"me no big chief …

Do we have to sign a deal with America,
do we have to buy American uranium to survive, let alone grow?

Not if you believe Mr Abdul Kalam’s speech of 2006.
It was not in his vision of Energy Independance of India by 2030,
it did not even feature as a part of his speech, at the inauguration of
The South Asian Conference on Renewable Energy in New Delhi 18 April 2006.

On the day, Mr Kalam is reported to have said,

“It’s unique, what he has done,” Mr. Kalam said on NDTV’s ‘Walk the Talk’ programme when asked whether the Prime Minister can be complimented for having clinched the deal. (Although) Asked whether he thought scientists opposing the deal were going too far, he evaded a direct response. “Fortunately, in our democratic set-up, scientists can always approach at the highest level.”

let us look back at some passages of his speech from only last year.

“Energy Independence is the lifeline of a nation”

The era of wood is almost nearing its end. The world energy forum has predicted that fossil based oil, coal and gas reserves will last for another less than ten decades. The unpredictable increase in the cost of oil continuously prompted me the study the Energy scene.
Based on the study I have discussed about Energy Independence as part of my Independence Day Address to the nation, on 15 August 2005. There I mentioned that Energy Independence has to be our nation’s first and highest priority.
Our target is to achieve Energy Security by 2020 leading to Energy Independence by 2030 and beyond.
…I would like to present the actions suggested to be taken in the generation of renewable energy for realizing energy independence in India as a case study.

Structure of Energy Sources:

For meeting the development targets of India our power generating capacity as to increase to 400,000 MGW by 2030 from the existing 130,000 Megawatts of power.
This has got to be achieved through three different sources namely hyd-el capacity, nuclear power and non-conventional energy sources primarily through solar energy.
The hyd-el capacity generated through inter-linking of rivers is expected to contribute additional 50,000 megawatts of power.
Large scale solar energy farms of 100’s of megawatts capacity in certain number could contribute around 55,000 MW.
The nuclear power plants should have a target of 50,000 MW of power.

 

The balance has to be generated through the conventional thermal plants through coal and gas and other renewable sources of energy such as Wind power, Biomass, power through municipal waste and solar thermal power.
The strategic goals for Energy Independence by 2030 would call for a shift in the structure of energy sources.
Firstly, fossil fuel imports need to be minimized and secure access to be ensured. Maximum hydro and nuclear power potential should be utilized, apart from the use of coal and gas based thermal power generation.
The most significant aspect, however would be that the power generated through renewable energy technologies has to be increased to 25% against the present 5%.
It would be evident that for true Energy Independence, a major shift in the structure of energy sources from fossil to renewable energy sources is mandated. I have given an energy independence mission to my country.
Also, I would like to share with you my thoughts on how the certain areas of both conventional and non-conventional energy can be structured together to meet our national development needs.

Solar Energy:

…massive applications in the agricultural sector, where farmers need electricity exclusively in the daytime. We also need to embark on a programme in solar energy systems and technologies, for both large, centralized applications as well as small, decentralized requirements concurrently, for applications in both rural and urban areas.
Carbon nano tube (CNT) based solar cells for higher efficiency:
One of the important need for achieving energy independence by 2030 is to increase the power generated through renewable energy sources from the existing 5% to 25%. Particularly, the energy produced through solar energy has to increase substantially.
The low efficiency of conventional photo voltaic cells has restricted the use of solar cells for large application for power generation … it is essential to launch a research mission on Carbon Nano Tube (CNT) based PV cell which has got higher level of promise in efficiency.
… Our scientists have to take up this challenge and come up with the development of a CNT based PV cell with an efficiency of at least 50% within the next three years so that it can go into the commercial production within five years.
In addition, they can also take up the development of organic solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells and third generation solar cells. There are lots of opportunities for research in fundamental science in this area and I would like to suggest the energy experts participating in this conference to work in a coherent, consorted way with a mission mode programme to achieve faster realization of commercial availability of CNT based PV cell with 50% efficiency.
In addition to this there is a need to create a “Rural household solar mission” which will provide LED based Nano Crystal lighting system through small solar PV Power Plants to the 70 millions households who are presently using kerosene oil for lighting.

Power through Municipal Waste:

In the Power generation Sector of the energy economy, we need to fully use the technologies now available for generating power from municipal waste. Today, two plants are operational in India, each plant generating 6.5 MW of electric power. Studies indicate that as much as 5800 MW of power can be generated by setting up 900 electric power plants spread over in different parts of the country (India) which can be fueled by municipal waste. Municipal waste is generally considered to be a health liability. The electric power generation using municipal waste can help in the creation of clean environment and also add to the incremental power.

Energy in Transportation Sector:

The Transportation sector in India is the fastest growing energy consumer. It now consumes nearly, and is critically important for Indian economy and security. We produce only 25% of our total requirement. In the scene of dependability of fossil material based systems, is becoming uncertain, it is essential energy policy has to evolve new energy avenues. They are the Bio-fuels, hydrogen based fuel, electric powered vehicles.

Use of Biofuel:

India has nearly 60 million hectares of wasteland, of which 30 million hectares can be made available for energy plantations like Jatropha or any other bio-fuel plant. Once grown, the crop has a life of 50 years.
Each hectare will produce about 2 tonnes of bio-fuel per year at about Rs. 20 per litre. Biodiesel is carbon neutral and many valuable by-products such as glycerin, oil cake and herbal products flow from this agro-industry.
Intensive research is needed to burn bio-fuel in internal combustion engines with high efficiency, and this needs to be an urgent R&D programme. India has a potential to produce nearly 60 million tones of bio-fuel annually using 30 millions hectares of land thus making a significant and important contribution to the goal of Energy Independence.
Indian Railways has already taken a significant step of running two passenger locomotives (Thanjavur to Nagore section) and six trains of diesel multiple units (Tiruchirapalli to Lalgudi, Dindigul and Karur sections) with a 5% blend of bio-fuel sourced from its in-house esterification plants.
In addition, they have planted 75 lakh Jatropha saplings in Railway land which is expected to give yields from the current year onwards. This is a pioneering example for many other organizations to follow. Similarly some of the States such as Chattisgarh, Andhrapradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttranchal and Tamilnadu have energy plantations in India.

Nuclear Energy:

The present nuclear power capacity of 14 reactors which is 2720 megawatts is expected to go to 7420 megawatts by 2010 with the completion of nine reactors which are now in progress.
Eventually as per present plan BARC is expecting the capacity to be 24,000 megawatts by 2020. Hence, there is a need to plan right from now to increase this capacity to 50,000 megawatts by 2030.
Nuclear power generation has been given a thrust by the use of uranium based fuel. However to meet the increased needs of nuclear power generation, it is essential to pursue the development of nuclear power using Thorium, reserves of which are higher in the country.
Technology development has to be accelerated for Thorium based reactors since the raw material for Thorium is abundantly available in our country. To maximize the thorium utilization the development of Fast Breeder Reactor has been rightly taken it up.

Conclusion:

The world has already realized that the peace and prosperity of any nation is secure only when the rest of the world is also prosperous and at peace. Similarly, the energy consumption from renewable resources has to be maximized for all nations irrespective of their economic status if the world has to remain a livable habitat for our future generations. Hence, sharing of knowledge of useful technologies without much of a concern for intellectual property rights for the good of the mankind should be the defining spirit for international collaboration in this sector.

It is important to note that he still believes in the benefits of Thorium reactors.

Mr. Kalam said he had met the Prime Minister before “finishing my assignment (as President)” and highlighted the importance of thorium reactors. “I told the Prime Minister that thorium reactors are very important,” he said.

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Posted by littleindian on . |

Tags: 123 agreement, Nature, Renewable Energy
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