Programmes on Adaptation and Mitigation
3 Way Forward: Eight National Missions
3.1 National Solar Mission
3.2 National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
3.3 National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
3.4 National Water Mission
3.5 National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
3.6 National Mission for a Green India
3.7 National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
3.8 National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
4 Other Initiatives
5 International Cooperation
6 References
1. Background to India's National Action
Plan on Climate Change
The Fourth Assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4) 1 concluded from direct observations of changes in temperature, sea level, and snow cover in the northern hemisphere during 1850 to the present, that the warming of the earth's climate system is unequivocal. The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 ppm to 379 ppm in 2005. Multi model averages show that the temperature increases during 2090-2099 relative to 1980-1999 may range from 1.1 to 6.4°C and sea level rise from 0.18 to 0.59 meters. These could lead to impacts on freshwater availability, oceanic acidification, food production, flooding of coastal areas and increased burden of vector borne and water borne diseases associated with extreme weather events.
The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change, in its first meeting on 13th July, 2007, had decided that •A National Document compilingaction taken by India for addressing the challenge ofClimate Change,and the action it proposes to take"be prepared.
The National Action Plan for Climate Change responds to the decision of the PM's Council,as well as updates India's national programmes relevant to addressing climate change. It identifies measures that promote our development objectives, while also yielding co-benefits for addressing climate change effectively. It lists specific opportunities to simultane ously advance India's development and climate relat ed objectives of both adaptation as well as green house gas (GHG) mitigation.
India's development agenda focuses on the need for rapid economic growth as an essential precondition to poverty eradication and improved standards of living. Meeting this agenda, which will also reduce climate -related vulnerability, requires large scale investment of resources in infrastructure, technology and access to energy. Developing countries may lack the necessary financial and technological resources needed for this and thus have very low coping capacity to meet threats from climate changes. Only rapid and sustained development can generate the required financial, technological and human resources. In view of the large uncertainties concerning the spatial and temporal magnitude of climate change impacts, it is not desirable to design strategies exclusively for responding to climate change. Rather, the need is to identify and prioritize strategies that promote development goals while also serving specific climate change objectives.
It is imperative to identify measures that pro mote our development objectives, while also yield ing co-benefits for addressing climate change effects. Cost- effective energy efficiency and energy conservation measures are of particular importance in this connection. Similarly, development of clean energy technologies, though primarily designed to promote energy security, can also generate large benefits interms of reducing carbon emissions. Many health - related local pollution controls can also generate significant co-benefits in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. This document identifies specific opportunities to simultaneously advance India's development and climate related objectives of adaptation and GHG mitigation.
It also describes India's willingness and desire, as a responsible member of the global com munity, to do all that is possible for pragmatic and practical solutions for all, in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The purpose of this document is also to create awareness among representatives of the public at large, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry - in short, the community as a whole - on the threat posed by cli mate change and the proposed steps to counter it.
1.1 The Imperative of Poverty Alleviation
Economic reforms, implemented since 1991, have resulted in faster growth of the Indian economy.GDP growth rates have averaged roughly 8% during 2004-2008. However, 27.5% of the population still lived below the poverty line in 2004-05 and 44% are still without access to electricity. The Approach Paper to the Eleventh Plan emphasizes that rapid economic growth is an essential prerequisite to reduce poverty. The poor are the most vulnerable to climate change. The former Prime Minister, late Smt. Indira Gandhi, had stated: 'poverty is the worst polluter'.
The impacts of climate change could prove particularly severe for women. With climate change,
there would be increasing scarcity of water, reduction in yields of forest biomass, and increased risks to human health with children, women and the elderly in a household becoming the most vulnerable. With the possibility of decline in availability of foodgrains, the threat of malnutrition may also increase. All these would add to deprivations that women already encounter and so in each of the Adaptation programmes, special attention should be paid to the aspects of gender
1.2 Relationship between Human Development Index and Energy Consumption
The strong positive correlation between energy use and human development is well recognized {Figure 1.2.1). It is obvious that India needs to substantially increase its per capita energy consumption to pro vide a minimally acceptable level of wellbeing to its people.
Figure 1.2.1: Human Development Index versus per capita electricity consumption
1.3 Current Carbon Dioxide Emissions in India
India's C02 emissions per capita are well below the world's average2. Per capita carbon dioxide emissions of some regions in the world in 2004 are as follows:
Table 1.3.1: A comparison of India's per capita GHG emissions with some other countries
USA | 20.01 |
EU | 9.40 |
Japan | 9.87 |
China | 3.60 |
Russia | 11.71 |
India | 1.02 |
World Average | 4.25 |
India has a well-developed policy, legislative, regulatory, and programmatic regime for promotion of energy efficiency, renewable energy, nuclear power, fuel switching, energy pricing reform, and addressing GHG emissions in the energy sector. As a consequence of these measures, India's energy intensity of the economy has come down sharply since the 1980s and compares favourably with the least energy intensive developed countries.
Figure 1.3.2: India's Energy intensity of GDP based on International Energy Agency data4
Energy intensity of GDP (kgoe/$ 2000 PPP)
1.4. Observed Changes in Climate andWeather Effectsin India
There are some observed changes in climate parameters in India. India's Initial National Communication, 2004 (NATCOM 1)5 to UNFCCC has consolidated some of these. Some highlights from NATCOM I and others are listed here. No firm link between the documented changes described below and warming due to anthropogenic climate change has yet been established.
At the national level, increase of - 0.4° C has been observed in surface air temperatures over the past century. A warming trend has been observed along the west coast, in central India, the interior peninsula, and north-eastern India. However, cooling trends have been observed in north-west India and parts of south India.
While the observed monsoon rainfall at the all-India level does not show any significant trend, regional monsoon variations have been recorded. A trend of increasing monsoon seasonal rainfall has been found along the west coast, northern Andhra Pradesh, and north-western India (+10% to +12% of the normal over the last 100 years) while a trend of decreasing monsoon seasonal rainfall has been observed over eastern Madhya Pradesh, north-eastern India, and some parts of Gujarat and Kerala (-6% to -8% of the normal over the last 100 years).
Instrument records over the past 130 years do not indicate any marked long-term trend in the frequencies of large-scale droughts and floods. Trends are however observed in multi-decadal periods of more frequent droughts, followed by less severe droughts. There has been an overall increasing trend in severe storm incidence along the coast at the rate of 0.011 events per year. While the states of West Bengal and Gujarat have reported increasing trends, a decline has been observed in Orissa. Goswami6 et al, by analyzing a daily rainfall data set, have shown (i) a rising trend in the frequency of heavy rain events,
and (ii) a significant decrease in the frequency of moderate events over central India from 1951 to 2000.
• Rise in Sea Level
Using the records of coastal tide gauges in the north Indian Ocean for more than 40 years, Unnikrishnan and Shankart have estimated, that sea level rise was between 1.06-1.75 mm per year. These rates are consistent with 1-2 mm per year global sea level rise estimates of IPCC.
• Impacts on Himalayan Glaciers
The Himalayas possess one of the largest resources of snow and ice and its glaciers form a source of water for the perennial rivers such as the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra. Glacial melt may impact their long-term lean-season flows, with adverse impacts on the economy in terms of water availability and hydropower generation.
The available monitoring data on Himalayan glaciers indicates that while recession of some glaciers has occurred in some Himalayan regions in recent years, the trend is not consistent across the entire mountain chain. It is accordingly, too early to establish long-term trends, or their causation, in respect of which there are several hypotheses.
Under the National Action Plan, these data will be updated and refined continuously and additional reliable data will be collected.
1.5. Some /Projections of Climate Change overIndia for the 21st Century
Some modelling and other studies have projected the following changes due to increase in atmospheric GHG concentrations arising from increased global anthropogenic emissions:
- Annual mean surface temperature rise by the end of century, ranging from 3 to 5° C under A2 scenario and 2.5 to 4• C under B2 scenario of IPCC, with warming more pronounced in the northern parts of India, from simulations by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (llTM), Pune.
- Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is a manifestation of complex interactions between land, ocean and atmosphere. The simulation of ISM's mean pattern as well as variability on interannual and intraseasonal scales has been a challenging ongoing problem. Some simulations by llTM, Pune, have indicated that summer monsoon intensity may increase beginning from 2040 and by 10% by 2100 under A2 scenario of IPCC.
- Changes in frequency and/ or magnitude of extreme temperature and precipitation events. Some results show that fine-scale snow albedo influence the response of both hot and cold events and that peak increase in extreme hot events are amplified by surface moisture feedbacks.
1.6 Possible Impacts of Projected Climate Change
1.6.1 Impacts on Water Resources
Changes in key climate variables, namely temperature, precipitation, and humidity, may have significant long-term implications for the quality and quantity of water. River systems of the Brahmaputra, the Ganga, and the Indus, which benefit from melting snow in the lean season, are likely to be particularly affected by the decrease in snow cover. A decline in total run-off for all river basins, except Narmada and Tapti, is projected in India's NATCOM I. A decline in run-off by more than two-thirds is also anticipated for the Sabarmati and Luni basins. Due to sea level rise, the fresh water sources near the coastal regions will suffer salt intrusion.
1.6.1. IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE ANO FOOD PRODUCTION
Food production in India is sensitive to climate changes such as variability in monsoon rainfall and temperature changes within a season. Studies by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and others indicate greater expected loss in the Rabi crop.
Every 1 •c rise in temperature reduces wheat production by 4-5 Million Tonnes. Small changes in temperature and rainfall have significant effects on the quality of fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, aromatic and medicinal plants, and basmati rice. Pathogens and insect populations are strongly dependent upon temperature and humidity, and changes in these parameters may change their population dynamics. Other impacts on agricultural and related sectors include lower yields from dairy cattle and decline in fish breeding, migration, and harvests. Global reports indicate a loss of 10-40% in crop production by 2100.
1.6.3. IMPACTS ON HEALTH
Changes in climate may alter the distribution of important vector species (for example: malarial mosquitoes) and may increase the spread of such diseases to new areas. If there is an increase of 3.8 'C in temperature and a 7% increase in relative humidity the transmission windows i.e., months during which mosquitoes are active, will be open for all 12 months in 9 states in India. The transmission windows in Jammu and Kashmir and in Rajasthan may increase by 3-5 months. However, in Orissa and some southern states, a further increase in temperature is likely to shorten the transmission window by 2-3 months.
1.6.4. IMPACTS ON FORESTS
Based on future climate projections of Regional Climate Model of the Hadley Centre (HadRM3) using A2 and 82 scenarios and the BIOME4 vegetation response model, Ravindranath et. al.B show that 77% and 68% of the forest areas in the country are likely to experience shift in forest types, respectively under the two scenarios, by the end of the century, with consequent changes in forests produce, and, in turn, livelihoods based on those products. Correspondingly, the associated biodiversity is likely to be adversely impacted. India's NATCOM I projects an increase in the area under xeric scrublands and xeric woodlands in central India at the cost of dry savannah in these regions.
1.6.5 Vulnerability to Extreme Events
Heavily populated regions such as coastal areas are exposed to climatic events such as cyclones, floods, and drought, and large declines in sown areas in arid and semi-arid zones occur during climate extremes. Large areas in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra and comparatively small areas in Karnataka, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh are frequented by drought. About 40 million hectares of land is flood-prone, including most of the river basins in the north and the north-eastern belt, affecting about 30 million people on an average each year. Such vulnerable regions may be particularly impacted by climate change
1.6.6 Impacts on Coastal Areas
A mean Sea Level Rise (SLR) of 15--38 cm is projected along India's coast by the mid21st century and of 46-59 cm by 2100. India's NATCOM Iassessed the vulnerability of coastal districts based on physical expo- sure to SLR, social exposure based on population affected, and economic impacts. In addition, a projected increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones poses a threat to the heavily populated coastal zones in the country (NATCOM, 2004).
- Some Current Actions for Adaptation and Mitigation
Adaptation, in the context of climate change, comprises the measures taken to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change, e.g. relocating the communities living close to the sea shore, for instance, to cope with the rising sea level or switching to crops that can withstand higher temperatures. Mitigation comprises measures to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change in the first place, e.g. by switching to renewable sources of energy such as solar energy or wind energy, or nuclear energy instead of burning fossil fuel in thermal power stations.
Current government expenditure in India on Current government expenditure in India on 2.1, exceeds 2.6% of the GDP, with agriculture, water resources, health and sanitation, forests, coastal- zone infrastructure and extreme weather events, being specific areas of concern.
Figure 2.1:Expenditure on Adaptation Programmes in India
2.1 Some Existing Adaptation related Programmes
2.1.1. Crop Improvement
The present programmes address measures such as development of arid-land crops and pest management, as well as capacity building of extension workers and NGOs to support better vulnerability reducing practices.
2.1.2 Drought Proofing
The current programmes seek to minimize the adverse effects of drought on production of crops and livestock, and on productivity of land, water and human resources, so as to ultimately lead to drought proofing of the affected areas. They also aim to pro mote overall economic development and improve the socio-economic conditions of the resource poor and disadvantaged sections inhabiting the programme areas.
2.1.3 Forestry
India has a strong and rapidly growing afforestation programme. The afforestation process was accelerated by the enactment of the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, which aimed at stopping the clearing and degradation of forests through a strict, centralized control of the rights to use forest land and mandatory requirements of compensatory afforestation in case of any diversion of forest land for any non-forestry purpose. In addition an aggressive afforestation and sustainable forest management programme resulted in annual reforestation of 1.78 mha during 1985-1997, and is currently 1.1 mha annually. Due to this, the carbon stocks in Indian forests have increased over the last 20 years to 9 -10 gigatons of carbon (GtO during 1986 to 2005.
2.1.4 Water
The National Water Policy (2002) stresses that non- conventional methods for utilization of water, including inter-basin transfers, artificial recharge of groundwater, and desalination of brackish or sea water, as well as traditional water conservation practices like rainwater harvesting, including rooftop rainwater harvesting, should be practised to increase the utilizable water resources. Many states now have mandatory water harvesting programmes in several cities.
2.1.5 Coastal Regions
In coastal regions, restrictions have been imposed in the area between 200m and 500m of the HTL (high tide line) while special restrictions have been imposed in the area up to 200m to protect the sensitive coastal ecosystems and prevent their exploitation. This, simultaneously, addresses the concerns of the coastal population and their livelihood. Some specific measures taken in this regard include construction of coastal protection infrastructure and cyclone shelters, as well as plantation of coastal forests and mangroves.
2.1.6 Health
The prime objective of these programmes is the surveillance and control of vector borne diseases such as Malaria, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis, Filaria and Dengue. Programmes also provide for emergency medical relief in the case of natural calamities, and to train and develop human resources for these tasks.
2.1.7 Risk Financing
Two risk-financing programmes support adaptation to climate impacts. The Crop Insurance Scheme sup ports the insurance of farmers against climate risks, and the Credit Support Mechanism facilitates the extension of credit to farmers, especially for crop failure due to climate variability.
2.1.8 Disaster Management
The National Disaster Management programme provides grants-in-aid to victims of weather related disasters, and manages disaster relief operations. It also supports proactive disaster prevention programmes, including dissemination of information and training of disaster-management staff.
2.2 Some of India’s Actions Relating to GHG Mitigation
2.2.1 India’s Policy Structure Relevant to GHG Mitigation
India has in place a detailed policy, regulatory, and legislative structure that relates strongly to GHG mitigation: The Integrated Energy Policy was adopted in 2006. Some of its key provisions are:
- Promotion of energy efficiency in all sectors
- Emphasis on mass transport
- Emphasis on renewables including biofuels plantations
- Accelerated development of nuclear and hydropower for clean energy
- Focused R&D on several clean energy related technologies
Several other provisions relate to reforming energy markets to ensure that energy markets are competitive, and energy prices reflect true resources costs. These include: Electricity Act 2005, Tariff Policy 2003, Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006, etc. The provisions taken together are designed to:
- Remove entry barriers and raise competition in exploration, extraction, conversion, transmission and distribution of primary and secondary energy
- Accomplish price reform, through full competition at point of sale
- Promote tax reform to promote optimal fuel choices
- Augment and diversify energy options, sources and energy infrastructure
- Provide feed-in tariffs for renewables (solar, wind, biomass cogeneration)
- Strengthen, and where applicable, introduce independent regulation
The Rural Electrification Policy, 2006, promotes renewable energy technologies where grid connectivity is not possible or cost-effective. The New and Renewable Energy Policy, 2005, promotes utilization of sustainable, renewable energy sources, and accelerated deployment of renewables through indigenous design, development and manufacture.
The National Environment Policy, 2006, and the Notification on Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), 2006, reform India's environmental assessment regime. A number of economic activities are required to prepare environment impact assessments, and environment management plans, which are appraised by regulatory authorities prior to start of construction. The EIA provisions strongly promote environmental sustainability.
2.2.2 Introduction of Labelling Programme for Appliances
An energy labelling programme for appliances was launched in 2006, and comparative star-based labelling has been introduced for fluorescent tube lights, air conditioners, refrigerators, and distribution transformers. The labels provide information about the energy consumption of an appliance, and thus enable consumers to make informed decisions. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has made it mandatory for refrigerators to display energy efficiency label and is expected to do so for air conditioners as well. The standards and labelling programme for manufacturers of electrical appliances is expected to lead to significant savings in electricity annually.
2.2.3 Energy Conservation Building Code
An Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBQ was launched in May,2007, which addresses the design of new, large commercial buildings to optimize the buildings' energy demand based on their location in different climatic zones. Commercial buildings are one of the fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy, reflecting the increasing share of the services sector in the economy. Nearly one hundred buildings are already following the Code, and compliance with the Code has been incorporated into the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment requirements for large buildings. It has been estimated that if all the commercial space in India every year conform to ECBC norms, energy consumption in this sector can be reduced by 30-40%.Compliance with ECBC norms is voluntary at present but is expected to soon become mandatory
2.2.4 Energy Audits of Large Industrial Consumers
In March 2007 the conduct of energy audits was made mandatory in large energy-consuming units in nine industrial sectors. These units, notified as "designated consumers" are also required to employ "certified energy managers", and report energy consumption and energy conservation data annually.
2.2.5 Mass Transport
The National Urban Transport Policy emphasizes extensive public transport facilities and non-motorized modes over personal vehicles. The expansion of the Metro Rail Transportation System in Delhi and other cities and other mass transit systems, such as the Metro Bus project in Bangalore, are steps in its implementation. The state government of Maharashtra recently announced that it will impose a congestion tax to discourage the use of private cars in cities where it has created "sufficient public trans port capacity".
2.2.6 Clean Initiatives
In urban areas, one of the major sources of air pollution is emissions from transport vehicles. Steps taken to reduce such pollution include (i) Introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) in Delhi and other cities; (ii) retiring old, polluting vehicles; and (iii) strengthening of mass transportation as mentioned above. Some state governments provide subsidies for purchase and use of electric vehicles. For thermal power plants, the installation of electrostatic precipitators is mandatory. In many cities, polluting industrial units have either been closed or shifted from residential areas.
2.2.7 Promotion of Energy Saving Devices
The Bureau of Energy efficiency has introduced "The Bachat Lamp Yojana•, a programme under which households may exchange incandescent lamps for CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) using dean development mechanism (CDM) credits to equate purchase price. Some states have made mandatory the installation of solar water heaters in hospitals, hotels and large government and commercial buildings. Subsidy is provided for installation of solar water heaters in residential buildings.
2.2.8 Promotion of Biofuels
The Biodiesel Purchase Policy mandates biodiesel procurement by the petroleum industry. A mandate on Ethanol Blending of Gasolene requires 5% blending of ethanol with gasolene from 1st January, 2003, in 9 States and 4 Union Territories.
- The Way Forward: Eight National Missions
The experience gained so far enables India to embark on an even more proactive approach. The following subsections describe the various programmes that may be taken up under the National Action Plan.
3.1 National Solar Mission
The National Solar Mission would promote the use of solar energy for power generation and other applications. Where necessary for purposes of system balance or ensuring cost-effectiveness or reliability, it would also promote the integration of other renewable energy technologies, for example, biomass and wind, with solar energy options.
India is largely located in the equatorial sun belt of the earth, thereby receiving abundant radiant energy from the sun. The country receives about 5,000 trillion kWh/year equivalent energy through solar radiation. In most parts of India, clear sunny weather is experienced 250 to 300 days a year. The annual global radiation varies from 1600 to 2200 kWhfm2, which is typical of the tropical and sub tropical regions. The average solar insolation incident over India is about 5.5 kWh/m2 per day. Just 1% of India's land area can meet India's entire electricity requirements till 2030.
Solar based power technologies are an extremely clean form of generation with practically no form of emissions at the point of generation. They would lead to energy security through displacement of coal and petroleum. T&D losses are very low in decentralized systems. Deployment can be done independently of the national grid and integrated with the national grid when needed.
3.1.1 Solar Thermal Power Generation
Solar Thermal Power Generating Systems (STPG) or Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) use concentrated solar radiation as high temperature energy source (> 5000C) to produce electricity.
The working mechanism for solar heat to electricity is fundamentally similar to that of traditional thermal power plants. STPG technologies are now on the verge of significant scale commercialization. Major technologies include parabolic trough or dish, dish- engine system, central tower receiver system, and solar chimney (which drives an air draft turbine, and does not raise steam).
Solar power is, obviously available only during sunlight hours. There are also significant seasonal variations. Moreover, the need to track the movement of the sun during the day, as also the seasonal variations in orientation, although fully predictable, may add significantly to cost in respect of dish collector systems. However, design variants are available that require movement of only the heat collector at the focus, or only of individual mirrors in an array, thus reducing costs.
The cyclical (diurnal, annual) and episodic (cloud cover) variations of solar insolation, and the impossibility of regulating the solar flux means that in order to ensure steady power supply, meet peaking requirements, as well as to ensure optimal utilization of steam turbines and generators, it is necessary to either hybridize solar thermal systems with alternative means of raising steam, or provide for high temperature thermal energy storage. The former may be accomplished by hybridization with conventional fuels, or by biomass combustion systems. The latter may be accomplished by insulated storage of molten salts; however, in their case the rate of heat loss may be significant and storage for more than 10-12 hours is uneconomic.
The investment cost of stand-alone (i.e. with out hybridization) solar thermal power plants are in the range of Rs 20-22 er/MW. It usually includes the cost of the solar concentrators, balance of system (BOS), receiver (turbine) with generator and control equipments, etc. The estimated unit cost of generation is currently in the range of 20-25 Rs/KWh. (Source Scientific American, January 2008)
Proposed R&D activities in respect of Solar Thermal power generation would cover design and development of concentrating solar thermal power systems, including parabolic troughs, central receiver systems, and dish/engine systems. The R&D effort should be directed mainly at reducing costs of production and maintenance, and include both production design and fabrication/assembly techniques. In addition, R&D should cover balance of systems issues involved in hybridization with biomass combustion based systems and/or molten salts thermal storage.
3.1.2 Solar Photovoltaic Generation
In photovoltaic generation, solar energy is directly converted to electricity using a semi-conductor, usually a silicon diode. However, while there are other semi-conductors (e.g. cadmium telluride) that may be used for power generation, most of them are at various stages of R&D.
The investment costs of solar l'V based power systems are in the range of Rs. 30- 35cr/MW.This includes the cost of the solar panels and balance of system (BOS). The unit cost of generation is still in the range of Rs. 15-20 KWh, but may fall significantly for thin-film based systems.
Proposed R&D activities in respect of Solar Photovoltaic generation, for the near and medium term would include improvement in solar cell efficiency to 15% at commercial level; improvements in PV module technology with higher packing density and suitability for solar roofs; and development of lightweight modules for use in solar lanterns and similar applications.
3.1.3 R&D Collaboration technology transfer and Capacity Building
In specific areas of both solar thermal and solar PV systems, it would be useful to enter into collaboration with institutions working elsewhere, with sharing of the resulting IPRs.
Technology transfer in both Solar Thermal technologies and the PV technologies will be required in respect of cost-effective and efficient technologies suitable for use in India. Support to commercial demonstration by entrepreneurs of Solar Thermal and Solar PV, both stand-alone and distributed generation systems, in particular in remote locations, and using these as training facilities for local entrepreneurs and O&M personnel would also help develop this sector.
The National Solar Mission would be responsible for: (a) the deployment of commercial and near commercial solar technologies in the country; (b) establishing a solar research facility at an existing establishment to coordinate the various research, development and demonstration activities being carried out in India, both in the public and private sec tor; (c) realizing integrated private sector manufacturing capacity for solar material, equipment, cells and modules (d) networking of Indian research efforts with international initiatives with a view to promoting collaborative research and acquiring technology where necessary, and adapting the technology acquired to Indian conditions; (e) providing funding support for the activities foreseen under (a) to (d) through government grants duly leveraged by funding available under global climate mechanisms, and earnings from deployment of research spon sored by the Mission. Policy and Regulatory measures for promotion of solar technologies would also be enhanced as common to all renewables based tech nologies.
Over the 11th and 12th Plan periods (till 2017) the Mission would aim to deliver at least 80% coverage for all low temperature (<150° O. and at least 60% coverage for medium temperature (150° to 250° C) applications of solar energy in all urban areas, industries, and commercial establishments. Rural solar thermal applications would also be pursued under public-private partnerships where feasible. Commensurate local manufacturing capacity to meet this level of deployment, with necessary technology tie-ups, where desirable, would be established. Further, the Mission would aim for local Photovoltaic (PV) production from integrated facilities at a level of 1000 MW/annum within this time frame. It would also aim to establish at least 1000 MW of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) generation capacity, again, with such technical tie-ups as essential within the stated time frame.
The untapped energy potential of each of the three generic solar based energy approaches (i.e. solar PV, solar thermal, and biomass) is well beyond current usage levels. In the long term the Mission would aim to network Indian research efforts in solar technology with global initiatives in these three areas, so as to enable delivery of solar solutions to India's energy needs in tandem with developments worldwide.
In the long-term, the Mission would direct Indian solar research initiatives to deliver truly disruptive innovations that cut across more than one approach or technology. These include: (a) getting the same electrical, optical, chemical and physical performance from cheap materials as that delivered by expensive materials; (b) developing new paradigms for solar cell design that surpass current efficiency limits; (c) finding catalysts that enable inexpensive, efficient conversion of solar energy into chemical fuel; (d) identify novel methods of self assembly of molecular components into functionally integrated systems; and (e) developing new materials for solar energy conversion infrastructure, such as robust, and inexpensive, thermal management materials.
The ultimate objective of the Mission would be to develop a solar industry in India that is capable of delivering solar energy competitively against fossil options from the Kilowatt range of distributed solar thermal and solar PV to the Gigawatt scale of base load priced and dispatchable CSP within the next 20-25 years.
3.2 National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency in Industry
The industry sector is the largest user of commercial energy in India, accounting for 42% of the country's total commercial energy use during 2004--05. The Indian industry sector, comprising large, medium, and small enterprises registered a growth of 10.6% in April-December 2006 (MoF,2007). Since the indus try sector is viewed as central for economic growth, it would continue to play a major role in the overall development of India.
The industrialization policies of the country have helped in setting up of several energy-intensive primary manufacturing facilities such as iron and steel, cement, fertilizer, refineries, with investment targets fixed in successive Five-year Plans of the Government of India. The planners also encouraged various small scale industries, providing huge employment. The small scale sector produces dose to 7500 items in which 326 items are reserved by the Government of India (MoSSI, 2007) to be exclusively produced by small units.
As per the national greenhouse inventory, the direct co2 emissions from industrial sources accounted for nearly 31% of the total co2 emissions from the country (data for base year 1994) (NATCOM, I}. The C02 emissions from the industrial sector can be broadly categorized into two heads, i.e. process related emissions, and emissions due to fuel combustion in industries. Of the total estimated 250 million tonnes of direct co2 emissions from the industry in 1994, nearly 60% were accounted for by energy use (NATCOM, I).
3.2.1 GHG Mitigation Options in Industry Sector
GHG Mitigation options in the industry sector can be broadly grouped under three heads as given below:
- Sector specific technological options
- Cross-cutting technologies options
- Fuel switch options
3.2.2 Cross Cutting Technological Options
Apart from sector specific options, there are certain cross-cutting energy efficient technological options that could be adopted in a wide range of industries. In general, in the industries sector, approximately 50% of the industrial energy use is accounted for by cross-cutting technologies. The estimated energy saving potential for a large number of plants is of the order of 5% to 15%.
3.2.4 Fuel Switch
With the increasing availability of natural gas in the country (both as imported LNG [liquefied natural gas] and likely increased domestic natural gas supply), industries may have the option to switch over from coal to the use of natural gas. Fuel switch to natural gas generally leads to increase in energy use efficiency.
Another option is switching over from fossil fuels to producer gas from biomass fuels for various thermal applications. Industries with low temperature requirements (up to 1000q (for example, textiles and pharmaceuticals) may also use solar thermal systems for water heating.
3.2.5 Potential for Emissions Reduction
Although the efficiency of most large industrial sectors has been improving over time, and the specific energy consumption of many of the large plants compares well with the world’s best, it is estimated that CO2 emissions from fuel and electricity use in the industry sector could be further reduced by about 605 million tonnes (approximately 16% reduction from the BAU scenario) in the year 2031. However, this will involve major incremental investment costs, as well as, overall, large economic costs, beside technology transfer.
3.2.6 Co-Benefits
Energy- efficiency measures in the industrial sector also have some co-benefits due to reduction in fuel and material use leading to reduced emission of air pollutants, solid waste, and waste water. In addition, some options also lead to improvement in the quality of product.
3.2.7 Technology Transfer
Relevant technologies under development that would reduce specific energy consumption need to be transferred to India when commercially viable.
3.2.8 Financing
The move to efficient technologies in the industry sector generally involves significant incremental investment, and in many cases, economic costs. These would have to be provided by multilateral funding arrangement. In particular, special financing mechanisms would need to be put in place for the SMEs. Bundling and/or programmatic CDM could be a possible financing route for these units.
3.2.9 Capacity Building Needs
Cooperative approaches by the government and industry are needed to enhance awareness of energy-efficient options, and upgrade relevant technological knowledge. The financial sector also needs capacity building in appraisal of specific energy efficiency improvement investments in existing industries.
3.2.10 Policy and Regulatory Options
Under the Energy Conservation Act (2001), 9 energy intensive industrial sectors, i.e. thermal power sta tions, fertilizer, cement, iron and steel, chlor-alkali, aluminum, railways, textile and pulp and paper, are required to employ a certified energy manager, con duct energy audits periodically, and adhere to specific energy-consumption norms that may be pre scribed. Currently, almost every industrial sector is characterized by a wide band of energy efficiencies in different units. Several of them are at global frontier levels, but some others have relatively poor performance. As an approach to enhancement of over all energy efficiency in each sector, the efficiency band-width of the sector is divided into 4 bands. The energy efficiency improvement target, in percentage, from current levels for each unit varies with its band, being highest for the least energy efficient, and the least for the most efficient. These targets would have to be achieved within a period of 3 to 5 years within each group. Given the fact of fertilizer subsidies, individual fertilizer units have little incentive to undertake energy-efficiency investments. It is, therefore, imperative that fertilizer subsidies be restructured to eliminate such absence of incentive.
To promote technology upgradation in the SME (small and medium enterprise) sector, it would be essential to evolve sector- specific integrated programmes for technology development. This would require external support for significantly longer durations to address various technological barriers and promote energy efficiencies at the unit level. The information or knowledge gap is more pronounced in case of small industries and "hand-holding" to help industries install energy efficient technologies as well as to ensure their optimum performance through best operating practices will be required.
Most of the energy-efficient equipment require higher upfront investment. An accelerated depredation up to 80% in the first year on energy efficient equipment would help their deployment. Further, reduced rate VAT (value added tax) on energy-efficient equipment would also help in reducing the required upfront investment.
To further enhance energy efficiency, four new initiatives may be considered. These are:
- Mandated specific energy consumption decreases in large energy consuming industries and facilities that have been notified as Designated Consumers under the Energy Conservation Act, and provide a framework to certify energy savings in excess of the mandated savings. The certified excess savings may be traded amongst companies to meet their mandated compliance requirements, or banked for the next cycle of energy savings requirements.
- Tax incentives for promotion of energy efficiency, including differential taxation on appliances that have been certified as energy efficient through energy labeling programme.
- Creation of energy efficiency financing platforms for enabling public-private-partnerships to capture energy savings through demand side management programmes in the municipal, buildings, and agricultural sectors.
3.2.11 Delivery Options
The key delivery options for energy efficiency in industry are:
- Projects, including retrofits, by the corporate sector, with institutional finance
- Activities related to duster development, particularly in SMEs
- Promotion of ESCO’s (Energy Service Companies) for providing energy efficiency solutions across industry sectors.
The Energy Efficiency Financing Platform initiated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, in conjunction with a robust ESCO industry could provide the necessary impetus to energy efficiency. In respect of each deliv ery mode, carbon finance through the COM would also be relevant.
3.3 Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Residential and Commercial Sector
The residential sector accounts for around 13.3% of total commercial energy use in India. While several households, especially in the rural areas, continue to use biomass for cooking in traditional cookstoves, which leads to high levels of indoor air pollution and poses a major health risk especially to women and children, the use of modem fuels such as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and kerosene is increasing rapidly. During 1990-2003, consumption of LPG increased at an annual rate of 11.26%, while electricity use increased at 8.25% annually in the residential sector. Electricity consumption in the residential sector is primarily for lighting, space conditioning, refrigeration, and other appliances. Accordi ng to a study on energy consumption in the residential sector in the city of Delhi, while lighting accounted for around 8%-14% of total electricity consumption, space-conditioning accounted for nearly 52%, and refrigerators accounted for around 28% (in the summer months). Accordingly, energy saving measures related with space conditioning (heating and cooling), refrigeration, and lighting have great significance in moving towards sustainable residential energy use.
The commercial sector comprises various institutional establishments such as banks, hotels, restaurants, shopping complexes, offices, and public buildings. Electricity consumption has increased at the rate of 7.4% annually between 1990-2003 in the commercial sector. It is estimated that on average, in a typical commercial building in India around 60% of the total electricity is consumed for lighting, 32% for space conditioning, and 8% for refrigeration. However. the end-use consumption varies significantly with space conditioning needs. While a fully air conditioned office building could have about 60% of the total electricity consumption accounted for by air conditioning, followed by 20% for lighting, in a non-airconditioned building the consumption pat terns would be significantly different.
Energy use in residential and commercial buildings also varies significantly across income groups, building construction typology, climate, and several other factors. There exists significant scope to reduce energy use, while also providing the requisite energy services in case of both existing as well as new constructions. Although the saving potential of each option may vary with typology, climate, space conditioning needs, and the initial base design proposed by the client/designer. on an average it is estimated that the implementation of energy efficient options would help in achieving around 30% electricity savings in new residential buildings and 40% electricity savings in new commercial buildings. In case of existing buildings, the energy saving potential for residential buildings is estimated to be around 20%, and that for commercial buildings around 30%.
Various studies have established that substantial energy savings can be achieved in the resi dential and commercial sectors. Implementing car bon mitigation options in buildings is associated with a wide range of co-benefits, including improved energy security and system reliability. Other co-bene fits of energy efficiency investments include the creation of jobs and business opportunities, while the energy savings may lead to greater access to energy for the poor, leading to their improvement and well being. Other co-benefits include improved indoor and outdoor air quality, and thereby improved health and quality of life.
3.3.1 Costs of Financing
The incremental cost of implementation of energy efficient measures is estimated to vary between 3%- 5% for residential buildings and 10%-15% for commercial buildings on a case-to-case basis. Economic savings over the lifetime of the appliances would depend upon the specific- usage patterns. Also, it is expected that in general, private home-owners would seek shorter pay-back periods than owners of commercial property.
While the use of more efficient appliances can play a key role in reducing final energy demands, energy-efficient appliances typically have higher up front costs than their non-labeled counterparts. Given that significant incremental investment costs are associated with the efficient technologies, appropriate financing mechanisms need to be adopted in order to promote these technologies.
Adoption of energy-efficient lighting and space-conditioning technologies should be integrated into housing finance schemes of financial institutions, appliance financing schemes need to incentivize purchase of energy-efficient equipment, and utility- based programmes should be put in place to pay for the higher upfront capital costs of lighting systems in the utility bills.
Carbon-market financing would enable access to these technologies where there are higher investment costs, or higher economic costs of the required energy service, or both. This may be especially useful in view of the "split incentive" problem in such cases, that is, the persons who incur the additional investment costs are different from those that might realize the energy savings.
3.3.2 Research & Development
The R&D needs for the residential and commercial sectors is mainly related to energy efficiency technologies. It needs to focus on the development of energy efficient products for the following applications:
- Energy- efficient buildings and building components
- Development of energy efficient windows
- Development of low-cost insulation material
- Development of simulation software to predict the energy used in buildings
- Energy efficient appliance
- Development of energy-efficient ceiling fans
- Development of very low energy consuming circuits for stand-by power
- Development of low-cost light-emitting diode (LED)-based lamps for space lighting
The SAC-C (Scientific Advisory Committee of the Cabinet) has recommended the launch of a National Energy Networked Initiative for R&D on the development of the next generation of LEDs, particularly white LEDs.
3.3.3 Technology Transfer and Capacity Building
The energy efficient lighting and space conditioning technologies developed internationally are generally superior as compared to those available within the country. There is therefore a need for technology transfer from the developed countries. However adopting these internationally developed technologies is associated with payment of additional costs due to the IPR component associated with these technologies. Mechanisms need to be put in place so that these costs do not impose an additional burden on the consumers. Solar evacuated tubular panel technology is available internationally for solar water heating systems, but needs to be transferred for diffusion in the Indian market. Lack of awareness of energy-saving options and potential among architects, engineers, interior designers, and professionals in the building industry including plumbers and electricians is a major barrier to the construction of low-energy buildings. Realizing the potential of energy saving requires an integrated design process involving all the stake- holders, with full consideration of opportunities for passively reducing building energy demands.
Builders and developers need to be trained and made aware of the options to save energy in new constructions. There is a need to create comprehensive integrated programmes at universities and other professional establishments to impart such training for designing and constructing low-energy buildings.
3.3.4 Policy and Regulatory Enhancements
A diverse portfolio of policy instruments would be required to address the barriers to efficient energy use in the residential and commercial sectors.
There is a need to continuously update appliances energy norms and building energy codes and labeling, move towards rational energy pricing based on long-term average economic cost, and provide fiscal benefits for efficiency improvements.
The ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) was developed after the adoption of the Conservation Act (2001). The ECBC aims to reduce the baseline energy consumption by supporting adoption and implementation of efficiency savings and savings in GHG emissions, besides other benefits. ECBC intervention has encouraged design innovation in the building envelope and system design and specification, which have resulted in 50% energy savings ( as measured in ECBC compliant buildings) when compared to conventional constructions.
Given the scale of energy savings that can be achieved by the implementation of ECBC, it is important to direct policy towards encouraging/mandating energy savings. As an example, it would be pertinent to address the cost of CFL (Compact Fluorescent amp) and T5 (Efficient Tube Light) which is a barrier to their wide spread use, and implement measures to increase the demand in order to reduce prices through scale effects. large-scale availability of appropriate materials and equipment to meet the requirement of ECBC is also urgently needed. The energy codes are still new in India and the products (insulation, efficient glass, efficient HVAC systems, and so on) and services required by buildings to comply with the code requirements are not readily and abundantly avail able, or competitively priced. Market power monopoly of a handful of manufacturers of energy efficient products has resulted in a non-competitive market for products like insulations, chillers, and so on.
In addition to the above, the MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) has developed a manual on norms and standards for environmental clearance for large construction projects after wide consultation with experts from different disciplines. The manual would be used as a technical guideline to assist the project proponents/ stakeholders/ consult ants for the preparation environmental impact assessments of projects and obtain environmental clearance. Both the EACs (Expert Appraisal Committee) at MoEF and SEACs (State Expert Appraisal Committee) at the state/ UT level appraise and grade all new construction projects requiring environmental clearances on the basis of the manual. The state pollution control boards are required to verify the compliance of the Environmental Management Plan and the observance of the criteria of gradation by the project proponents.
Successful implementation of performance based codes requires education and training of building officials and inspectors and demonstration of projects. Setting flexible performance-based codes rather than technology/ options prescriptions can help keep compliance costs low and may provide incentives for innovation.
3.3.5 Delivery Options
The BLY (Bachat lamp Yojana) model needs to be pursued to promote energy efficient and high quality CFls as replacement for incandescent bulbs in households. Comprehensive implementation of the BLY can lead to a reduction of 10,000 MW (Megawatt) of electricity demand. The BLY depends upon COM (clean development mechanism) revenues to meet the incremental investment cost as well as the incremental economic cost that would be the case in many participating households.
ESCOs (Energy Service Companies) need to be promoted as vehicles to deliver energy-efficiency improvements, in particular because of the "split incentives• problem, and facilitate access to carbon finance through bundled COM projects.
The energy efficient options in the residential and commercial sectors should be promoted as bundles of programmatic COM options.
3.3.2.2 MANAGEMENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW)
Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation reflects not just income levels, but also lifestyle choices. Recycling of materials is an important option for reducing environmental pressures. Figure 3.3.2.1 below indicates that India has a significantly higher rate of recycling of materials in MSW than developed countries.
Figure 3.3.2.1:Average rate of recycling (in %), excluding re-use GHG emissions from MSW in India are also much lower than in developed countries, reckoned per unit of consumption (in $ 1000 at PPP).
MSW generation in Indian cities (around 5100 ULBs) is estimated to have increased from 6 million tonnes in 1947 to 48 million tonnes in 1997, and to 69 million tonnes in 2006 (Central Pollution Control Board 2000, TERI 2001). In addition, Indian consumption of plastics is around 4 MTPA (million tonnes per annum). About 60% of this comprises polyolefins, which are primarily used as packaging material. About 2.0 MTPA of total consumption is generated as plastic waste of which around 70% is recycled, mostly by the informal sector. The decadal growth in consumption of plastics during the period 1991-2001 was around 14% (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment and Central Institute of Plastic Engineering Technology 2003). Although the quantity of plastic waste reaching disposal sites is fairly low (0.62% on a dry weight basis), testifying to the high rate of recycling/reuse, the management of thin plastic bags remains a matter of concern due to low collection efficiency in their case. The plastic waste-recycling sector therefore needs to be strengthened.
There is a trend of increase in the percentage of recyclables, accompanied by decreases in the percentage of biodegradable matter in the waste stream
3.3.2.1 Policies and Regulations
The 14th Constitutional Amendment (1992) transferred the responsibility for collection, treatment and disposal of MSW from State Governments to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The outbreak of plague at Surat (1994) focused policy attention on the importance of proper systems for MSW in the ULBs. In response to direction by the Supreme Court in a Pll (WP No. 88811996) MSW Rules 2000 were promulgated, MSW service from generation to disposal was mandated, and Local Governments made responsible for compliance. Since then ULBs have gradually improved the systems of collection and transport of MSW. However, major gaps exist in respect of treatment and disposal. In particular, in respect of disposal, the compliance is poor (<5%), and while there are an increasing number of projects incorporating safe disposal, most have inadequate capacity.
Efforts at composting, and generating energy from waste have generally not been successful for a variety of systemic, technology, and pricing issues, including variable quality of waste, insufficient segregation of MSW, opposition to siting the facilities from local residents, and accordingly, the practice of open dumping continues. The dominant technology choice remains composting.
In addition, experience has made clear that MSW operations cannot overall be profitable, and while cost-effectiveness and revenue streams should be pursued, MSW operations as a whole should be recognized as entailing the provision of a public good (or environmental service),generally requiring net fiscal expenditures by the concerned local bodies. The MSW Rules under the Environment Protection Act are currently somewhat focused on specific treatment options, including the chain of col lection, transport and disposal. This focus is unduly prescriptive, and prevents innovation in systems and procedures, as well as update on new technologies and techniques. The MSW Rules should be revised to focus instead on performance or outcome norms that are to be met, irrespective of particular systems and procedures, or technologies. This would provide benchmarks for monitoring and enforcement, as well as give space for innovation in systems, procedures, and technologies.
There is an emerging consensus that MSW Rules should enable (but not require) the sharing of infrastructure, including transport and treatment facilities, across a given region, including towns and villages. This would help realize scale economies, besides access to better and more cost-effective systems and treatment options for the smaller urban centres and habitations. Broad guidelines for policy reform in the MSW sector include:
- Common Regional Facilities: In respect of smaller towns and villages located in a region, say a district, disposal facilities should be developed as a common regional facility.
- Integrated Systems for collection, transport, transfer, treatment, and disposal facilities: even if different organizations implement different components, as opposed to stand-alone facilities and open dumping.
MSW operations cannot be financially viable: ULBs should not expect to realize net royalties for treatment and disposal of MSW, and a tipping fee would be necessary (reckoned on tonnage of MSW or number of sources of different kinds) to be met from ULB revenues.
While there are several potential benefits in implementing MSW operations through public-private partnerships, including cost-effectiveness, as compared to operations carried out by the local bodies on their own, it is imperative that municipal finances are placed on a sound footing prior to out sourcing this function. While the issue of municipal finance reform is complex with many dimensions, and needs to be pursued independent of MSW issues, a pre-requisite is separation of the accounts of the local bodies in respect of their different responsibilities, such as MSW, water supply, sewage disposal and roads. This separation would firstly, provide guidance to setting user charges (however collected), and a benchmark against which bids for provision of MSW services may be judged.
The National Environment Policy, 2006, provides for:
- Removal of barriers (incentives, regulation) for beneficial utilization of non-hazardous materials
- Implementing viable PPPs for operation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal facilities on payment of user fees, taking into account concerns of local communities
- Survey and preparation of national inventory of toxic and hazardous waste sites and online monitoring of their movement
- Giving legal recognition to and strengthening informal sector systems of, collection and recycling and enhancing their access to finance and technology
The significance of the last is that while the informal recycling sector is the backbone of India's highly effective recycling system, unfortunately, a number of municipal regulations impede the operation of the recyclers, owing to which they remain at a tiny scale without access to finance or improved recycling technologies.
3.3.2.2 R &D Needs
Technological requirements are listed as follows:
- Biomethanation technology for waste to energy including its decentralised application for segregated waste streams like vegetable market waste, slaughterhouse waste and dairy waste.
- Development of indigenous gas engines for waste to energy applications to reduce the overall cost of the package.
- Upgrading plastic waste recycling technologies to reduce occupational and environmental hazards.
- Recycling technologies for construction and demolition wastes and e-waste streams.
3.3.2.3 Financing
The 10th Plan emphasized provision of important infrastructure facilities and 100% coverage of urban population with water supply facilities, and 75% of urban population with sewerage and sanitation by the end of the plan period. Under the JNURM, till January 20011, funds amounting to Rs 900 crores were released to ULBs. The required funding for upgrading MSW facilities in all cities and towns would be much greater.
3.3.3. Promotion of Urban Public Transport
An increase in the demand for transportation services for both passengers and freight is inevitable, given economic growth and increase of population. The total number of registered motor vehicles in India has increased from 21.4 million in 1991 to 72.7 million in 2004 at a CAGR of 9.9%, with the two wheeler segment comprising of motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds growing most rapidly amongst personalized modes of transportation. Road based transportation is the main source of GHG emissions in the transportation sector.
Various studies have estimated that policy and technological measures can lead to significant energy and thereby emission savings in the transport sector. Estimates of the Planning Commission indicate an energy saving potential of 115 mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent) in the year 2031/32 by increasing the share of railways and impr011ing efficiencies of different modes of transport (Planning Commission, 2006). Similarly, TERI estimates indicate an energy saving of 144 mtoe in 2031 by including efficiency improvement across modes as well as considering enhanced use of public transportation and rail based movement, use of bio-diesel as compared to business-as-usual trends. The corresponding C02 emissions reduction is estimated at 433 million tonnes in 2031.
3.3.3.1 Transport Options
Mass transport options including buses, railways and mass rapid transit systems, etc. are the principal option for reducing energy use in the urban transport sector, and mitigating associated GHG emissions and air pollution. The use of CNG has helped reduce air pollution due to diesel use in some cities because of its lower particulates emissions. Regarding biofuels, ethanol blending of gasoline up to 5% is required in 9 states, and is expected that this limit would be increased to10%. R&D has to be carried out on the combustion characteristics of motor engines for blending of higher content of ethanol in petrol. Bio diesel production from Jatropha curcas and Pongamia shrubs is also increasing. The National Mission on Bio-diesel aims in the first (demonstration) phase to establish biodiesel plantations in 26 states, while the second phase will lead to the production of sufficient bio-diesel to enable a 20% blend in vehicle diesel in 2011112. However, the oil content of bio-diesel crops from different parts of India is highly variable. R&D has to be carried to identify superior genotypes and collect seeds, which need to be inventorised, documented and stored under different agro-climatic zones. Introduction of bio-fuels should not divert land marked for food production and thus decrease the availability of food grains to population. There is also some controversy about the net GHG emission of some biofuels.
Hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuels in the future. In recent years, significant progress has been reported by several countries for overcoming problems in its storage and production. In India, a National Hydrogen Energy Road Map has been prepared. Some organisations have already developed prototypes of two-and three-wheelers and buses to run on hydrogen fuel. However, large scale penetration of the market by hydrogen propelled vehicles is not expected till a few decades from now.
3.3.3.2 Costs and Financing
Most of the energy-efficiency measures require huge investments in the creation of new infrastructure.
Efforts to reduce co2 emissions by the way of introduction of MRTS (mass-rapid transit system) would involve diverting resources from other priority claims on fiscal resources.
Moreover, the possibility of substantially reducing the dependence on petroleum products is constrained by the significantly higher costs of most alternative fuel options as of now. The main barrier to the use of hydrogen based fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) is that of high FCV drive-train costs.
3.3.3.3 Co-Benefits
Mitigation options such as enhanced shares of public transport or rail-based movement, efficiency improvements, and increased adoption of bio-diesel or CNG have important co-benefits at the regional and local levels.
Pricing, taxes, and charges, apart from raising revenue for governments, are expected to influence travel demand and choice of transportation modes, thereby decreasing fuel demand and GHG e missions. Transport pricing can offer important gains in social welfare by simultaneously reducing local pollution and GHG emissions, accidents, noise and congestion, as well as generating state revenue for enhancing social wellbeing and/or infrastructure construction and maintenance.
FCVs fuelled by hydrogen have zero co2 emission and high efficiency, address air quality (zero tailpipe emissions), and may promote energy security since hydrogen can be produced from a wide range of sources.
With an expanding automobile sector, recycling of recoverable materials at end-of-life of auto mobiles would lead to considerable energy savings9. It is estimated that by 2020, recoverable materials annually will be of the order of 1.5 million tons of steel, 180,000 tons of aluminium and 75,000 tons each of rubber and plastics. Recycling of these materials will also reduce mining, depletion of natural resources, and degradation of environment. India has no formal regulations regarding recyclability and disposal of end-of-life vehicles.
The following actions are proposed for the transport sector:
- Promoting the use of coastal shipping and inland waterways, apart from encouraging the attractive ness of rail-based movement relative to long-distance road based movement
- Encouraging energy R&D in the Indian Railways
- Introducing appropriate transport pricing measures to influence purchase and use of vehicles in respect of fuel efficiency and fuel choice
- Tightening of regulatory standards such as enforcing fuel-economy standards for automobile manufacturers
Establishing mechanisms to promote investments in development of high capacity public transport systems (e.g. offer equity participation and/or viability gap funding to cover capital cost of public transport systems)
- Abandoning of old vehicles to be made illegal with suitable legislation and fixing the responsibility of handing over the end-of-life vehicle to col lection centers on the last owner of the vehicle
- Setting up of a demonstration unit to take up recycling of vehicles, especially two wheelers, which require new techniques
- Setting up a Combustion Research Institute to facilitate R&D in advanced engine design
- Providing tax benefits and investment support for recovery of materials from scrap vehicles
3.4. National Water Mission
India gets on an average 1197 mm of rainfall every year. This amounts to a total precipitation of 4000 billion m3. However, 3000 billion m3 of this is lost due to run off, and only 1000 billion m3 is available as surface and ground water sources, amounting to c.1000 m3 per year per capita water availability. This is about 115th -111oth of that of many industrialised countries. Many parts of India are water stressed today and India is likely to be water scarce by 2050. The problem may worsen due to climate change impacts. It is therefore important to increase the efficiency of water use, explore options to augment water supply in critical areas, and ensure more effective management of water resources. New regulatory structures with appropriate entitlements and pricing and incentives to adopt water-neutral and water positive technologies may be required. Integrated water policies will help to cope with variability in rainfall and river flows at the basin level. Some specific aspects related to water resources are discussed in more detail below.
3.4.1 Studies on Management of Surface Water Resources
Rivers and lakes, the most visible sources of surface water, often indicate the state of the environment more clearly than many other indicators. Such resources also have economic significance in the form of waterways for transport, sources of clean energy in the form of hydropower, and vital inputs to agriculture in the form of irrigation. Key elements on surface water studies include the following:
- Estimating river flows in mountainous areas
- Customizing climate change models for regional water basins
- Extending isotopic-tracer-based techniques of monitoring river water discharge to all major river monitoring stations
- Developing digital elevation models of flood-prone areas for forecasting floods
- Mapping areas likely to experience floods and developing schemes to manage floods
- Strengthening the monitoring of glacial and seasonal snow covers to assess the contribution of snowmelt to water flows of Indian rivers that originate in the Himalayas
- Establishment of a wider network of automatic weather status and automated rain gauge stations
- Planning of watershed management in mountain ecosystems
3.4.2 Management and Regulation of Groundwater Resources
Groundwater accounts for nearly 40% of the total available water resources in the country and meets nearly 55% of irrigation requirements, 85% of rural requirements and 50% of urban and industrial requirements. However, overexploitation of the resource has sharply lowered the water table in many parts of the country, making them increasingly vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change. Key areas in this programme may include the following:
- Mandating water harvesting and artificial recharge in relevant urban areas
- Enhancing recharge of the sources and recharge zones of deeper groundwater aquifers
- Mandatory water assessments and audits; ensuring proper industrial waste disposal
- Regulation of power tariffs for irrigation
3.4.3 Upgrading storage Structures for Fresh Water and Drainage Systems for Waste Water
To address the problems of droughts and floods triggered by extreme weather events, it is essential to both augment storage capacity and improve drainage systems. Effective drainage is also essential to reclaim waterlogged and saline-alkali lands and to prevent the degradation of fertile lands. Key areas are listed below:
- Prioritizing watersheds vulnerable to flow changes and developing decision support systems to facilitate quick and appropriate responses
- Restoration of old water tanks
- Developing models of urban storm water flows and estimating drainage capacities for storm water and for sewers based on the simulations
- Strengthen links with afforestation programmes and wetland conservation
- Enhancing storage capacities in multipurpose hydro projects, and integration of drainage with irrigation infrastructure
3.4.4 Conservation of Wetlands
Wetlands provide a range of ecological services, Wetlands provide a range of ecological services, Wetlands provide a range of ecological services, species and varieties at risk and are a source of livelihood to many. Wetlands face the threat of conversion to other uses, which means a loss of their ecological services, making those who depend on them vulnerable. Actions identified for conserving wet lands are listed below:
- Environmental appraisal and impact assessment of developmental projects on wetlands
- Developing an inventory of wetlands, especially those with unique features
- Mapping of catchments and surveying and assessing land use patterns with emphasis on drainage, vegetation cover, silting, encroachment, conversion of mangrove areas, human settlements, and human activities and their impact on catchments and water bodies.
- Creating awareness among people on importance of wetland ecosystems
- Formulating and implementing a regulatory regime to ensure wise use of wetlands at the national, the state, and district levels
3.4.5 Development of Desalination Technolgies
In India, desalination has been recognized as a possible means to argument the water supply through natural resources for meeting the growing needs of water due to population and industrial growth. Since desalination is an energy intensive process (the energy required may vary from about 3 kWh to 16 kWh for separating 1000 litres depending on the type of process used), the application of desalination technology for increasing regional water sup plies strongly links to energy issues and thus GHG emissions. Development activities have been initiated in various laboratories in the country. Desalination has been recognized as an important cross disciplinary technology area for R&D in the 11th Plan. Technologies are being developed for the following:
- Seawater desalination using Reverse Osmosis and multistage flash distillation to take advantage of low-grade heat energy e.g. from power plants located in the coastal regions or by using renew- able energy such as solar
- Brackish water desalination
- Water recycle and reuse
- Water purification technologies
3.5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
The Himalayan ecosystem is vital to the ecological security of the Indian landmass, through providing forest cover, feeding perennial rivers that are the source of drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower, conserving biodiversity, providing a rich base for high value agriculture, and spectacular landscapes for sustainable tourism. At the same time, climate change may adversely impact the Himalayan ecosystem through increased temperature, altered precipitation patterns, and episodes of drought.
Concern has also been expressed that the Himalayan glaciers. in common with other entities in the global cryosphere, may lose significant ice mass, and thereby endanger river flows. especially in the lean season, when the North Indian rivers are largely fed by melting snow and ice. Studies by several scientific institutions in India have been inconclusive on the extent of change in glacier mass, and whether climate change is a significant causative factor.
It is accordingly, necessary to continue and enhance monitoring of the Himalayan ecosystem, in particular the state of its glaciers, and the impacts of change in glacial mass on river flows. Since several other countries in the South Asian region share the Himalayan ecosystem, appropriate forms of scientific collaboration and exchange of information may be considered with them to enhance understanding of ecosystem changes and their effects.
It is also necessary, with a view to enhancing conservation of Himalayan ecosystems, to empower local communities, in particular through the Panchayats, to assume greater responsibility for management of ecological resources.
The National Environment Policy, 2006, inter alia provides for the following relevant measures for conservation of mountain ecosystems:
- Adopt appropriate land-use planning and water- shed management practices for sustainable development of mountain ecosystems
- Adopt "best practice" norms for infrastructure construction in mountain regions to avoid or minimize damage to sensitive ecosystems and despoiling of landscapes
- Encourage cultivation of traditional varieties of crops and horticulture by promotion of organic farming enabling farmers to realize a price premium
- Promote sustainable tourism through adoption of "best practice" norms for tourism facilities and access to ecological resources, and multi-stakeholder partnerships to enable local communities to gain better livelihoods, while leveraging financial, technical, and managerial capacities of investors
- Take measures to regulate tourist inflows into mountain regions to ensure that these remain within the carrying capacity of the mountain ecology
- Consider particular unique mountain scapes as entities with "Incomparable Values", in developing strategies for their protection
3.6 National Mission for Green India
Forests are repositories of genetic diversity, and sup ply a wide range of ecosystem services thus helping maintain ecological balance. Forests meet nearly 40% of the energy needs of the country overall, and over 80% of those in rural areas, and are the back bone of forest-based communities in terms of livelihood and sustenance. Forests sequester billions of tons of carbon dioxide in the form of biomass and soil carbon. The proposed national programme will focus on two objectives, namely increasing the forest cover and density as a whole of the country and con- serving biodiversity.
3.6.1. Increase in Forest Cover and Density
The report of the Working Group on Forests for the 11th Five-Year Plan puts the annual rate of planting during 2001/02 to 2005/06 at 1.6 million hectares and proposes to increase it to 3.3 million hectares during the 11th Plan. The final target is to bring one-third of the geographic area of India under forest cover.
The Greening India Programme has already been announced. Under the programme, 6 million hectares of degraded forest land would be afforested with the participation of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs), with funds to the extent of Rs 6000 crores provided from the accumulated additional funds for compensatory afforestation under a decision of the Supreme Court in respect of forest lands diverted to non-forest use.
The elements of this Programme may include the following:
- Training on silvicultural practices for fast- growing and climate- hardy tree species
- Reducing fragmentation of forests by provision of corridors for species migration, both fauna and flora
- Enhancing public and private investments for raising plantations for enhancing the cover and the density of forests
- Revitalizing and upscaling community-based initiatives such as Joint Forest Management (JFM) and Van Panchayat committees for forest management Implementation of the Greening India Plan
- Formulation of forest fire management strategies
3.6.2 Conserving Biodiversity
Conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in natural heritage sites including sacred groves, protected areas, and other biodiversity 'hotspots' is crucial for maintaining the resilience of ecosystems. Specific actions in this programme will include:
- In-situ and ex-situ conservation of genetic resources, especially of threatened flora and fauna
- Creation of biodiversity registers (at national, district, and local levels) for documenting genetic diversity and the associated traditional knowledge
- Effective implementation of the Protected Area System under the Wildlife Conservation Act
- Effective implementation of the National Biodiversity Conservation Act, 2001
3.7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
Contributing 21% to the country's GDP, accounting for 11% of total exports, employing 56.4% of the total workforce, and supporting 600 million people directly or indirectly, agriculture is vital to India's economy and the livelihood of its people. The pro posed national mission will focus on four areas cru cial to agriculture in adapting to climate change, namely dryland agriculture, risk management, access to information, and use of biotechnology.
3.7.1. Dryland Agriculture
Out of the net cultivated area of approximately 141 million hectares, about 85 million hectares (60%) falls under the dryland/rain-fed zone. Accordingly, to realise the enormous agricultural growth potential of the drylands in the country and secure farm-based livelihoods, there is a need to prevent declines agricultural yields during climatic stress. Priority actions on dryland agriculture with particular relevance to adaptation will be as follows:
- Development of drought- and pest-resistant crop varieties
- Improving methods to conserve soil and water
- Stakeholder consultations, training workshops and demonstration exercises for farming communities, for agro-climatic information sharing and dissemination
Financial support to enable farmers to invest in and adopt relevant technologies to overcome climate related stresses
3.8 RBK Management
The agricultural sector may face risks due to extreme climatic events. Priority areas are as follows:
- Strengthening of current agricultural and weather insurance mechanisms
- Development and validation of weather derivative models (by insurance providers ensuring their access to archival and current weather data)
- Creation of web-enabled, regional language based services for facilitation of weather-based insurance
- Development of GIS and remote-sensing methodologies for detailed soil resource mapping and land use planning at the level of a watershed or a river basin
- Mapping vulnerable eco-regions and pest and dis ease hotspots
- Developing and implementing region-specific contingency plans based on vulnerability and risk scenarios
3.7.3 Access to Information
Although many information channels are available to farmers, none of them offers need-based information in an interactive mode. Supplying customized information can boost farm productivity and farm incomes, and the following areas deserve priority:
- Development of regional databases of soil, wealthier, genotypes, land-use patterns and water resources.
- Monitoring of glacier and ice-mass, impacts on water resources, soil erosion, and associated impacts on agricultural production in mountainous regions
- Providing information on off-season crops, aromatic and medicinal plants, greenhouse crops, pasture development, agro-forestry, livestock and agro-processing.
- Collation and dissemination of block-level data on agro-climatic variables, land-use, and socio-economic features and preparation of state-level agro-climatic atlases
3.7.4 Use of Biotechnology
Biotechnology applications in agriculture relate to several themes, including drought proofing, taking advantage of elevated C02 concentrations increased yields and increased resistance to disease and pests. Priority areas include:
- Use of genetic engineering to convert C-3 crops to the more carbon responsive C-4 crops to achieve greater photosynthetic efficiency for obtaining increased productivity at higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere or to sustain thermal stresses
- Development of crops with better water and nitrogen use efficiency which may result in reduced emissions of greenhouse gases or greater tolerance to drought or submergence or salinity
- Development of nutritional strategies for managing heat stress in dairy animals to prevent nutrient deficiencies leading to low milk yield and productivity
3.8 National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
This national mission envisages a broad-based effort that would include the following key themes:
- Research in key substantive domains of climate science where there is an urgent need to improve the understanding of key phenomena and processes, including, for example, monsoon dynamics, aerosol science and ecosystem responses
- Global and regional climate modelling to improve the quality and specificity of climate change projections over the Indian sub-continent, including changes in hydrological cycles
- Strengthening of observational networks and data gathering and assimilation, including measures to enhance the access to and availability of relevant data
- Creation of essential research infrastructure, such as high performance computing and very large bandwidth networks to enable scientists to access and share computational and data resources
These broad themes are elaborated in the sub-sections below:
3.8.1 Climate Modelling and Access to Data
Although the IPCC-AR4 has addressed the general global trends on climate change, spatially detailed assessments are not available for India. This is because of inadequate computing power available, difficulties in getting climate related data, and dearth of trained human resources amongst climate modelling research groups in India. The following actions will be taken:
3.8.2. Enhanced Research on Climate Modelling in India
There is a need to develop high resolution Air Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCM) and nested General Circulation Models (AOGCM) and nested al climate change, in particular monsoon behaviour, by pooling institutional capabilities and computational resources.
In respect of General Circulation Models (GCM), there is a need to build national level core cli mate modelling groups to develop high resolution coupled AOGCM that effectively simulate monsoon behaviour. These would be employed for multi ensemble and multi-year simulations of the present and future climate. Indigenous Regional Climate Models (RCM) are necessary to generate accurate future climate projections up to (at least) district Regional data re-analysis projects should be encouraged. A Regional Model Inter-comparison Project (RMIP) for climate is required to minimize uncertainty in future climate projections.
3.8.3. Promoting Data Access
There are several databases that are relevant for di- mate research, along with the respective agencies that are responsible for collecting and supplying that data. It is suggested that each of these Ministries and Departments may appoint a 'facilitator', who will provide access to the data. A concept of 'registered users' has been proposed, who will have easier access to climate related data held by the various scientific Ministries and Departments of the Government. There is a need to review the restrictions on data access. The Ministries and their agencies should also take action to digitize the data, maintain databases of global quality, and streamline the procedures governing access. Existing databases that will need to be will expanded and improved are listed below.
S. No 1 2 | Database Oceans Sea surface temperature Salinity Sea level rise Cryosphere Snow cover Glacial dot.a | Data Collecting and Supplying Agency Ministry of Earth Sciences a) National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) b) Geological Survey of India c) Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE). Defence Research and Development Organization | Facilitamr reporting ID Secretary,Ministry of Earth Sciences a) Secretary, Department of Space b) Secretary, Ministry of Mines c) Secretary,Department of Defence Research and Development |
3 4 | Meteorology Precipitation Humidity Surface temperature Air temperature Evaporation data I.and Surface Topography Erosion Imagery (vegetation map) Forest cover | India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences. a) Survey of India bl National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) | Secretary,Ministry of Earth Sciences a) Secretary,Department of Science and Technology b) Secretary,Department of Space | |
5 | Hydrological Ground water Water quality River water Water utilization | a) Central Water Commission b) State Water Resource Organizations | a) Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources b) Chief Secretaries of the respective States |
6 | Agriculture Soil profile Area under cultivation Production and yield Cost of cultivation | Ministry of Agriculture | a) Secretary,Department of Agriculture and Co-operation b) Secretary,Department of Agricultural Research and Education |
7 8 9 | Socio-Economic Demography Economic status Forests Forest resources Plant and animal species distribution Health Related Data | Census of India a) Forest Survey of India b) State Forest Department c) Botanical Survey of India d) Zoological Survey of India e) Department of Space Department of Health Research | Registrar General India, Ministry of Home Affairs a) Secretary,Ministry of Environment and Forests b) Chief Secretaries of the respective States c) Secretary,Ministry of Environment and Forests d) Secretary,Ministry of Environment and Forests e) Secretary, Department of Space Secretary, Department of Health Research |
3.8.4. Strengthening Networks
The creation of an integrated National Knowledge Network (scalable and ultimately of multi-10 Gbps capacity) as suggested by the National Knowledge Commission and the Principal Scientific Adviser's Office would obviously benefit climate modellers. The upcoming Grid Computing stands out as a unique technology for handling terabytes of experimental data requiring hundreds of teraflops of computing power. Various Ministries of the Government are also taking steps to augment their super-computing resources in the Eleventh Plan.
3.8.5 Human Resource Development
In order to meet the new challenges related to cli mate change, human resources would require to be enhanced through changes in curricula at the school and college levels, introduction of new programmes at the university level, and training of professionals and executives in relevant fields. An overall assessment of additional skills required will have to be carried out at the national, state and local levels, so that necessary measures can be undertaken for enhancing the quality and quantum of human resource required in the coming years and decades. The latter would have to be viewed also in the context of the current difficulties faced in attracting young people to careers in science in general, to overcome which steps are being taken during the 11th Plan.
- Other Inititatives
4.1GHG Mitigation in Power Generation
The present energy mix in India for electricity generation is shown in Table 4.1 below:
Table 4.1:Present Energy Mix in Electricity Generation in India
Source Percentage
Coal 55
Hydropower 26
Oil and 10
6
Nuclear power 3
At present, fossil fuels account for 66% of the total, and are responsible for most of the GHG emissions from the energy sector. During the 11th Five-Year Plan, utility-based generation capacity is expected to increase by 78,000 MW. A significant proportion of this increase will be thermal-coal based. While the new investments in the thermal power sector, which are substantial, have high efficiencies, the aggregate efficiency of the older plants is low. In addition, high ATCL (aggregate technical and commercial loss) in power transmission and distribution is a key concern
There are three ways of lowering the emissions from coal based plants: increasing efficiency of existing power plants; using dean coal technologies (relative emissions are c.78% of conventional coal thermal), and switching to fuels other than coal, where possible. These measures are complementary and not mutually exclusive. Another option that has been suggested is carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). However, feasible technologies for this have not yet been developed and there are serious questions about the cost as well permanence of the C02 storage repositories.
Approximately 5000 MW out of total of 73,500 MW of present installed capacity (at the end of November, 2007) of coal thermal plants have low capacity utilization of less than 5%, as well as low conversion efficiency. During the 11th Plan, these units would be retired, and during the 12th Plan, an additional 10,000 MW of the least efficient operating plants would be retired, or reconditioned to improve their operating efficiency.
4.11. Supercritical Technologies
Supercritical and ultra-supercritical plants can achieve efficiencies of - 40 and- 45% respectively, compared to about 35% achieved by subcritical plants. Since coal-based power generation will continue to play a major role in the next 30-50 years, it would be useful, wherever cost-effective and otherwise suitable, to adopt supercritical boilers, which is a proven technology, in the immediate future, and ultra-supercritical boilers when their commercial viability under Indian conditions is established. At present, construction of several supercritical coal based power projects is in progress.
Research and development with regard to ultra-supercritical technology needs to focus on the following areas:
Development of materials for use in steam generator tubes, main steam piping, and high-pressure turbines that can withstand high pressure an high temperatures of more than 600°C, and are resistant to oxidation, erosion, and corrosion
- Development of know-how related to heat transfer, pressure drop, and flow stability at ultra-super- critical conditions
4.1.2.Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Technology
Integrated gasification combined cycle technology can make coal-based power generation - 10% more efficient. For every 1% rise in efficiency, there is a 2% decrease in C02 release. Besides, there is a substantial reduction in NOx emissions. Demonstration of plants using high-ash, low-sulphur Indian coal needs to be pursued, while recognizing constraints such as high costs and availability of superior imported coal. Recent research has shown that these plants should be based on the Pressurized Fluidized Bed (PFB) approach.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) already has 3 R&D plants based on PFB, which have provided design information to scale up this technology10. BHEL and APGENCO have signed an agreement recently to set up a 125 MW plant at Vijayawada using indigenous IGCC technology.
4.1.3.Natural Gas Based Power Plants
Natural gas based power generation is cleaner than coal-based generation as co2 emissions are only 50% compared to coal. Besides, natural gas can be used for electricity generation by adopting advanced gas turbines in a combined cycle mode. Introduction of advance class turbines with inlet temperature in the range 1250 °c - 1350° C has led to combined
cycle power plant efficiency of about 55% under Indian conditions. Many such plants are in operation in India. With the discovery of significant reserves of natural gas in the Godavari basin, setting up more combined cycle natural gas plants is an attractive GHG mitigation option in India.
4.1.4.Closed Cycle Three Stage Nuclear Power Programme
Promotion of nuclear energy through enhancing nuclear capacity and adoption of fast breeder and thorium-based thermal reactor technology in nuclear power generation would bring significant benefits in terms of energy security and environmental benefits, including GHG mitigation.
India's uranium resources are limited but the country has one of the largest resources of thorium in the world. Therefore, right from inception, India has adopted a programme that will maximize the energy yield from these materials. This is the three stage nuclear power programme. The first stage of nuclear power generation is based on PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor) technology using indigenous natural uranium. The second stage is based on FBR (Fast Breeder Reactor) technology using plutonium extracted by reprocessing of the spent fuel obtained from the first stage. The third stage consists of using thorium resources.
The current installed capacity of nuclear power plants is 4200 MW, accounting for nearly 3% of total installed capacity. A 500 MW fast breeder reactor is under construction and is expected to go on stream in about three years. A 300 MWAdvanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) has been designed. Its construction is due to begin in the 11th Plan. The projected installed nuclear power by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is shown in Figure 4.1 below.
For sustainability of nuclear energy as a mitigation option in the long term, it is important to dose the nuclear fuel cycle11. In this way one can produce several tens of times more energy from the existing uranium resources if the plutonium from the spent fuel is recycled in fast breeder reactors and this potential can be increased by another order of magnitude by dosing the nuclear fuel cycle with thorium. Therefore, the three stage nuclear programme of India based on the dosed fuel cycle philosophy assumes greater significance in the context of cli mate change mitigation. The dosed fuel cycle, in comparison to the once-through cycle, also reduces the volumes of radioactive waste requiring treatment and disposal.
4.1.5.Efficient Transmission and Distribution
India's current technical losses during transmission and distribution are as high as 16%-19%. By adopt ing HVAC (high voltage AC) and HVDC (high voltage DC) transmission,the figure can be brought down to 6%-8% by using amorphous core transformers and up-grading the distribution system (avoiding conges tion etc.). Distribution losses can also be reduced by adopting energy-efficient transformers, which use high-grade steel in the transformer core.
4.1.6.Hydropower
The CEA (Central Electricity Authority) has estimated India's hydropower potential at 148,700 MW. The hydroelectric capacity currently under operation is about 28,000 MW, while 14,000 MW capacity is under various stages of development. The CEA has also identified 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an estimated aggregate installed capacity of 94,000 MW. In addition, a potential of 15,000 MW in terms of installed capacity is estimated from small, mini, and microhydel projects. Of this only about 2000 MW has been exploited at present. These projects are important, in particular, for electrification of remote hilly areas, where it may not be feasible for the grid electricity to reach. large-scale hydropower with reservoir storage is the cheapest conventional power source in India. However, resettlement of dis placed population due to submergence of large areas of habitation lands has to be attended to with care.
4.2.Other Renewable Energy Technologies Programmes
Renewable energy sources, i.e. based on primary energy sources that are regenerated naturally in time-spans that are meaningful in terms of policy and planning horizons, represent genuine supply side sustainability of global energy systems.
Renewable energy technologies (RETs) have several well-recognized advantages in relation to conventional, largely fossil fuels based, energy systems. First, by displacing use of fossil fuels, in particular, petroleum based fuels, they promote energy security. Second, they are amenable to adoption at different scales - from hundreds of megawatts capacity to a few kilowatts. In many cases they may be deployed in modular, standardized designs. This enables RETS to be matched closely with end-use scales, enabling decentralized deployment, and thus avoiding the risk of failures, and unauthorized access to large networks, which leads to non-commercial losses. The feasibility of location dose to the load or consuming centres enables reduction of technical transmission and distribution losses. However, where centralized grids (networks) exist, they may be inserted as individual modules in the grid (network) supply. Third, they can help promote sustainable development, broadly defined, through increased opportunities for local employment, especially the rural poor, and environmental improvement through reducing GHG emissions, local air pollutants, solid waste and waste-water generation, and (in case of forestry-based sources), soil and water conservation, and maintaining habitats of wild species.
On the other hand, several RETs also have disadvantages. First, some primary energy flows (e.g. solar, wind) are intermittent, and insufficiently predictable, requiring hybridization with systems more under human control. For another, some RETs forms, such as biofuels compete with arable land and irrigation water with food crops. If not implemented with great care, they may have adverse social and economic consequences,
RETs easily have the potential to replace all current and foreseeable use of fossil fuels, for power generation, transportation, and industrial use, for all time to come. RETs represent a range of specific con- version pathways and technologies. These are at different stages of deployment, innovation, and basic research. Some that are fully established commercially, e.g. biomass combustion and gasification based power generation need up-scaling through policies and regulations that would permit some unique deployment models to be operationalized. In other cases, where commercial scale operation has been demonstrated, but costs are still high, with the possibility that increased scale and further innovation in both technology and deployment models will reduce costs, tariff and regulatory support for a limited period may be needed. Where technologies have been demonstrated at laboratory scale, further R&D to is enable pilot and commercial scale demonstration may involve facilitation of industry and research lab- may involve facilitation of industry and research laboratory partnerships, and may also involve public fiscal (investment) support.
4.2.1. RETs For Power Generation
Power generation technologies based on renewable energy flows comprise the following major primary sources: Biomass, Hydropower, Solar, and Wind. Technologies in each of these primary sources have already been deployed in India at commercial scale, but there remain several challenges in respect of policies and regulations, R&D and transfer of technologies, costs and financing, and deployment models, that need to be addressed in order to ensure their mainstreaming in the commercial power sector.
4.2.1.1 Biomass Based Power Generation Technologies
Biomass based technologies include those involving primary biomass combustion, and those that do not involve direct biomass combustion, but may involve conversion to a secondary energy form.
Historically, primarily biomass combustion has been the main source of energy for India. Integrated Energy Policy (Planning Commission, 2006) has estimated that around 80 mtoe is currently used in the rural household sector. In addition, the Ministry of new and Renewable Energy has estimated state-wise gross and net availability of agro-residues for power generation.
There are two basic technologies pathways for biomass for power options currently being implemented. The technologies are Straight Biomass Combustion and Biomass Gasification.
4.2.1.1.1. Costs and Financing
Plant capacities for straight primary biomass combustion are not very large due to limited radius of economic biomass collection. Investment cost for bionomic biomass collection. Investment cost for bio mass combustion based power projects or co-generation projects varies between Rs. 4 to Rs. 5 crores per MW, depending upon project site, design and operation related factors. The cost of electricity generation around Rs. 3/l<Wh depending upon specific fuel consumption, which in turn depends on type of fuel and operating pressure of the boiler and steam tur bine. This technology is, thus, generally cost-competitive with conventional power delivered by the grid to rural areas.
In respect of biomass gasification technologies, the investment cost. with IC engines as source of power generation, comes between Rs. 25,000 - 60,000 I kW, depending on the type of gasification system and type of fuel, including costs of gasifier and IC engine. The cost of electricity generation cost varies between Rs.3 kWh to Rs. 5/kWh for the currently available technologies in India.
In both cases, the costs of biomass collection and transportation are key issues, which limit scale of operation of individual units.
4.2.1.1.2. Co-Benefits
Biomass based power technologies avoid problems associated with ash disposal from coal based plants. The ash from the biomass combustion may be returned to the fields to enhance agriculture productivity. If the biomass is grown is energy plantations on wastelands or common/panchayat lands, there would be increase in rural employment, besides water, and soil conservation. T&D losses would be very low especially in decentralized systems, and deployment can be done independently of the national grid and integrated with the national grid when extended.
4.2.1.1.3. Research & Development
The technology for power generation through straight primary biomass combustion is mature, with significant commercial deployment. R&D is required for compacting different types of biomass for transportation, and improved boiler design to enable the use of multiple biomass feedstocks. One significant area of R&D is development of hot gas cleaning systems and optimum integration with the gasifiers. Another is the development of gasifier systems based on charcoal and pyrolized biogasifier systems based on charcoal and pyrolized bio- be lost if the biomass is directly burned.
4.2.1.1.4 Technology Transfer and Capacity Building
Biomass gasifiers available in the country are of very low capacity compared to European and American gasifiers, where the capacities vary from 1 MW to 100 MW. Biomass gasifiers with capacities up to 100 MW based on Circulating Fluidised Bed (CFB), Bubbling Fluidised Bed (BFB) and Pressurised Fluidised bed (PFB) are available in the USA, Finland and UK. Transfer of these technologies, and where necessary adaptive R&D, would enable deployment models involving energy plantations on wastelands or common/panchayat lands which would not compete with food crops.
Capacity building needs include support to Capacity building needs include support to mass based distributed generation systems and using these as training facilities for local entrepreneurs and O&M personnel. Such demonstration and skills development would enable accelerated deployment of these technologies.
4.2.1.5 Small Scale Hydropower
Hydropower, both large (reservoir storage) and small scale, accounts for 18% of the total electricity generated in India. Of the total estimated large hydropower potential of 148,700 MW (storage and run-of- river), so far only 35,000 MW has been utilized. In addition, there are 56 assessed sites for pumped storage hydropower, totaling 94,000 MW. The total small hydropower (up to 25 MW) potential is 15,000 MW, of which only 1905 MW has been utilized. Large scale hydropower with reservoir storage is the cheapest conventional power source in India. Small scale hydropower is cost competitive with conventional generation options, in particular for rural electrification. In remote rural locations far away from the grid, it may be the only feasible and economic power option. The technology options for hydropower at all scales are commercially well established, except in the pico-turbine ranges i.e. < 1 kW.
4.2.1.2.1 Costs and Financing
The cost of generation ranges from Rs. 2 to 4 per kWh. The capital costs are higher than for conventional power, and usually in the range of Rs. 7 crore per MW.
4.2.1.2.2. Co- Benefits
Small hydropower displaces diesel gensets, thereby avoiding local pollution. By thus avoiding consumption of petroleum products, it also promotes energy security. Small hydropower is generally more predictable than solar or wind based sources, with variations occurring over the year, rather than on a hourly or daily basis.
4.2.1.2.3 Research & Development and Capacity Building
The following are priorities for R& D:
- Design of pico turbines (< 500W range): This would enable very small scale generation at the house- hold level, based on local hydro resources
- Electronic Load Controller for micro hydro: This would enable supply of power from microhydel sources to village level grids
- Cost reductions in E&M
- Standardizing the modules and optimizing the usage of materials is critical for reducing equipment, and hence generation, costs
- Support to commercial demonstration by entrepreneurs of small/micro-hydel based distributed generation systems, in particular in remote locations, and using these as training facilities for local entrepreneurs and O&M personnel would help develop this sector.
Insurance companies in general have shown little interest in CDM, which is unfortunate since they can catalyse carbon trading by providing risk and financial analysis skills
There is much subjectivity in the multilateral CDM process, and divergent interpretations are given by different designated operating entities (DOEs) accredited by the COM EB
High transactions costs prevent the small-scale sec tor (in the Indian definition) from participating in CDM. In the absence of an international transactions log (ITL), there is lack of reliable information in the carbon market on CDM transactions
Despite the above, there is encouraging response from Indian entrepreneurs to the CDM across different sectors. Besides, several recent enhancements of CDM such as bundling and programmatic CDM need to be mainstreamed. Alongside the carbon market under the Kyoto Protocol, a voluntary (non-compliance) carbon market is emerging involving trades in VERs (verified emission reductions). This market may grow substantially in the future.
India looks forward to enhanced international cooperation under the UNFCCC. Overall, future international cooperation on climate change should address the following objectives:
India as a large democracy, with the major challenge of achieving economic and social development and eradicating poverty, will engage in negotiations and other actions at the international level in the coming months that would lead to efficient and equitable solutions at the global level.
1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. (page 13)
4. International Energy Agency (IEA) data cited by Planning Commission, India, 2007. (page14)
M.S. Madhusoodanam, Prince K. Xavier, Science,314, 1442 (2006).(page 15)
7. Area Sea Levels trends along the North Indian Ocean Coasts consistent with global esti-mates? by A.S. Unnikrishnan and D. Shankar, Global and Planetary Change, 57, 301 (2007). (page 15)