Alternate Energy Ebook
Alternate Energy Ebook
Alternate Energy Ebook
Co-sponsored by
Co-sponsored by
Supported by
Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources,
Govt. of India.
Advisory Committee
ii
OFFICE OF THE
MINISTER FOR
NON-CONVENTIONAL
ENERGY &
HORTICULTURE
GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRA
MANTRALAYA, MUMBAI 400032
Thanking you.
Sd/-
(PRAKASH KADAM)
Private Secretary
Mrs. N. V. Vader
Chief Coordinator,
Vidya Prasarak Mandal’s Polytechnic,
Thane.
iii
iv
Prof. B.P. Tale
Director, MSBTE, Mumbai,
Maharashtra State
Message
Protection of the Environment and Climate, and their preservation for the
generations to come is a demanding social, scientific and economical task.
Utilization of renewable energy, efficient conversions of fossil fuel are not only
environmentally and climatically beneficial, they also preserve the finite energy
sources. The price jumps in the oil scenario, has surely made the scientific
community know the importance of safe and secured energy supplies for the
highly industrialized nations.
Keeping in view of the latest trend and to bridge the gap between the latest
developments, the economy related to the development of projects in the field of
Energy and the present day education system, MSBTE proposes to start an
Advanced diploma course in Energy Management. The course will include Energy
Audit and Clean Development Management. This will not only create awareness
among the youth but also create new jobs for them.
Realizing the need for “Alternate Energy Sources” and to highlight the
development in this field, V.P.M’s Polytechnic, Thane has organized a National
Seminar. My best wishes and compliments to the management of the Polytechnic
for thoughtfully organizing this seminar.
v
Chairman’s Address
I heartily congratulate the contributors and participants to this seminar on the subject Alternative
Energy Sources (1), the importance of which can hardly be debated. Since the Scientific and
Industrial Revolution in the 17th and 18th Century, we have been trying to enhance every human
activity with the aid of a machine or chemicals, least realising that this will ever cost damage to
our environment and to man himself (2). Every activity of modern man requires energy. To reach
any distance man has to walk in which energy production and consumption is within his body.
We enhanced his ability to reach distance in speed by devising machines what we commonly
call as cars and aeroplanes. What is true for covering distance is true for every human activity.
We have railways, air-conditioners, refrigerators and kitchen appliances etc to help man improve
his quality of life. All these devices have to work on energy and the commonly used sources of
energy today to generate electricity are coal and gas. These are conventional sources of energy
popularly known as fossil fuels. The availability of these machines radically changed our lifestyles.
As a matter of fact every inch we advanced in our modernity, which we called as progress (3),
was responsible for consuming tonnes of fossil fuel generating greenhouse gases.
In the middle of the last century, amidst the clamour of modernity and progress, some scientists
started warning of the damage caused by this so-called modern lifestyle to our own environment.
Initially their voice was weak and meek. Many of their colleagues even tried to ignore these
warnings and assured society that they should not bother about this doomsday mentality. It
took a very long time, energy and patience on the part of scientists to prove that greenhouse
gases are not just hypotheses but hard reality of life (4). The change in Polar Regions was
enough proof that we have already caused significant damage to our ozone layer. The root
cause of this damage was the source of energy that we used for our modern gadgets. So
energy issue and environmental issue are closely linked and needs to be discussed together
rather than in isolation.
This realisation, of pollution of our environment due to use of fossil fuel, also gave birth to
today’s environmental movement. The most successful outcome of this movement was Kyoto
Protocol (5). This protocol demands cuts in greenhouse emissions to 5.2% below 1990 levels
by 2008-2012. Obviously, these restrictions were to be taken seriously by developed countries,
as they were major contributors to the greenhouse gases due to their lifestyle. To minimize this
damage, the industrial production of these products, which had changed our lifestyle, either
needed radical change in their structure or less usage of these products by consumers. The
change in product means new research, new technology. The cost implications for these changes
are enormous. Similarly reduced consumption would mean reduced profits.
The whole issue of alternative energy sources took momentum from these discussions and
realization of scientific community and people at large that finding alternative sources of energy
vi
is the only way to reduce the greenhouse gases. Scientists started looking to nature and
technology for solutions. So started discussion of solar, wind, bio, tidal, nuclear and hydrogen
energy as alternative to the fossil fuel.
After the initial euphoria of Kyoto Protocol, came the hard realization in the developed world,
especially in the USA, that the less emission of greenhouse gases means less consumption or
change in technology. The industrial lobby in USA started manoeuvring science and scientists
who started challenging global warming and anthropomorphic activities responsible for it (6).
The Kyoto protocol did not impose the same restrictions on the emission of greenhouse gases
on the developing world. This was an opportunity given to the developing world to change and
not a licence for indiscriminate usage of fossil fuels. (7)
During this decade, there were rapid changes in the manufacturing and service sectors and their
employment pattern. As a part of globalisation, undeveloped and developing world started
changing their conventional ideological outlook in the realm of economy. This was given the
name of reform or economic liberalisation. In the effort in reducing the final cost of product,
which is essential in competitive free-trade environment, developed world started shifting their
manufacturing and services to developing world. This is popularly called as outsourcing. Though
this is benefitting developing countries, it is reducing the job opportunities in the developed
world. The whole problem thus becomes that of economics. This was the reason why USA flatly
refused to ratify Kyoto Protocol. USA being the largest contributor to the greenhouse gases,
without their participation, these treaties become toothless and meaningless (8). However, the
commitment of European Union to Kyoto Protocol seems to be firm. This is the reason why
alternative energy sources are put to use more in European countries than any other part of the
world.
The search for alternative energy sources is strongly rooted in the realisation that the conventional
energy sources are polluting and they are not renewable and thus limited (9). The central theme
of all these activities is the human lifestyle. The obvious options are only two: either drastically
reduce energy needs and consumption or search for alternative energy sources. The problem is
complex and cannot be solved by technology alone. There is always resistance to any change.
To reduce the unacceptability of this change and while also not resorting to any draconian laws,
what is required is education in the subject.
This seminar is a step in that direction. We know our limitations of resources but no step is a
small step in search of solutions of such a complex problem. I am sure proceedings of this two-
day National Seminar will throw light on many dark corners of these problems at the end of the
day.
Thank you
vii
Notes and References
(1) VPM’s Polytechnic is conducting national seminars annually on important topics, which will
help students and teachers to learn more about the subjects which are complimentary but outside
their Syllabus. This year’s topic is Alternative Energy Sources to be held on Saturday 27th and
Sunday 28th August 2005
Seminars conducted in the past are :
3rd March 2004 - One Day Seminar on IT and Careers
8th August 2004 - One Day National Seminar on Pollution of Water Bodies in Urban Areas
Case Study (Thane)
27th & 28th August 2005 - Two Days National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
(2) One of the best books on the subject is Silent Spring authored by Rachel Carson. The book
is written during 1958-1962. It deals with the damaging effects of insecticides and pesticides
have on the Environment. She was branded as lunatic by her contemporaries, but prophecy of
her writings was realized soon. More on http://www.rachelcarson.org/
(3) For more on Modernity and Progress readers can refer to my paper Science Technology
and Human Development Vol I p 231-236 presented at a CASTME-UNESCO-HBCSE
International Conference held at Goa,India during February 20-23, 2001
(4) United Nations Environmental Programme and World Meteorological Organization jointly
created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the year 1988. In its most
recent assessment, IPCC has stated unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion is
that “Earth’s climate is being affected by human activities”. More on IPCC at: http://www.ipcc.ch/
about/about.htm Also see Climate change 2001: Impacts,Adaptation, and vulnerability edited by
J.J.McCarthy et al Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001.
(5)The complete text of the protocol is available at http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/
kpeng.html
(6) On Wednesday June 08, 2005 New York Times Late Edition in its National Desk section
(Section A, Page 1, Column 2) carried an article by Andrew C.Revkin titled Bush Aide Edited
Climate Reports. The abstract of the article is:
“ Internal documents show that White House official Philip A Cooney, who once led oil industry
fight against limits on greenhouse gases, has repeatedly edited government climate reports in
ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming; Cooney is now chief of
staff for White House Council on Environmental Quality; dozens of wording changes convey air
of doubt about findings that most climate experts say are robust; examples; photos of altered
pages; Cooney, lawyer with no scientific training, was American Petroleum Institute lobbyist
leading ‘climate team’ until 2001; documents were obtained by The New York Times from
Government Accountability Project, which helps whistle-blowers and is representing Rick S Piltz,
who resigned in March from government office that issued documents edited by Cooney; Piltz
says White House editing and other actions threaten to taint effort to clarify climate issue (M)”
Also see article Oil: Never Cry Wolf- Why the Petroleum Age Is Far From over by Leonardo Maugerl
in Science Vol. 304 No 5674, 21 May 2004 p: 1114-1115; and related correspondence in Science
Vol.309 No.5731 p: 52-56
viii
(7) A meeting in the Argentinean capital Buenos Aires, the 10th conference of Parties to the
Convention held in August 2005 discussed how Brazil, China and India can be persuaded to
participate actively in international efforts to tackle global warming.
India’s record in this respect is not satisfactory.
Also see the draft of a recent meeting held at Vientiane, Laos of Asia-Pacific Partnership on
Clean Development and Climate by USA, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and India. It
supposed to complement and not replace the Kyoto Treaty. USA and Australia have refused to
ratify the Kyoto treaty. Some of the wordings of this draft are worth noting- “ seek to address
energy, climate change and air-pollution issues within a paradigm of economic development”. It
is clear that economical issues are gaining upper hand on energy and climate issues.
(8) A recent editorial in Nature (Vol.436 Issue No.7047, 7th July 2005) title: Climate of distrust
speaks volumes on the lack of political will of today’s USA Government on the issues related to
energy and pollution.
Recent meeting of G8 countries held at Gleneagles, Scotland U.K. also could not deliver any
substantial commitment on these issues by USA. See Nature Vol.436, Issue No.7048, 17th July
2005 P: 156-157.
(9) A recent issue of National Geographic, August 2005 gives valuable information on alternative
energy initiatives in Europe and USA.
Also see the issue of New Scientist of 4th June P: 08-09 for such initiatives world over.
Some Petroleum companies are also taking active interest in alternative energy sources research.
BP is developing a power station in Scotland U.K., which will run on Hydrogen, and produce
electricity with 90% lower carbon emission for 250,000 homes.
ix
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MESSAGE
Background-
Out of the known World petroleum reserves, only a part may be technically economically feasible
to explore. This fact, coupled with the present and expected consumption rates implies that
these reserves may not last beyond the next 30 years. For India, the situation could be even
more difficult. Given limited reserves, present known stocks may not last even 10 years at the
current consumption rate.
At one end, the rapid industrialization has led to increased use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil
etc, to meet its power and steam requirement. For which, the developing nations like India are
paying huge import bills putting stress on its economy. At other end, a naturally available energy
sources such as solar, wind, biomass, biogas etc are not effectively used.
India has potential to generate 45,000 MW from wind energy, 19,000 MW from biomass energy,
15,000 MW from small hydro projects. In addition to it the urban areas in India produce @ 30
million of solid waste and 4400 Million cubic meters of liquid waste every year. The same can be
exploited to generate power and meet a part of the ever increasing demand of urban areas.
Therefore, the need of the hour is to conserve petroleum by its judicious use, substituting it by
other resources wherever techno-commercially feasible and restricting its use only to the
essential needs.
The present seminar being organized by VPM polytechnic is one such step in that direction.
We, all the advisory committee members wish to see very successful seminar and more so the
resolve by the younger generation to make this country a self reliant in its energy usage resulting
in total energy security for India. This is the only way to achieve the sustainable growth for
developing country like ours.
x
Foreword
All education spring from the images of the future and all education create the images of
future. Our Polytechnic is trying to diversify its commitment to do some creative activity in
futuristic subjects for the benefit of the mankind. The two days national seminar on Alternative
Energy Sources is the subject of global attention. The present mismatch between energy
generation and consumption, depletion of sources of conventional energy are serious in nature.
Unless a long term planning is done to handle these issues and commercially viable and
environment friendly alternative technologies are developed, it will spell a doom. Various energy
forums around the globe are formed in developed countries to explore Alternative Energy
generation technologies, its viability, commercialization and sustainability.
India, being one of the most populated and developing countries, will be affected to the
maximum. Presently most of the petroleum products are imported and steady rise in their
prices is affecting the Indian economy. Our country can step this financial drain only by self-
sustainability in the energy sector.
India has huge prospects in developing energy through alternate sources. What is lacking
at present is the focused desire and serious efforts in research and development. The bureaucratic
think tank should channelise their ideas and funds in this direction so that by the time the
requirement reaches its necessity level, adequate technology can take over.
The national seminar will throw light on major options available to get energy. The products
on display will indicate efforts of our manufactures in this area. However it is essential that
awareness about energy system should be brought in the minds of people so that they will
become conservative and start adopting the new technologies. Unless more and more people
start using these in near future, the energy scarcity may reach alarming levels.
India is a country having over 300 sunny days a year and solar systems can prove a boon.
Research and development by few established companies have provided good results. However,
the total contribution of energy through these alternative means is still less than four percent of
the total energy generation as of today.
The seminar intends to focus on Solar, Wind, Biogas, Biomass, Hydrogen, Energy from
waste etc. Efforts are made to get experts from all these areas to understand the present level
of activity. It is our duty to train today’s youngsters in this field and motivate them to do research
in these areas so that efficient, clean and economic energy can be made available to the industries
and masses.
xi
We have confidence in the today’s generation that they will do considerable amount of work
in this field. We are anticipating active support and participation of all the authorities such as
Municipal Corporation, Energy Boards, Non Conventional Energy Departments, Energy Institutes
and Forums engaged in these ventures.
The two-day deliberations are likely to yield good results with the participation of experts
and technical papers of innovative qualities. This will set a trend for further developments in this
area for continued progress.
I compliment all the chairpersons, speakers, and delegates for having shown keen interest
on this subject. Sponsorships and Exhibition participations have helped us in managing the
programme to a great extent. Thanks to all the individuals and organizations for taking part in
this subject of global importance.
xii
Preface
Energy is the primary and most universal measure of all kinds of work by human beings and
nature. Whatever happens in the world is only the expression of flow of energy in either of its
forms.
Energy is a crucial input in the process of economic, social and industrial development. Energy
consumption in the developing countries is increasing at a faster rate. As conventional energy
sources are depleting day by day, utilization of alternative energy sources is the only solution.
India has made rapid strides towards economic self reliance over the last few years. On the
energy demand and supply side, India is facing severe shortages. To overcome energy crisis,
government has developed many projects related to alternative energy sources. The new
agricultural technologies can be developed based on non-conventional energy sources.
The requirement of alternative energy sources needs serious thoughts. This seminar will definitely
lead to a fruitful outcome. Since it has provided a platform for academic and scientific community
to share their views, I am very sure that it must have also motivated the people to think over the
global energy problems and adopt use of alternative energy sources in day to day life.
We are thankful to Vidya Prasarak Mandal and principal Prof. D.K. Nayak, for giving us this
opportunity to conduct this seminar.
We are also thankful to the members of advisory committee for extending cooperation and
guidance.
We are grateful to Pitambari Products Pvt. Ltd. and Maharashtra State Board of Technical
Education (MSBTE) for sponsoring this programme.
Our thanks are due to all the delegates and participants of this seminar.
Last but not the least, we are thankful to all the members who have helped us directly or indirectly
in making this seminar grand success.
xiii
From Convener ‘s Desk
Alternative energy for Sustainable Development
Mrs. Anice Alias
Power plays a great role wherever man lives and works. The living standard and prosperity of a
nation vary directly with the increase in the use of power. The electricity requirement of the world
is increasing at an alarming rate due to industrial growth, increased and extensive use of electrical
gadgets.
According to world energy report, we get around 80% of our energy from conventional fossil
fuels like oil (36%), natural gas (21%) and coal (23%). It is well known that the time is not so far
when all these sources will be completely exhausted. Nuclear energy is a comparatively clean
source of energy. However, safe handling of nuclear energy reactor is a sophisticated task and
only around 7% of the world’s total energy requirement is being satisfied by it today.
As human needs know no bounds, today most of the nations worldwide have been passing
through a phase of power deficit. The crisis is more critical among the developing nations.
In India, energy demand is increasing at the rate of 9% per annum and supply is not keeping
pace. Present deficit of electrical energy is 8%.
The increased power demand, depleting fossil fuel resources and growing environmental pollution
have led the world to think seriously for other alternative sources of energy. Basic concept of
alternative energy relates to issues of sustainability, renewability and pollution reduction. In
reality alternative energy means anything other than deriving energy via fossil fuel combustion.
Various forms of alternative energy sources are solar, wind, biogas/biomass, tidal, geothermal,
fuel cell, hydrogen energy, small hydropower etc.
Solution to long-term energy problem will come only through Research and Development in the
field of alternative energy sources.
Many rural communities consume little electricity, and extending electricity grids to meet their
energy needs may prove more costly and take longer than harnessing new and alternative sources
of energy already available in these communities — wind, solar, and biomass — through
Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs). The attraction of these sources lies primarily in their
abundance and ready access. The RETs for exploiting these sources include biogas plants,
solar lanterns, solar home lighting systems, improved cook stoves, improved kerosene lanterns,
solar water pumping systems, solar water heating systems and water mills.
Solar energy panels are little costly considering our average economic standard.
Studies indicate that cooking with biogas (a highly combustible fuel comprising methane, carbon
dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide produced through anaerobic fermentation
of organic matter) can be cheaper than cooking with any commercial fuel.
xiv
Due to limited oil reserves, India has to depend on substantial imports for meeting its present
and future requirement. The bulk of demand for oil is from transport sector and in order to
reduce the pressure from this sector it is necessary to explore possibilities of developing substitute
fuels like biomass and producer gas.
Wind power has also proved to be a viable energy alternative. In India, more than 1.3 giga watts
of wind energy capacity has been added over the past six years exclusively in the private sector,
which either sells electricity to the electric utilities or wheels it over the utility grid for self-
consumption.
Alternative energy options enable local institutions to manage their own energy needs and thus
provide rural development opportunities. This situation encourages decentralized decision
making, which has far-reaching implications for the governance of a community. In addition,
dissemination and popularization of energy-efficient devices and alternatives to conventional
fuels can do the following:
z Provide better lighting. Better lighting enables the poor to stretch their period of
economic activity; their children can help them in daily chores and then study in the
evenings.
z Provide sustainable fuel systems. Afforestation and agro forestry, combined with the
introduction of energy-efficient devices, can help to create a sustainable fuel-use system
within the rural community and sustain the ecological balance of a region.
z Benefit women. Lower dependency on fuel wood and other household fuel sources
reduces the drudgery of women by shortening or eliminating the distances they travel
for fuel collection. The improved cook stove, for example, has been associated with an
average net annual saving of seven person-days of labour a year in India.
z Benefit human health. Use of improved cook stoves and biogas plants, for example,
helps reduce or eliminate health problems associated with using conventional cook
stoves, including respiratory diseases and eye problems.
Energy Problem is a global problem. The Government cannot do every thing, however
individual or co-operative efforts can do a lot.
xv
In this context, we are organizing a National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources to
provide a forum for experts, educationalists and industrialists from these fields to exchange
ideas and to bring out the status of these sources and latest technologies and practical
applications in this advanced technical era.
Keeping these objectives in view the major areas of interest of this Seminar are:
z Wind energy
z Solar energy
z Biogas / Biomass
z Energy From Waste
z Other alternative sources of energy such as fuel cell, hydrogen
energy, tidal, geothermal, energy management, etc
We are also arranging a Product display cum Project Exhibition related to the
Alternative Energy Sources between 26th and 28th August 2005.
This Seminar and the Exhibition is a vital step in popularizing various alternative
energy sources and new technologies. The abundant availability of these sources
may play a major role to help India to become a super power in years to come.
xvi
Various Committees
Organizing Committee Session wise Incharges
Prof. D.K. Nayak - Organizing Secretary Wind Energy – Mrs. K.S. Agashe
Mrs. N.V. Vader- Chief Coordinator Solar – Mrs. V.A. Joshi
Mrs. Anice Alias - Convener Biogas / Biomass - Mrs. Usha Raghavan
Mr. R.D. Borude - Accounts Energy from Waste – Mr. V.A. Walawalkar
Technical Committee Other Sources – Mrs. S.S. Jape
xvii
Contents
1. ENERGY SCENARIO 1
Mrs. G.A. Pujare and Mrs. Gauri Paranjape
2. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES 5
S. M. Ganechari and Sandeep Kate
3. ENERGY OF FUTURE – HYDROGEN 15
Prof. Dileepkumar K. Nayak and Mrs. Usha Raghavan
4. STATE OF ART DEVELOPMENT IN WIND ENERGY 21
S. V. Kulkarni
5. WIND POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGY 26
Mrs. N.V. Vader and Mrs. V.A. Joshi
6. WIND POWER GENERATION BY WINDMILL 35
Vijay Narayanan, Rohit Mahasalkar , Prathamesh Gadgil , Kedar Gokhale,
Mahendra Kothwal and Snehal
7. SOLAR PV POWER PLANT THE NEED OF THE DAY 41
S.G.Mitkari and S.M.Kari
8. ECONOMICS OF SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM 47
G.V. Gotmare
9. APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR POWER GENERATING SYSTEMS IN INDUSTRY 52
Amit Barve
10. WIND ENERGY AND SOLAR ENERGY AS ALTERNATE ENERGY SOURCES 56
WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO INDIA
Mrs. Radha Natarajan
11. TIDAL ENERGY - LATEST DEVELOPMENT 62
Dattatray Sawant
12. WAVE ENERGY AS A POTENTIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE 66
D.R. Kulkarni and A.S. Wayal
13. OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION 69
Mrs.S.M. Jadhav and Mrs. R.G.Kale
14. BIOMASS AS ENERGY SOURCE 74
A.D. Karve
15. NEW TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIONS OF BIOGAS SYSTEMS 78
FOR HYGIENICALLY DISPOSAL OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
16. BIO-METHANATION PLANT RENEWABLE METHANE FROM ANAEROBIC 81
DIGESTION OF BIOMASS
D.R. Kulkarni
17. DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL DRAFT GASIFIER FOR STEAM GENERATION 84
S.D.Khadse, N.C. Vijayaraghavan and A. Sampathrajan
xviii
18. COMPARISON OF TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS FOR WATER PUMP 90
SET USING DIESEL ENGINE, ELECTRIC MOTOR & GASIFIER SYSTEM
R. D. Jilte, V.D. Patel, A. J. Chaudhari
19. WEALTH FROM AGRO WASTE 95
Dr. M.G. Gharpure and Mr. Shyam Rajale
20. A TECHNO-ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE APPROACH TO USING 97
AGROWASTE AS A RENEWABLE SOURCE OF ENERGY
Priyadarshini Karve
21. BIO-GAS -A GIFT FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION SYSTEM 99
Mrs. R.U. Patil and Mrs.G.A. Pujare
22. BIODIESEL-FUELS FOR THE FUTURE 106
Presented by Pitambari
23. SCOPE OF KARANJ, JATROPHA PLANTATION OVER ALOE VERA 119
PLANTATION FORMATION AND TESTING OF HONGE OIL AS A BIODIESEL
Prof. C. C. Handa, Mr. N. L. Shegokar and Mr. S. R. Ikhar
24. ENERGY GENERATION BY HDR TECHNOLOGY 123
Deepak D. Chaudhari
25. ENERGY MANAGEMENT -THE BIGGEST ENERGY SOURCE 129
P.P. Chaudhari
26. AVAILABILITY BASED TARIFF (ABT) 132
A TECHNO-ECONOMIC SOLUTION FOR GRID DISCIPLINE
M.R. Bodh and Prof. G.A. Dhomne
27. FUEL CELL-MOST EFFICIENT AND CLEAN SOURCE OF POWER 137
R. B. Sharma and S. N. Jawarkar
28. FUEL CELL 142
Devendra R. Patil
29. DESIGN OF CURRICULUM FOR ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN 149
NON CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES, ENERGY
MANAGEMENT AND SAFETY.
Mrs. N. V. Vader and Mrs. S. S. Kulkarni
30. ENERGY AND THE LAW 155
31. ISTE - REPORT 157
TECHNICAL PAPER COMPETITION ON
APPLICATION OF NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES
32. STATE POWER AGENCIES 158
33. Power Agencies 159
34. Nodal Agencies of India 160
35. List of Agencies 161
xix
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
ENERGY SCENARIO
Mrs. G.A. Pujare and Mrs. Gauri Paranjape
Lecturers, EPS dept., V.P.M.’s Polytechnic, Thane
Introduction
Energy is the basis of human life. There is hardly any activity or moment that is independent
of energy. Every moment of the day we are using energy. Earlier man used muscle power, then fire
and animal power. Next, he learned to harness energy, convert it to useful form and put it to
various uses.
Over the past few decades, energy is the backbone of technology and economic development.
In addition to men, machines and money, ‘energy’ is now the fourth factor of production. Without
energy, no machine will run, electricity is needed for every things. Hence, our energy requirements
have increased in the years following the industrial revolution. This rapid increase in use of energy
has created problems of demand and supply. If this growing world energy demand is to be met with
fossil fuels, they will be no more available for producing the energy after few years. It is a need of
today’s world to concentrate on renewable energy source to satisfy the demand and conserve our
finite natural resources for the generation to come.
This is a try to present an overview of the concerns about energy demand and supply ratio
and how to conserve energy as well how to maximum use of renewable energy.
Energy supply and demand
Sources of different forms of energy supply
Thermal Power
Coal
Industrial
Fossil Charcoal/Wood Applications
Fuels
Crude Oil Kerosene
Petrol
Gas
Diesel
Tar
Energy LPG
Supply
CNG
LNG
Solar Solar Water
Heating
Magneto Hydrodynamics Solar Air
Heating
Battery Powered Vehicles Solar Thermal
Power
Wind Energy Solar
Photovoltaic
Hydropower
Demand
Household applications
Industrial applications
Energy
demand Transport
Agriculture
Deficit 25 40 92 220
Table 2 Oil demand and supply in India (million barrels per day)
Year Crude production Crude imports Petroleum products demand Self reliance (%)
1997/98 0.69 0.62 1.68 39
2001/02 0.74 1.57 2.1 33
2006/07 0.8 2.2 2.89 26
2011/12 0.9 3.31 4.06 21
Table 3 Natural gas demand and supply in India (million cubic metres per day)
Taking the overview of these forecasts it is observed that in each and every area demand is
more and the supply is less. If this situation persists no conventional source will remain to supply
energy.
The draft renewable energy policy of the Govt. of India sets the following targets to be achieved.
30 million more households to have improved cookstoves
3 million more family-size biogas plants to be set up 5 million solar lanterns
Decentralized electricity, including village grid tail-end injection systems, to be provided to
one-quarter of these villages in the following manner, through power plants with an average
installed capacity of 100 kWp per plant:
500 solar photovoltaics plants
2000 biomass gasifier-based power plants
1000 small hydro power plants
2 million solar home systems
5 million square metres of collector area for low-temperature solar water-heating systems,
comprising (1) domestic systems for 1 million households, each with a capacity of 100 litres
per day and (2) 2.5 million square metres of collector area for industrial applications.
Abstract
The past few years have seen a flurry of activities in the field of “Alternative Energy”,
the main impetus is as a result of the energy crisis of the early seventies. After the 1973
oil embargo, there was a resurgence of interest in solar energy. Currently, there is a need
for allocating increased resources in solar research. Compared to the old forms of deple-
table energy (coal, oil, nuclear), solar energy offers a clean renewable form of energy.
The particular branch of ‘Alternative Energy’ most immediately relevant to us is of
course photovoltaic. Most engineers are now aware of the basic facts about photoelec-
tric energy conversion. Photovoltaic conversion is a direct method of solar energy utili-
zation. This presentation will provide an overview of PV terminology and the past,
present and future of solar energy along with
· Why is solar energy being used by indigenous cultures?
· Where solar energy projects being implemented the most?
Keywords: photovoltaic, PV terminology, current research in solar energy, current drawbacks, future of solar energy,
solar energy applications.
Introduction
Solar energy is one the most resourceful sources of energy for the future. One of the reasons
for this is that the total energy we receive each year from the sun is around 35,000 times the total
energy used by man. However, about 1/3 of this energy is either absorbed by the outer atmosphere
or reflected back into space (a process called albedo)*.
Solar energy is the energy force that sustains life on the earth for all plants, animals, and
people. The earth receives this radiant energy from the sun in the form of electromagnetic waves,
which the sun continually emits into space. The earth is essentially a huge solar energy collector
receiving large quantities of this energy which manifests itself in various forms, such as direct
sunlight used through photosynthesis by plants, heated air masses causing wind, and evaporation
of the oceans resulting as rain which can form rivers. This solar energy can be tapped directly as
solar energy (thermal and photovoltaic), and indirectly as wind, biomass, waterpower, wave energy,
and ocean temperature difference.
Solar energy is a renewable resource that is inexhaustible and is locally available. It is a
clean energy source that allows for local energy independence. The sun’s power flow reaching the
earth is typically about 1,000 Watts per square meter (W/m2), although availability varies with
location and time of year. Capturing solar energy typically requires equipment with a relatively
high initial capital cost. However, over the lifetime of the solar equipment, these systems can
prove to be cost-competitive, as compared to conventional energy technologies. The key to successful
solar energy installation is to use quality components that have long lifetimes and require minimal
maintenance.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
5
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Solar Cell: The PV cell is the component responsible for converting light to electricity. Some
materials (e.g., silicon is the most common) produce a photovoltaic effect, where sunlight frees
electrons striking the silicon material. The freed electrons cannot return to the positively charged
sites (‘holes’) without flowing through an external circuit, thus generating current. Solar cells are
designed to absorb as much light as possible and are interconnected in series and parallel electrical
connections to produce desired voltages and currents.
PV Module: A PV module is composed of interconnected solar cells that are encapsulated between
a glass cover and weatherproof backing. The modules are typically framed in aluminum frames
suitable for mounting. PV modules are rated by their total power output, or peak Watts2. A thin
silicon cell, four inches across, can produce more than one watt of direct current (DC) electrical
power in full sun. Individual solar cells can be connected in series and parallel to obtain desired
voltages and currents. These groups of cells are packaged into standard modules that protect the
cells from the environment while providing useful voltages and currents. PV modules are extremely
reliable since they are solid state and there are no moving parts. Silicon PV cells manufactured
today can provide over thirty years of useful service life. A 50 Wp PV module in direct sunlight
operating at 25°C will generate 50 Watts per hour (referred to as a Watt-hour-[Wh]). This same
module will produce less power at higher temperatures; at 55°C this same module can only produce
about 42.5 W. Modules can be connected together in series and/or parallel in an array to provide
required voltages and currents for a particular application. PV systems are made up of a variety of
components, which aside from the modules, may include conductors, fuses, disconnects, controls,
batteries, trackers, and inverters. Components will vary somewhat depending on the application.
PV systems are modular by nature, thus systems can be readily expanded and components easily
repaired or replaced if needed. PV systems are cost effective for many remote power applications,
as well as for small stand-alone power applications in proximity to the existing electric grid.
PV is a relatively new and unknown technology, which offers a new vision for consumers
and business as to how power can be provided. PV technology is already proving to be a force for
social change in rural areas in less developed countries. The unique aspect of PV is that it is a
‘radical’ or ‘disruptive’ type of technology as compared to conventional power generation
technologies. PV is a technology that does not build from the old technology base, but rather
replaces that base from the bottom up. PV allows people the opportunity to ignore traditional
electrical power supply structures and meet their own power needs locally. In rural regions of the
world today, where there are no power companies offering electricity, PV is often the technology
of choice.
The best performing renewable energy electrification systems are those that meet the
expectations of the users. It is important to satisfy the basic needs of the user in order to ensure
acceptance of renewable energy systems. Ownership and subsequent accountability is the key to
system sustainability for PV.
One 50 Wp PV module is enough to power four or five small fluorescent bulbs, a radio, and
a 15-inch black-and-white television set for up to 5 hours a day. Obviously this is only a modest
amount of energy, however, this represents an important quality of life improvement for many rural
people without electricity. PV Array3 is used for increasing total available power output to the
needed voltage and current for a particular application.
Global Photo Voltaic Markets
The fast growing world market for PV greatly reflects the growing rural electrification demand
of less developed countries around the world. The global PV market has grown at an average rate
of 16 percent per year over the decade with village power driving demand. Table 1 shows the total
worldwide PV production in 1980 was only 6.5 megawatts (MW) and by 1997 this had increased
to 126.7 MW.
Table 1. Worldwide PV production
There are over 500,000 homes using PV today in villages around the world for electricity.
In Kenya**, more rural households receive electricity from PV than from the conventional power
grid. The single largest market sector for PV is village power at about 45 percent of worldwide
sales. This is mostly comprised of small home lighting systems and water pumping. Remote industrial
applications such as communications are the second largest market segment.
Photovoltaic Costs
For many applications, especially remote site and small power applications, PV power is the
most cost-effective option available, not to mention its environmental benefits. New PV modules
generally retail for about Rs.225 per peak watt, depending on quantities purchased. Batteries,
inverters, and other balance of system components can raise the overall price of a PV system to
over Rs.450 – Rs.675 per installed Watt. Manufacturers from 10 to 20 years today guarantee PV
modules in the market, while many of these should provide over 30 years of useful life. It is
important when designing PV systems to be realistic and flexible, and not to over design the system
or overestimate energy requirements (e.g., overestimating water-pumping requirements) so as not
to have to spend more money than needed. PV conversion efficiencies and manufacturing processes
will continue to improve, causing prices to gradually decrease.
PV conversion efficiencies have increased with commercially available modules that are
from 12 to 17 percent efficient, and research laboratory cells demonstrate efficiencies above 34
percent. A well-designed PV system will operate unattended and requires minimum periodic
maintenance, which can result in significant labour savings. PV modules on the market today are
guaranteed by the manufacturer from 10 to 25 years and should last well over 30 years. PV conversion
efficiencies and manufacturing processes will continue to improve, causing prices to gradually
decrease, however no dramatic overnight price breakthroughs are expected.
Common Photovoltaic Applications
PV is best suited for remote site applications that have small to moderate power requirements,
or small power consuming applications even where the grid is in existence. A few power companies
are also promoting limited grid-connected PV systems, but the large market for this technology is
for stand-alone (off grid) applications. Some common PV applications are as follows:
Water Pumping: Pumping water is one of the most competitive arenas for PV power since it is
simple, reliable, and requires almost no maintenance. Agricultural watering needs are usually greatest
during sunnier periods when more water can be pumped with a solar system. PV powered pumping
systems are excellent for small to medium scale pumping needs (e.g., livestock tanks) and rarely
exceed applications requiring more than a 2 hp motor. PV pumping systems main advantages are
that no fuel is required and little maintenance is needed.
PV powered water pumping system is similar to any other pumping system, only the power
source is solar energy; PV pumping systems have, as a minimum, a PV array, a motor, and a pump.
PV water pumping arrays are fixed mounted or sometimes placed on passive trackers (which use
no motors) to increase pumping time and volume. AC and DC motors with centrifugal or
displacement pumps are used with PV pumping systems.
Gate Openers
Commercially available PV powered electric gate openers use wireless remote controls that
start a motorized actuator that releases a gate latch, opens the gate, and closes the gate behind the
vehicle. Gates are designed to stop if resistance is met as a safety mechanism. Units are available
that can be used on gates up to 16 feet wide and weighing up to 250 pounds. Small PV modules of
only a few watts charge batteries. Digital keypads are available to allow access with an entry code
for persons without a transmitter. Solar powered gate-opening assemblies with a PV module and
transmitter sell for about RS.31500.
Electric Fences
PV power can be used to electrify fences for livestock and animals. Commercially available
packaged units have maintenance free 6 or 12 volt sealed gel cell batteries (never need to add
water) for day and night operation. These units deliver safe (non-burning) power spikes (shocks)
typically in the 8,000 to 12,000 volt range. Commercial units are UL rated and can effectively
electrify about 25 to 30 miles of fencing.
Water Tank De-Icers
For the north plains of Texas in the winter, PV power can be used to melt ice for livestock
tanks, which frees a rancher from going out to the tank with an axe to break the surface ice so that
the cows can drink the water. The PV module provides power to a small compressor on the tank
bottom that generates air bubbles underwater, which rise to the surface of the tank. This movement
of the water with the air bubbles melts the tank’s surface ice. Commercially available units are
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
8
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
recommended for tanks 10 feet in diameter or greater, and can also be used with ponds. Performance
is the best for tanks that are sheltered and insulated. Installation is not recommended for small,
unsheltered tanks in extremely cold and windy sites. An approximate cost for a complete owner-
installed system, including a PV module, compressor, and mounting pole is about Rs.20250.
Commercial Lighting
PV powered lighting systems are reliable and a low cost alternative widely used. Security,
billboard sign, area, and outdoor lighting are all viable applications for PV. It’s often cheaper to put
in a PV lighting system as opposed to installing a grid lighting system that requires a new transformer,
trenching across parking lots, etc. Most stand-alone PV lighting systems operate at 12 or 24 volts
DC. Efficient fluorescent or sodium lamps are recommended for their high efficiency of lumens
per watt. Batteries are required for PV lighting systems. Deep cycle batteries specifically designed
for PV applications should be used for energy storage for lighting systems. Batteries should be
located in protective enclosures, and manufacturer’s installation and maintenance instructions should
be followed. Batteries should be regulated with a quality charge controller. Lighting systems prices
vary depending on the size.
Residential power
Over 500,000 homes worldwide use PV power as their only source of electricity. In Texas,
a residence located more than a mile from the electric grid can install a PV system more inexpensively
than extending the electric grid. A Texas residence opting to go solar requires about a 2 kW PV
array to meet its energy needs, at a cost of about Rs. 675,000. The first rule with PV is always
energy efficiency. A PV system can provide enough power for an energy efficient refrigerator,
lights, television, stereo, and other common household appliances.
Evaporative Cooling
PV powered packaged evaporative cooling units are commercially available and take
advantage of the natural relation that when maximum cooling is required is when maximum solar
energy is available. These units are most appropriate for comfort cooling in the dry climate of West
Texas where performance is best. Direct evaporative coolers save 70% of the energy over refrigerated
units. Battery storage is obviously required if cooler operation is desired at night. Array size would
vary with the power requirements of the cooler motor. A linear current booster (LCB) is useful
between the PV modules and the cooler’s DC motor if the cooler is coupled directly to the PV
array. Packaged PV evaporative cooling systems for residences generally run from Rs. 22500 to
Rs.67500, depending on size.
Telecommunications
This was one of the early important markets for PV technologies, and continues to be an
important market. Isolated mountaintops and other rural areas are ideal for stand-alone PV systems
where maintenance and power accessibility makes PV the ideal technology. These are often large
systems, sometimes placed in hybrid applications with propane or other type of generators.
Consumer Electronics
Consumer electronics that have low power requirements are one of the most common uses
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
9
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
for PV technologies today. Solar powered watches, calculators, and cameras are all everyday
applications for PV technologies. Typically, these applications use amorphous PV technologies
that work well even in artificial light environments such as offices and classrooms.
Current Research in Solar Energy
Today, solar energy research has a similar pattern to nuclear energy. The emphasis is on a
narrow technical options and test facilities.
An example is a power tower§, which is a system for collection solar energy from a large
field of mirrors and converting it to heat at high temperature for efficient generation of electricity.
All the mirrors track the sun and the heat is focused on a single broiler thermal system. The purpose
is to only cover the midday load as experienced by utilities. To counter the effect of passing cloud,
there is a thermal storage capability filled with oil.
Collector Systems
This area concentrates more on materials research, which primarily deals with what materials
will efficiently absorb solar energy. The idea is to have solar collectors for heating pool, interior of
house during winter or for providing hot water.
Other thermal applications include intermediate applications. Solar energy can be used to
produce steam for industrial processes. The iron industries for example, consume 23% of energy.
Imagine the billions of rupees that can be saved by reducing their reliance on the congenital form
of power. The other application is the use of water pumps for irrigation.
Although these areas are being electrified decades after many places in the world, this form
of electricity is wise because it is beginning from a source of renewable energy-the sun. The use of
solar as a form of energy embellishes the sustainable form of life these people have been leading
while also advancing them in technology toward an increased standard in living. However, one
must remember that in this day and age, no new development program comes without incentive,
usually a marketable one. Solar implementation in developing nations is marketable because it
allows these poor places to enter into the global market. But before we get too critical about
globalization, the benefit of this type of development is that is environmentally sound and involves
the people that live in these areas.
Where are solar energy projects being implemented the most?
The answer is-in developing nations. More specifically we find them in Asia, Africa, the
Caribbean and Latin America. One example of the application of solar energy is in this village in
Ghana, Africa. For just under $200,000, this community of 300,000 people will be using solar
energy. Not only will they be solar electrified, but also a solar learning center will be built teaching
classes about such things as solar cooking.
The World Bank has a programme to install home lighting system in 200,000 homes to
Indonesia.
· SELF (Solar Electric Light Fund, Inc.) operates a rural solar enterprise in Karnataka,
which provides solar services to rural households, and arrange financing and leasing of
solar electric system.
· The largest percentage of solar energy in the world is being utilized by developing
nations
Conclusions
The future is bright for continued PV technology dissemination around the world. PV
technology fills a significant need in supplying electricity, creating local jobs and promoting
economic development in rural areas, while also having the positive benefits of avoiding the external
environmental costs associated with traditional electrical generation technologies. People who
choose to pursue a renewable and sustainable energy future now, are the ones showing the way for
the future.
Solar energy is presently being used on a smaller scale in furnaces for homes and to heat up
swimming pools. On a larger scale, solar energy could be used to run cars, power plants, and space
ships.
Current Drawbacks of Photovoltaic Cells
The use of silicon crystals in the Photovoltaic cells makes it expensive. First of all, silicon
crystals are currently assembled manually. Secondly, silicon purification is difficult and a lot of
silicon is wasted. In addition, the operation of silicon cells requires a cooling system, because
performance degrades at high temperatures. However, it has convinced analysts that solar cells
will become a significant source of energy by the end of the century.
Research is underway for new fabrication techniques, like those used for microchips.
Alternative materials like cadmium sulfide and gallium arsenide are at an experimental stage.
Reduction of cost will depend the economies of scale.
Oil companies for example, are aware of the renewed interest in solar power. They are
diversifying their holdings in other forms of energy.
* Winteringham, F. Peter W.
Energy Use and the Environment, Lweis Publishers, Ann Arbor; 1992
1. “Photovoltaic refers to light and “voltaic” to voltage. The term describes a solid-state elec-
tronic cell that produces direct current electrical energy from the radiant energy of the sun.
Solar cells are made of semi-conducting material, most commonly silicon, coated with special
additives. When light strikes the cell, electrons are knocked loose from the silicon atoms and
flow in a built-in circuit, producing electricity .
2. A peak Watt is the amount of power output a PV module produces at Standard Test Conditions
(STC) of a module operating temperature of 25°C in full noontime sunshine (irradiance) of
1,000 Watts per square meter.
3. PV modules are connected in series and parallel to form an array of modules
!. Flavin and O’Meara, 1998b
**. Kozloff and Shobowale, 1994
§ Steckborn, Switzerland. First church in the world with solar power
References
1. EIA, Energy Information Agency, “Solar Energy,” Washington, D.C., October, 1998.
2. Flavin, Christopher and Molly O’Meara, Karl Böer (editor), “Financing Solar Home Systems
in Developing Countries: Examples of New Market Strategies,” Advances in Solar Energy,
Volume 12, American Solar Energy Society, Boulder, Colorado, .
3. Flavin, Christopher and Molly O’Meara, “Solar Power Markets Boom,” World Watch, Vol. 11,
No. 5, Washington, D. C., September/October, 1998b.
4. Foster, Robert, Photovoltaic Market Development and Barriers in Mexico, MBA Thesis, Gradu-
ate School of Business, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, December,
1998, 206 pp.
5. Foster, R. E., “Photovoltaic Energy for Agriculture,” Energy Conservation and Management
Division; Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Santa Fe, New Mexico, June,
1994, 6 pp.
6. Kozloff, Keith and Olatokumbo Shobowale, “Rethinking Development Assistance for Renew-
able Electricity,” World Resources Institute, Washington.
7. O’Meara, Molly, “Solar Cells Shipments Hit New High,” Vital Signs, 1998, WorldWatch Insti-
tute, Washington.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
14
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Introduction
With a vision of clean and abundant energy for all, UNIDO-ICHET (United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation-International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies), Turkey is
doing a serious effort through Energy Institutes established for this purpose.
IAHE (International Association for Hydrogen Energy), Florida, USA was founded with the
aim of helping to convert the world to the Hydrogen economy by informing energy and
environmental scientists, politicians and decision makers alongwith the general public.
Scientists working in this field strongly feel that Hydrogen Energy System will be a permanent
solution to the projected global crisis in energy supply. This is mainly because all the current
fossil fuel resources are in their mid-depletion region and the pollution levels have already reached
unsafe levels.
As Hydrogen is to be produced from water, it is supposed to be one of the lightest, most
efficient, cost effective and cleanest fuel on the planet, if the matured technology is developed.
This is realistic since over 72% of the globe is covered with water and byproduct again is water. In
other words Hydrogen economy starts and ends with water. It can avoid all harmful gases, acid
rains, pollutants, ozone depleting chemicals and oil spillages due to conventional fuels. Use of
Hydrogen can afford the development of clean and adequate energy for sustainable development
of all.
Ever growing demand for energy and the rising concern caused by the use of conventional
fossil fuels, call for new and clean fuels. Among all kinds of energy sources, hydrogen is the best
choice as a clean fuel. The main advantage of hydrogen as energy source lies in the fact that its
byproduct is water, and it can be easily regenerated.
Hydrogen is the simplest element; an atom of hydrogen consists of only one proton and one
electron. It is also the most plentiful element in the universe. Despite its simplicity and abundance,
hydrogen doesn’t occur naturally as a gas on the Earth—it is always combined with other elements.
Water, for example, is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen (H²O). Hydrogen is also found in
many organic compounds, notably the “hydrocarbons” that make up many of our fuels, such as
gasoline, natural gas, methanol, and propane.
In this presentation we would like to highlight the production, storage, Transportation &
application of hydrogen energy. We have focused on the storage of Hydrogen through carbon
nanotubes. In its pure form, hydrogen is colorless and odourless gas. It is an energy carrier, not an
energy source.
Production of Hydrogen
The various technologies that are involved in the production of hydrogen are
· Thermo Chemical process.
· Electrolytic process.
· Photolytic process.
Thermo Chemical Process
1) Steam Methane Reforming: - High temperature steam is used to extract hydrogen from
any methane source. This is the most common method of producing hydrogen.
2) Partial Oxidation: - Methods are being is explored in which simultaneously oxygen is
separated from air and partially oxidizing methane to produce hydrogen.
3) Splitting water using heat from a solar concentrator.
4) Burning to generate gas, which is then reformed to produce hydrogen.
Electrolytic Process
Electricity is used to separate water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen.
Photolytic Process:
In this, Sunlight is used to split water. Two photolytic processes are being studied.
1) Photo biological methods: - This involves the exposure of microbes to Sunlight, split
water to produce Hydrogen.
2) Photo Electrolysis: - Here, Semiconductors, when exposed to Sunlight & immersed in
water, generates enough electricity to produce hydrogen by splitting water.
Thus Hydrogen can be produced in large scale and transported or locally produced depending
on the method used. The delivery infrastructure for hydrogen will require high-pressure compressors
for gaseous hydrogen and liquefaction for Cryogenic Hydrogen. These methods have significant
capital and operating costs. They also have energy inefficiency associated with them.
Fuel Cell
Storage Of Hydrogen
Various technologies are available for the storage of hydrogen.
· High pressure tanks : Hydrogen gas can be compressed and stored in storage tanks at
high pressure. These tanks must be strong, durable Liquid Hydrogen: It can be stored as
liquid but has to be kept at cold.
· Hydrogen combines with some metals which can result in higher storage capacity
compared to high pressure gas or liquid.
· Carbon Nanotubes can store hydrogen.
Liquid Hydrogen Storage
Challenges
For transportation, the overloading technical challenge for hydrogen storage is how to store
the amount of hydrogen required for a conventional driving range, within the vehicular constraints
of weight, volume efficiency, safety and cost. The performance lifetime durability of these systems
must also be verified and validated. The main challenges are:
• Weight & Volume: - The weight and volume of hydrogen storage systems are presently
too high.
• Efficiency: - Energy efficiency is a challenge for all hydrogen storage approaches.
• Durability: - Materials and components are needed that allow hydrogen storage systems
with a lifetime of 1500 cycles.
• Refueling Time: - There is a need to develop hydrogen storage systems with refueling
times being very low.
• Codes and Standards: - Codes and Standards for hydrogen storage systems and interface
technologies which will help commercialization and implementation on a large scale and
assure safety, have not been established.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
17
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Many new methods use carbon as a storage medium and bring us a step closer to the
widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel source. Scientists are using various approaches to shape
carbon into microscopic cylindrical structures known as nanotubes.
The first method of producing nanotubes uses an electric arc to vaporize a metal-impregnated
carbon electrode. The second method uses a laser to vaporize a heated carbon target that has been
treated with a metal such as nickel, cobalt or iron.
The third method is known as catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD), and researchers
at Washington University in St. Louis believe this is the most promising approach. In the CCVD
technique, a heated metal element breaks down a hydrocarbon gas (such as methane, ethylene,
acetylene, etc.) into carbon and hydrogen. The hydrogen gas is released while the carbon is extruded
as a nanofiber. The advantage of CCVD is that it is a low-temperature technique and is suitable for
large-scale production.
Storage Of Hydrogen In Carbon Nanotube
One of the critical factors in nanotubes’ usefulness as a hydrogen storage medium is the
ratio of stored hydrogen to carbon. According to the US Department of Energy, a carbon material
needs to store 6.5% of its own weight in hydrogen to make fuel cells practical in cars. Such fuel
cell cars could then travel 300 miles between refueling stops.
Researchers at MIT claim to have produced nanotube clusters with the ability to store 4.2%
of their own weight in hydrogen. In recent months, scientists from the National University of
Singapore have released figures for nanotubes and nanofibers that can store 10-20% of their weight
in hydrogen. These results, when combined with new car manufacturing technologies have the
potential of transforming our transportation industries.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes are remarkable forms of elemental carbon. Their unique
properties have stimulated the imaginations of many scientists and engineers to propose a wide
range of applications.
Nanotubes do have a dramatic visual Impact. If beauty rests on symmetry, nanotubes have
inherent beauty. Further, their cylindrical structures led to suggestions that they would be ideal gas
storage materials. The appearance of these potential storage materials conveniently coincided with
the revivification of interest in the hydrogen economy. The potential for coupling carbon-based
storage materials to supply pure hydrogen to automotive fuel cell power plants was quickly seen.
Initial reports of experiments showing high levels of hydrogen storage were encouraging.
Theoreticians were then quick to calculate the possible amounts of hydrogen that could be stored
using arrays of tubes of various sizes and packing parameters. Since the appearance of the initial
reports, the results have been varied and controversial. Some are higher, some lower; some imply
physisorption, and some chemisorption. It is clear that storage is a complex issue, partly because
the, materials are more far complex than the visual comprehension of the single ideal nanotube
would allow.
Studies have been conducted and it has been found that purified Multi walled carbon nanotubes
(MWNT) can be used for bulk storage of hydrogen. Multi walled carbon nanotubes have been
synthesised by catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbon using a floating catalyst method. The
mean diameter of the MWNTs was found to be 5.1 nm. The MWNTs are then purified and hydrogen
storage techniques are used. It is found that the gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity of purified
MWNTs is much higher than that of as-prepared one which means that purification process is very
important for hydrogen storage. This could be attributed to the fact that there is more exposure to
more surfaces of the multiwalled nanotubes. The ends were seen to be opened up. This allowed
hydrogen to more easily move into the hollow core of MWNTs.
XPS spectra of C1s of the purified sample is narrower and has no notable peak in the range
of high electron binding energy. This indicates that the sample is in simple chemical state. This
simple chemical state of C and lower oxygen contained groups correspond higher hydrogen storage
capacity of carbon nanotubes.
There are many questions that must still be answered regarding nanotube hydrogen storage:
How do we make process more efficient at lower temperatures in order to increase supply and
decrease cost? What is the capacity loss with each storage cycle? Can other forms of carbon produce
the same results just as effectively? What additional applications can increase demand and
research into nanotubes?
Existing Transport and Storage Methods
Hydrogen is currently stored in tanks as a compressed gas or cryogenic liquid. The tanks
can be transported by truck or the compressed gas can be sent across distances of less than 50
miles by pipeline
Hydrogen Safety
Safety is essential in the entire energy conversion process. This begins with production,
storage, transport, distribution and utilization. Each energy form poses its own specific risk, which
should be taken care. The safety of combustible energy carriers in their ignition, combustion,
explosion and detonation behaviour when mixed with air is still under study.
Applications
Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no
pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to propel the space shuttle and other
rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle’s electrical systems, producing a clean
byproduct—pure water, which the crew drinks. You can think of a fuel cell as a battery that is
constantly replenished by adding fuel to it—it never loses its charge. A device has been designed
to generate hydrogen to drive a cellular phone.
Fuel cells are a promising technology for use as a source of heat and electricity for buildings,
and as an electrical power source for electric vehicles. Although these applications would ideally
run off pure hydrogen, in the near future they are likely to be fueled with natural gas, methanol, or
even gasoline. Reforming these fuels to create hydrogen will allow the use of much of our current
energy infrastructure—gas stations, natural gas pipelines, etc.—while fuel cells are phased in.
In the future, hydrogen could also join electricity as an important energy carrier. An energy
carrier stores, moves, and delivers energy in a usable form to consumers. Renewable energy sources,
like the sun, can’t produce energy all the time. The sun doesn’t always shine. But hydrogen can
store this energy until it is needed and can be transported to where it is needed.
Some experts think that hydrogen will form the basic energy infrastructure that will power
future societies, replacing today’s natural gas, oil, coal, and electricity infrastructures. They see a
new hydrogen economy to replace our current energy economies, although that vision probably
won’t happen until far in the future.
References
1. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2002, US Department of Energy
Synopsis
Most of the Electricity Boards and Private Utilities in India are against connecting the Power
from Wind Energy Resources due to their bad experience of drawing reactive power from the grid
and the fluctuations in voltage. Moreover, the Conventional Wind Mills using Induction generation
use very high quantity of capacitors to reduce the intake of reactive power which causes very high
amount of serge in the grid. In fact, use of capacitor banks should not be more than 30% of the
generator rating which in real practice in India is touching even 60 to 70% causing frequent surges
to the grid.
Enercon has developed a technology which uses Synchronous type generator and AC-DC-
AC conversion of power and hence Enercon Wind Energy Converter can supply “Right quality of
Power” through out the life of the machine.
Introduction of the Company in Brief
Enercon (India) Limited is a subsidiary of Enercon GmbH of Germany. Enercon has
manufacturing facilities in Germany, Brazil, Turkey and at Daman in India.
Enercon (India) manufactures the Synchronous Generators right from winding stage, Blades
using latest technology with FRP and Epoxy Rasin and also electronic controllers. Enercon (India)
manufactures these machine for Indian market and also export them regularly back to Germany.
Enercon (India) has so far manufactured and installed 1310 no. of Wind Energy Converters
totaling to 577 MW.
Enercon (India) undertakes complete turnkey projects for the Wind Energy right from selection
of the site and operation and maintenance contract for the life time which is comprehensive type.
Enercon have established Wind Farms in India in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
Enercon GmbH has installed 7300 MW in 37 countries so far.
The Largest Wind Energy Converter
Enercon GmbH has manufactured and installed world’s largest Wind Energy Converter of
4.5 MW capacity.
Fig-1
Feeding of Reactive Power to the Grid is regulated as per the Fig-3, which is managed by the
Grid Watching Card and the current from the machine is fed to the Grid by adjusting an angle
between the Voltage and Current, which ultimately manages the Power Factor.
Advantage of Converting the Power from DC to AC
Figure-4
U.S.P. of Enercon
• Gearless construction with synchronous type generator mounted on same shaft eliminating
Gear box.
• Negligible drawing of Reactive Power from the grid since no motoring is required for
Synchronous Generator.
• Generator achieving rated output at only 16 RPM for800 KW machine.
• Minimum wear and tear since the system eliminates mechanical brakes which are not needed
due to low speed Generator.
• Variable Speed function ensuring optimum efficiency at all times having Speed range of 16
to 31.5 RPM.
• Near Unity Power factor at all times.
• Grid Supportive Features due to no voltage peaks at any time.
• Operating range of the WEC with voltage fluctuation Of ± 20%
• Lowest cut in wind speed of 3 m/sec.
• FRP with epoxy resin material ensures light weight and Eliminates warping of Blades.
• Incorporates Integrated lightning protection system, which includes blades also.
• Three independent Braking System.
• Steel tubular towers highly robust and flexible ensures more dependability for earthquake
and cyclone prone zones.
Abstract
The paper deals with the technical details involved in the generation of power through
wind technology. It discusses the factors responsible for generation of wind power and
the limitations of the generator. While the emphasis is given on the various schemes
used for production of electricity using wind power, the paper also gives insight into
energy storage methods, safety precautions and site selection criteria.
Introduction
Energy is the primary and most universal measure of all kinds of work by human beings and
nature. Everything that happens in the world is the expression of flow of energy in one of its forms
Energy is an important input in all sectors of a country’s economy. The standard of living is directly
related to per capita energy consumption.
Due to rapid increase in the population and standard of living, we are faced with energy
crisis. Conventional sources of energy are increasingly depleted. Hence, Non Conventional Energy
Sources have emerged as potential source of energy in India and world at large.
Among the various non-conventional energy sources, wind energy is emerging as the potential
major source of energy for growth.
Wind Energy
Wind results from air in motion due to pressure gradient that is caused by the solar energy
irradiating the earth.
Wind Power
Wind possesses energy by virtue of its motion .Any device capable of slowing down the
mass of moving air can extract part of the energy and convert into useful work.
Following factors control the output of wind energy converter : -
* The wind speed
* Cross-section of the wind swept by rotor
* Conversion efficiently of rotor
* Generator
* Transmission system
Theoretically it is possible to get 100% efficiency by halting and preventing the passage of
air through the rotor. However, a rotor is able to decelerate the air column only to one third of its
free velocity.
A 100% efficient wind generator is able to convert maximum up to 60% of the available
energy in wind into mechanical energy. In addition to this, losses incurred in the generator or pump
decrease the overall efficiency of power generation to 35%.
Principle of Energy Conversion
Wind mills or turbines works on the principle of converting kinetic energy of the wind in
to mechanical energy.
Power available from wind mill}= ½ ρA V³
Where, ρ – air density = 1.225 Kg. / m³ at sea level.(changes by 10-15% due to temperature
and pressure variations)
A – area swept by windmill rotor = ΠD² sq-m. (D – diameter )
V – wind speed m/sec.
Air density, which linearly affects the power output at a given speed, is a function of altitude,
temperature and barometric pressure. Variation in temperature and pressure can affect air density
up to 10 % in either direction. Warm climate reduces air density.
This equation tells us that maximum power available depends on rotor diameter. The combined
effects of wind speed and rotor diameter can be observed by the following graph
Pw
.
ia
m
D
2
60
or
ot
R
m
40
m
20
5 10 15
V
This graph indicates that wind machines should have large rotors and should be located in
areas of high wind speeds.
Practically, wind turbines are able to convert only a fraction of available wind power into
useful power. As the free wind stream passes through the rotor, it transfers some of its energy to the
rotor and its speed decreases to a minimum in the rotor wake. After some distance from the rotor
wind stream regains its speed from the surrounding air. We can also observe drop in pressure as the
wind stream passes through the rotor. Finally air speed and pressure increases to ambient atmospheric
condition. This is illustrated in the following graphs
Rotor
Wind
Speed
Freewind Freewind
Wake
Wind Direction
Pressure ∆P Ambient
Pressure
Site Selection
Following factors are to be considered for selection of good site for wind power generation:-
· High annual wind speed.
· No tall obstructions for a radius of 3 Km.
· Open plain or open shore
· Top of a smooth, well rounded hill with gentle slopes
· Mountain gap which produces wind funneling.
Generating System
Wind - electric conversion system consists of the following components :-
1) Wind Turbine(WT)- Converts wind energy into rotational(mechanical) energy
2) Gear system and coupling (G/C)- It steps up the speed and transmits it to the generator
rotor
3) Generator(G)- Converts rotational energy into electrical energy.
Types of generators used:-
For Small rating systems - P.M.type d.c. generators
Medium rating systems - P.M.type d.c. generators
Induction generators
Synchronous Generators
Large rating systems - Induction generators (3-phase )
Synchronous Generators (3 phase)
4) Controller(C)-Senses wind direction, wind speed generator output and temperature
and initiates appropriate control signals to take control action.
5) Yaw motor gear- The area of the wind stream swept by the wind turbine is maximum
when blades face into the wind. Alignment of the blade angle with respect to the wind direction to
get maximum wind energy can be achieved with the help of yaw control that rotates wind turbine
about the vertical axis.
In smaller wind turbines, yaw action is controlled by tail vane whereas, in larger turbines, it
is operated by servomechanism.
Speed
C
Cross-sectional View
Apart from the above components, protective schemes for excessive temperature rise of
generator, against electrical faults and turbulent wind conditions are also provided in the system.
Practically, Wind power generating system ratings are divided into three groups:-
· Small up to 1KW
· Medium 1 KW to 50 KW
· Large 200KW to Megawatts
Schemes for Wind Power Generation
Based on the speed and frequency, generally following schemes are identified:
I. CSCFS (Constant Speed Constant Frequency Scheme):-
Constant speed drives are used for large generators that feed the generated power to the grid.
Commonly synchronous generators or induction generators are used for power generation
Grid
System
Wind
Energy Wind Gear System /
I.G.
turbine Coupling
C. Bank
If the stator of an induction machine is connected to the power grid and if the rotor is driven
above Synchronous speed, Ns, the machine delivers a constant line frequency (f=PNs/120) power
to the grid. The slip of the generators is between 0 and 0.05.The torque of the machine should not
exceed max. torque to prevent ‘run away’(speed continues to increase unchecked).
Compared to synchronous generator, Induction generators are preferred because they are
simpler, economical, easier to operate, control and maintain and have no synchronization problem.
However, Capacitors have to be used to avoid reactive volt ampere burden on the grid.
II. DSCFS (Dual Speed Constant Frequency Scheme):-
In this scheme a dual speed wind turbine is coupled to double winding Induction generator
that is specially fabricated with 2 stator windings wound with different number of poles P1& P2
(P1 > P2).
When wind speed is low, winding with P1 poles gets connected and power is generated with
grid frequency. Similarly, when wind speed is high, winding with P2 poles gets connected and feed
the power to grid at the same frequency.
It is Important to note that the difference in speed should be small. Reactive power required
by the Induction Generator can be supplied by installing the Capacitor bank.
Grid
System
Wind
Energy Double
Dual Speed Gear System
winding
wind turbine /Couple
I.G. C. Bank
Yaw controller
Controller
Synchronous
Bridge (Commutated)
Rectifier inverter
Wind
Alter- + To
Energy
WT G/C nator - grid
3 system
D.C.
Transmission
System
This scheme, involving small wind generators is commonly used in autonomous applications
such as street lighting. Due to variable speed operation, it yields higher power for both low and
high wind speeds. Both horizontal axis and vertical axis turbines are suitable.
IV. Variable speed constant frequency with double output (VSCF with DO)
3 grid system
Stator Output
Wind
Energy
WT G/C I.G.
Synchronous
Rotor Rectifier inverter
Output
Controller
In this scheme, to increase the power generating capacity of the system, squirrel cage induction
generators are replaced by slip ring Induction generator. Rotor power output at slip frequency is
converted to line frequency power using rectifier. Output power is obtained both from stator and
rotor. Rotor output power increases with increase in slip and speeds. Therefore, operating speed
range is Ns to 2Ns i.e. slip ranging from 0 to 1.
V. (VSVFS) Variable speed variable frequency schemes
This scheme is suitable for loads that are frequency insensitive such as heating load.
Rectifier
Wind
Energy
WT C/G Sq. cage Load
I.G.
C
Bank
Controller
Frequency Voltage
Signal Signal
Depending upon the wind speed, squirrel cage Induction Generator generates power at variable
frequency. Such generators are excited by Capacitor-bank. The magnitude and frequency of the
generated emf depends upon the wind turbine speed, excitation capacitance and load impedance.
If load requires constant dc voltage, output of generators is converted into d.c. using chopper
controlled rectifiers. Feedback system can be used to monitor and control to get desired performance.
Energy Storage
Wind power turbines have operational limitations over very high and very low speeds. When
the power generated exceeds the demand, excess energy can be stored to be used at other times.
* Excess energy can be conveniently stored in storage batteries in the form of chemical
energy.
* Excess energy can also be stored in water power storage in the form of mechanical
energy. Wind power plant (WPP) along with Hydroelectric power plant (HPP), when
generated power (Pg) exceeds the power demand (Pd), helps to partly divert hydro
power plant output to Pumping motor (PM) to pump water from an auxiliary reservoir
at the bottom of the dam to main reservoir.
Pg DPg Pg
PM
GS GS
Pd Pd
Pg = Pd Pg > Pd
* Excess energy can also be stored in the form of compressed air.
Wind Storage
Compressor WT G
Mill Tank
Compressed
air
When wind is not blowing, energy stored in compressed air could be used to drive wind
turbine whose shaft would then drive a generator, thus supplying the needed power.
Generator Capacity
Wind Farms in India
S. No. Location Capacity
1 Mandavi (Gujarat) 1.15 MW
2 Tuticorin(Tamilnadu) 550 KW
3 Okha (Gujarat) 550KW
4 Puri (Orissa) 550 KW
5 Deogarh (Maharashtra) 550 KW
Safety Interlocks
1. Modern wind turbines are controlled by computers. If it shows any error in operational
parameters, then wind turbine is stopped.
2. Emergency stop – During unfavourable conditions for wind turbines, it can be
immediately stopped using emergency stop.
3. Wind velocity is measured and if gusts of wind are too strong or if the average speed is
too high, wind turbine is stopped.
4. To prevent rotor from racing, two revolution counters are mounted on the shaft. If wind
turbine speed exceeds 24 rpm, it activates the emergency stop system.
5. If the wind turbine speed exceeds 28 rpm, a parachute attached to the blade tip is pulled
out and thereby speed of the wind turbine decreases.
6. The three blades and wind turbine cap are grounded through lightening rods to protect
them from lightning.
Conclusion
The new mantra of the 21st century is sustainable development, which means that the local
population should be able to absorb the development of a country or region. The people should be
financially, mentally and physically able to support the improvement in the quality of their lives.
We want the entire population to have access to uninterrupted supply of electricity. This puts a
huge burden on the limited fossil fuel resources. The benefits of using wind power over other
resources lies in its minimum operational cost.
Depending on field of applications, various schemes can be adopted to get optimum output.
Various option of storage facility makes it versatile source of energy. Modern turbines are totally
controlled by computers that are totally safe. Since wind is clean source of energy, the power
conversion does not pose any environmental hazard.
References
1. Renewable energy sources and conversion technology – N.K. Bansal
2. Electrical India- 15th May 2001 (Wind power special)
3. IEEMA Journal – May 2005 (Wind power special)
4. Non-Conventional Energy Sources- G.D. Rai
5. Non-Conventional Energy System- K.M. Mittal
6. www.solardyne.com
7. www.windpower.org
8. www.otherpower.com
9. www.eere.energy.gov
Introduction
An estimated of 1 to 3 percent of the energy from the Sun is converted into wind energy. This
is about 50 to 100 times more energy than is converted into biomass by all the plants on earth
through photosynthesis. Most of this wind energy can be found at high altitudes where continuous
wind speeds of over 160 km/h (100 mph) are common. Eventually, the wind energy is converted
through friction into diffuse heat all through the earth's surface and atmosphere.
While the exact kinetics of wind are extremely complicated and relatively little understood,
the basics of its origins are relatively simple. The earth is not heated evenly by the sun. Not only do
the poles receive less energy from the sun than the equator does, but dry land heats up (and cools
down) more quickly than the seas do. This powers a global atmospheric convection system reaching
from the earth's surface to the stratosphere which acts as a virtual ceiling. The change of seasons,
change of day and night, the Coriolis effect, the irregular albedo (reflectivity) of land and water,
humidity, and the friction of wind over different terrain are some of the many factors which
complicate the flow of wind over the surface.
History
Windmills were first used to pump water and mill grain. The first
wind generators were placed atop brick towers, or other buildings.
Since early recorded history, people have been harnessing the energy
of the wind. Wind energy propelled boats along the Nile River as
early as 5000 B.C. By 200 B.C., simple windmills in China were
pumping water, while vertical-axis windmills with woven reed sails
were grinding grain in Persia and the Middle East.
By the 11th century, people in the Middle East were using
windmills extensively for food production; returning merchants and
crusaders carried this idea back to Europe. When settlers took this
technology to the New World in the late 19th century, they began using
windmills to pump water for farms and ranches, and later, to
generate electricity for homes and industry. Industrialization, first
in Europe and later in America, led to a gradual decline in the use
of windmills. The steam engine replaced European water-pumping Early in the twentieth
windmills. century, windmills were
commonly used across the
By the 1930s they were mainly used to generate electricity Great Plains to pump water
on farms. The most famous make was the Jacobs Electric. Jacobs and to generate electricity.
discovered and pioneered the modern three-blade, high-speed wind-
turbine, with an integrated, low-speed, ungeared generator. In this
period, high tensile steel was cheap, and windmills were placed atop prefabricated open steel
lattice towers. . In the 1930s, the Rural Electrification Administration's programmes brought
inexpensive electric power to most rural areas in the United States. Commonly called wind turbines,
these machines appeared in Denmark as early as 1890.The most famous application of the Jacobs
wind-generator was to power the radio for the second polar year expedition to the south pole.
Nearly thirty years later, during the IGY, explorers found the Jacobs windmill still turning, despite
off-the-scale readings on a maximum-measuring wind-speed meter left as an experiment.
In the 1940s, the U.S. had a rural electrification project that killed the natural market for
wind-generated power. The techniques were almost lost. . In the 1940s the largest wind turbine of
the time began operating on a Vermont hilltop known as Grandpa's Knob. This turbine, rated at
1.25 megawatts in winds of about 30 mph, fed electric power to the local utility network for several
months during World War II.
Solar cells were too expensive for small-scale electrical generation, so practical people turned
to windmills. At first they built ad-hoc designs using wood and automobile parts. Most people
discovered that a reliable wind generator is a moderately complex engineering project, well beyond
the ability of most romantics.
Originally, wind generators were built right next to where their power was needed. With the
availability of long distance electric power transmission , wind generators are now often on wind
farms in windy locations and huge ones are being built offshore. Since they're a renewable means
of generating electricity, they are being widely deployed, but their cost is often subsidised by
governments, either directly or through renewable energy credits . Much depends on the cost of
alternative sources of electricity.
Technology
1. Anemometer:- Measures the wind speed and transmits wind speed data to the controller.
2. Blades:- Most turbines have either two or three blades. Wind blowing over the blades causes
the blades to "lift" and rotate.
4. Controller:- The controller starts up the machine at wind speeds of about 8 to 16 miles per hour
(mph) and shuts off the machine at about 65 mph. Turbines cannot operate at wind speeds
above about 65 mph because their generators could overheat.
5. Gear box:- Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase the rotational
speeds from about 30 to 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1200 to 1500 rpm, the rotational
speed required by most generators to produce electricity. The gear box is a costly (and heavy)
part of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring ‘direct-drive’ generators that operate at
lower rotational speeds and don't need gear boxes.
6. Generator:- Usually an off-the-shelf induction generator that produces 60-cycle AC electricity.
7. High-speed shaft:- Drives the generator.
Low-speed shaft:- The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute.
8. Nacelle:- The rotor attaches to the nacelle, which sits atop the tower and includes the gear box,
low- and high-speed shafts, generator, controller, and brake. A cover protects the components
inside the nacelle. Some nacelles are large enough for a technician to stand inside while working.
9. Pitch :- Blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to keep the rotor from turning in winds
that are too high or too low to produce electricity.
10. Rotor :- The blades and the hub together are called the rotor.
11. Tower :- Towers are made from tubular steel (shown here) or steel lattice. Because wind speed
increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more
electricity.
12. Wind direction :- This is an ‘upwind’ turbine, so-called because it operates facing into the
wind. Other turbines are designed to run ‘downwind’, facing away from the wind.
13. Wind vane :- Measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the
turbine properly with respect to the wind.
14. Yaw drive :- Upwind turbines face into the wind; the yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing
into the wind as the wind direction changes. Downwind turbines don't require a yaw drive, the
wind blows the rotor downwind.
15. Yaw motor :- Powers the yaw drive
Site Selection
1. High annual average wind speed.
2. Availiability of wind curve at the proposed site.
3. Availiability of anemometry data.
4. Wind structure at the proposed site.
5. Attitude of the proposed site.
6. Terrain and it’s aerodynamic.
7. Local ecology.
8. Distance to roads and railways.
9. Nature of ground.
10. Nearness of site to local centre\users.
11. Favourable land cost.
Limitations
1. Wind energy is available in dilute and fluctuating in nature.
2. Unlike water energy wind energy needs storage capacity because of irregularity.
3. Noisy operation:-Large unit can be heard many km away.
4. It has relatively high overall weight because they involve construction of high towers and
include gearbox, hub and pitch changer, a generator coupling shaft.
5. Large areas are needed.
6. Present system is neither maintenance free not practically reliable.
Indian Scenerio
The year wise generation is as follows:
1991-92 287
1992-93 301
1993-94 324
1994-95 351
1995-96 380
1996-97 394
1997-98 420
1998-99 448
1999-00 480
2000-01 499.45
2001-02 515.27
Installed Capacity
The all India installed capacity of electric power generating stations under utilities was
104917.50 MW as on 31.3.2002 consisting of 26261.22 MW hydro, 74428.82 MW thermal and
2720 MW nuclear and 1507.46 MW wind.
Capacity
Country Operating Wind Power Capacity (MW)
Germany 15,600.00
Spain 7,049.00
U.S.A 6,371.00
Denmark 3,121.00
India 2,169.00
Netherlands 1,002.00
Applications
1. Acid rain control (neutralization via aeration of dugouts, lakes, ponds).
2. Aeration, agitation (preventing freeze-over and oxygen depletion of lakes, ponds, dug
outs).
3. Aqua culture maintenance.
4. Air compression.
5. Irrigation.
6. Drainage (featuring portable application).
7. Ventilation (barns, chicken coops, corn cribs, granaries).
8. Water Filtration.
9. Desalination (salt removal from water).
10. Sewage processing (including farm run-off waste control).
11. Domestic water pumping (mechanical or air operated).
12. Water or oil heating (resistance heating).
13. Washing (clothing, fiber, metal and gem stone prospecting).
14. Mining (portable ventilation, water pumping, washing, tumbling, polishing).
15. Fiber processing (hammer mills).
16. Boat propulsion (omni-directional, no tacking required).
17. Lawn and garden care (irrigation and drainage)
18. Hydroponics (automated plant maintenance)
19. Fountains (garden fountains, indoor fountains, all season)
20. Wind chimes
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
39
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Abstract
It is worth noting that while man’s large scale use of commercial energy has led to better
quality of life, it has also created many problems. Perhaps the most serious of these is
the harmful effect on the environment. Also it is now clear that the fossil fuel era of non-
renewable resources is gradually coming to an end, oil will be first to be depleted, fol-
lowed by natural gas and coal.
In India energy problem is very serious and main objective is now to find solution to
match demand and supply of energy sources. Therefore the need for conserving energy
and developing alternative energy is must. One of the promising options is solar energy
and its uses in variety of thermal energy applications.
The study is focused on photovoltaic solar cells and its uses in day-to-day life. The main
advantage is in its availability and clean source of energy with low operating cost. The
main limitation lies in availability with time, dilute source of energy, with large initial
cost. Collection and storage adds to the cost. However it is cheaper in comparison to
conventional source of energy.
Key words: solar, PV
Iintroduction
Photovoltaic solar cells, which directly convert sunlight into electricity, are made up of semi
conducing materials. The simplest PV cells-power are watches and calculators, while more complex
systems can light houses and provide power to the electrical grid.
In the most common cell production process, very pure silicon is reduced to its molten form.
Through a painstaking and time-consuming process, the silicon is reformed into a solid single
crystal cylinder called an ingot. Extremely thin slices cut from the ingot are chemically treated to
form PV cells. Wires attached to the –ve and +ve surfaces of the cell complete the electrical circuit.
Direct current electricity flows through the circuit when the cell is exposed to light.
Photovoltaic
Solar cells operate according to what is called the photovoltaic effect (photo-light, voltaic-
electricity). In the photovoltaic effect, bullets of sunlight-photons striking the surface of
semiconductor material such as silicon, liberates electron from materials atom. Certain chemicals
added to the materials composition help to establish a path of the freed electrons. This creates an
electron current. The cells are wafer-thin circles or rectangles about 3 to 4 inches cross-section.
The photovoltaic effect, a typical 10 sq.cm silicon cell produces about one watt of direct electricity.
Technologies
Crystalline silicon (c-si) is the leading commercial material for PV cells and is used in several
forms- monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, ribbon and sheet silicon, thin layer silicon.
Thin Film Technology
As the quantity of semiconductor material required for thin films is far smaller than for
traditional PV cells, the cost of thin film manufacturing is far less than for crystalline silicon. In
thin film technology normally amorphous silicon (a-si) is used as a semiconductor material which
has no crystal structure.
High Efficiency Multifunction Devices.
Multifunction devices stack individual solar cells on top of each other to maximize the
capture and conversion of solar energy. The top layer(junction) captures the highest –energy light
and passes the rest on to be absorbed by the lower layers e.g. Ceallium arsenide can be allowed
with the elements such as indium, phosphorus and aluminum to create semiconductors that respond
to different energies of sunlight.
Although two junction cells have been built, most research is focusing on three junction and
four junction devices, using materials such as germanium (Ge) to capture the lowest energy light in
lowest layer.
Working Principle
If a piece of semiconductor material such as silicon is doped on one side by phosphorus
becomes an n-type semiconductor. When other side of the same material is doped by boron becomes
a p-type semiconductor. Such a piece of semiconductor with one side of the p-type and the other
the n-type called p-n junction.
electron -
- ve
Eg (p) (-) Flow of
electrons
Photons
(-)Eg (n)
v
Fermi level
Flow of holes
(+)
+ ve
respective deficiencies. This diffusion will create an electric field from the n-region to the p-region.
If the electrical contacts are made with the two semiconductor materials and the contacts are
connected through an external electrical conductor, the free electrons will flow from the n-type
material through the conductor to the p-type material. Here the free electrons will enter the holes
and become bound electrons; thus both free electrons and holes will be removed. The flow of
electrons through the external conductor constitutes an electric current which will continue as long
as more free electrons and holes are being formed by the solar radiation. This is the basis of the PV
conversion; that is the conversion of solar energy into electrical energy. The combination of n-type
and p-type semiconductors thus constitutes a PV cell or solar cell. All such cells generate direct
current.
Fabrication of Solar Cell
A solar cell consists of:-
1. Semiconductor in which electron hole pairs are created by absorption of incident solar
radiation.
2. Region containing a drift field for charge separation
3. Charge collecting front and back electrodes.
This p-n junction is usually obtained by putting p-type base material into a diffusion furnace
containing a gaseous n-type dopant such as phosphorus and allowing the n-dopant to diffuse into
surface about 0.2 µm. The junction is thus formed slightly below the planer surface of the cell and
light impinges perpendicular to the junction. The positive and negative charges created by the
absorption of the photons are thus encouraged to drift to the front and back of the solar cell. The
back is completely covered by a metallic contact to remove the charges to the electric load. The
collection of charges from the front of the cell is aided by a fine grid of narrow metallic fingers
having surface coverage about 5% in order to allow as much light as possible to reach active
junction area. An anti-reflective coating is applied on top of the cell. Fig. 2. Demonstrates how this
p-n junction provides an electrical field that sweeps the electron in one direction and positive holes
in the other.
If the junction is in thermodynamic equilibrium then the Fermi energy must be uniform
E le c t r o n f lo w
s u n lig h t
lo a d
C u r r e n t c o lle c t o r g r id
( m e t a l f in g e r s ) - v e c o n ta c t
+ v e c o n ta c t
N - r e g io n
2µm
h o le s
300µm
P - r e g io n
b a s e m a t e r ia l M e ta l c o n d u c to r
D if f u s e d la y e r
throughout. Since the Fermi level is near the top of the gap of an n-doped material and near the
bottom of the p-doped side, an electric field must exist at junction providing the charge separation
function of the cell. Important characteristic of the Fermi level is that , in thermodynamic equilibrium,
it is always continuous across the contact between the two materials.
PV Module
Each of the individual solar cells will produce power at about 0.5V with current directly
proportional to the cell’s area. Cells may be connected in parallel to achieve the desired current and
then stacked in series to achieve the desired voltage. For efficiency and practicality, multiple cells
are wired together in series / parallel to produce the required voltage and powers which are placed
in glass covered housing and hermetically sealed for protection against corrosion, moisture, pollution
and weathering. Many such modules have been built in various power sizes.
Terminal Terminal
Eg – 37 Wp,75 Wp
Efficiency
PV cells are made of semiconductor that generates electricity when they absorb light. Not all
the solar radiation energy falling on a solar cell can be converted into electrical energy. A specific
amount of energy is required to produce a free electron and hole in the semiconductor material.
E.g. In silicon, the energy minimum is 1.1 µm or less which can be converted into alternating
current, if desired. The limit of efficiency for silicon PV cell is estimated to be about 30%. Due to
internal losses arising from minute amounts of impurities, from defects in the silicon crystal and
from recombination of electrons and holes before they can be separated and external losses from
reflection, most commercial silicon cells have average conversion efficiency out about 12%.
When the cells and system can be made to operate at higher efficiency levels, the cost of a
system may be lower because fewer cells will be needed to generate the desired amount of electricity.
In full sunlight the solar energy reaching the ground is 1000 w/sq.m.Efficiency is the power developed
per unit area of array divided by the solar energy flux reaching the surface area.
Power Output
P = VI Power output in watts is equal to the product of voltage and current. The optimum
operating voltage of a PV cell is about 0.45 v at the normal temperatures, and the current is full
sunlight may be taken to be 270 amp/sq.m. of exposed surface.
So the power is P = 0.45 X 270 = 120 watts per sq.m.
Cost Effectiveness
PV cells are expensive to produce but are cost competitive and readily available utility power
because of high cost of semi conducting materials. Cost reduction can be achieved by reducing
manufacturing cost. As manufacturing capacity increases cost of manufacturing decreases. PV
system gives 20 year life span and probable payback period of about 10 years.Today costs are 180
Rs per peak watt.
Future Research
Presently, photovoltaic research is focused on manufacturing and applications. Within the
area of manufacturing, both methods and materials are being explored. Scientists are investigating
the use of multicrystal and noncrystal silicon in PV cells. Semiconductors materials other than
silicon also are receiving attention. Manufacturing methods being researched include new ways of
purifying silicon to solar grade better methods of slicing cell wafers from silicon ingots and more
efficient production of cell material by casting into blocks, drawing it out into ribbons or sheets or
depositing a thin film of material on an inert base.
A Basic Photovolatic System for Power Generation
Local load
Battery
storage
Battery Storage
Solar PV system can produce an output only if sunlight is present. If it is required to be used
during non sunshine hours, suitable storage batteries will be required in which solar generated
electric energy may be stored. The commonly used lead acid batteries, in automobiles are probably
the best available sources.
Invertor / Convertor
PV module or arrays produce direct current (DC) electricity. Because most appliances and
equipments are designed to be powered by alternating current (AC), PV produced electricity must
be converted. This is accomplished by an invertors. This converts DC current into AC current
compatible with that sent over utility grids. It is clear that the PV system offers an option of DC
power or AC power.
Grid Interconnected System
Residential PV systems will probably be connected to the utility grid as well as the home. In
what way, excess power would be sent into the grid for credit during sunny periods, and power
would be drawn from the utility at night and on cloudy days. In some cases, utilities allow net
metering, which allows the owner to sell excess power back to utility.
Advantages
1 Absence of moving parts.
2. Modular in nature in which desired currents, voltage and power levels can be achieved by
mere integration.
3. They consume no fuel to operate on solar energy.
4. Maintenance cost is low as they are easy to operate.
5. They do not create pollution.
6. They have long effective life.
7. They have high power to weight ratio.
8. They have wide power handling capabilities from microwatts to kilowatts or megawatts
when modules are combined into large area arrays. Solar cells can be used in combination
with power conducting circuits to feed power into utility grid.
Appications
1. Home lighting systems
2. Street and garden lighting system
3. Traffic control system
4. Railway signaling equipment
5. Battery charging eg. Mobile, telephones.
References
1. Solar energy by Prof. S.P. Sukhatme.
2. Non conventional energy sources by Prof. G.D.Rai
3. www.solarenergy.com
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
46
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Abstract
The primary energy comes from non-renewable and fossil sources. These reserves are
continuously diminishing with increase in consumption and will not exist for future
generation. One of the options, is to make more extensive use of the renewable sources
like sun, wind, biomass etc.
Solar energy is one of the main renewable energy sources. It is abundantly available in
India and a free source of energy. Solar energy plays a very important role in providing
requirement of electrical power for various utilities. In winter days, storage water heaters/
geysers / immersion water heaters or LPG are generally used by the 80% of medium
class families in India, to heat the water. It is observed that the electricity consumption is
increased due to conventional water heating system used by the people.
It is possible for medium class families in India, to replace conventional water heating
system with solar water heating system, in spite of its high capital cost.
In this paper following points of solar water heating system have been discussed.
• Comparison of cost analysis of conventional water heating system with solar water
heating system.
• Financing and Incentives available.
• Selection of solar water heating system.
• Suggestive measures.
Introduction
Energy has always been the key to the man’s greatest goals and to his dreams of a better
world. The stone age man started on the path to civilization, when he discovered the energy in fire
and light and utilized the energy in his body to hunt for food and survival. Today, man has come a
long, long way and discovered innumerable ways to make various forms of energy work for him.
One of the major forms of energy is an electrical energy. We can’t imagine today’s world without
electrical energy. Most of the electrical energy comes from non-renewable and fossil sources.
These reserves are continuously diminishing with increase in consumption and will not exist for
future generation.
Switching of the electrical gadgets is not a solution to the energy crises. The development
of mankind depends in direct proportion to the amount of energy consumed and the gross national
per capita income is dependent on the energy consumed by the nation. Hence, we have to switch on
to the renewable energy sources for better development.
One of the most important and basic renewable energy sources is solar energy. Other
renewable energy sources like, wind, bio-mass, geo-thermal, ocean thermal, ocean wave, ocean
tide find their origin in the sun. The solar energy is abundantly available, clean and cheap renewable
energy.
Solar energy can be utilized by direct methods and indirect methods. (Wind, biomass, wave
energy, ocean thermal etc.) The direct method means solar thermal conversion and solar photovoltaic
conversion. In this paper we will deal with solar conversion method.
Solar Water Heating System (SWHS)
Solar water heaters provide hot water for domestic, commercial and industrial applications.
The system collects the sun’s energy (radiation) to heat the water directly or heat transfer fluid and
indirectly transfer heat to water.
The solar water heating system consists of solar collectors, insulated storage tank and other
accessories like piping and different controls. Depending upon the type of system, it also consists
of a electric pump operated on solar photovoltaic cell. Basically two types of collectors are available
in SWHS for domestic and commercial applications.
1. Flat plate collectors
Flat plate collector is an insulated weather proofed box containing a dark absorber plate
under one or more transparent or translucent covers.
2. Evacuated tube collectors
Evacuated tube collector is made of double layer borosilicate glass tubes evacuated for
providing insulation. The outer wall of the inner tube is coated with selective absorbing material,
which helps in absorption of solar radiation, and transfers the heat to water.
Salient Features of SWHS
1. Delivers water at 60 to 80 0 C (Round the clock and almost round the year)
2. Available in wide range from 100 LPD to 500 LPD to suit different applications.
3. Works on partially cloudy days and during winter.
4. No moving parts, hence maintenance free.
5. Less area requirement (100 LPD SWHS require approx. 2 Sq. meter area)
6. 100% safe and 100% environment friendly.
7. Long life (15 to 20 years)
Econmics of SWHS
The SWHS of 100 LPD to 300 LPD capacities are suited for domestic applications, according
to number of persons in the family. 100 LPD system is suited for 1 to 3 people. The approximate
cost for 100 LPD SWHS is Rs. 12000/-. The SWHS available in India gives a hot water at 60 to 800
C. Considering the above data, the electrical energy consumption per year to heat the 100 Liter
Water per day using electrical heater is as follows.
Output Energy (Energy received by water) = Mass x Specific heat x Rise in Temperature
= 100 x 1 x (60-25)
= 3500 kcal (1 kwh = 860 kcal)
= 4.0 kwh
Assuming 80% efficiency of electrical water = 4.0 / 0.8
heater, the energy consumption
= 5 kwh
The electrical consumption per year = 300 x 5
(Assuming 300 operating days) = 1500 kwh
Yearly saving in Rs. For domestic = 2.90 x 1500
consumer, who uses less than 300 units per = 4350/-
month, excluding other charges and taxes.
Yearly saving in Rs. For domestic = 4.00 x 1500
consumer, who uses more than 300 units = 6000/-
per month, excluding other charges and
There should be penal provision for prosecuting the building owner not observing this
provision of the law.
Conclusion
Though the initial investment for a SWHS is high as compared to electrical heating system
but save the money and energy for many years. Solar energy means a fossil fuel saving, emission
free environment, contribution to energy conservation, better economy and modern life style with
clean and cheap renewable energy.
References
1. www.eere.energy.gov
2. www.mnes.nic.in
3. www.pcra.org.in
4. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), New Delhi
5. Tata BP solar India Ltd. Bangalore
6. Maharashtra Energy Development Agency
7. Solar energy by Sukhatme S.P.
8. Energy Technology by Dr. Parulekar B.B. ang S.Rao
9. Future sources of electrical power by Agrawal M.P.
10. Sun rays solar equipments, Bangalore.
Powering of lamp posts, flashers, Cabin lighting and motors for automated opening and
closure of the gates is done by Solar Photovoltaic panels at Level crossing gates. Microwave repeaters
stations have been replaced by UHF / VHF technology to establish communication links within
different station. The charging of VHF and UHF sets is now a days popularly done by Solar
Photovoltaic modules. Integrated power supply is a huge Battery Bank with various DC voltage
tapings to feed energy needs of various signaling as well as other equipments in station.
Conventionally, these IPS sets are used to be charged by grid power / DG sets but power cuts and
sharp rise in Diesel prices with increased confidence on Solar Photo voltaic technology has led to
the use of Solar Panels charging this battery bank. Some of the way side yards or even way side
stations used for shunting various trains which do not fall on main lines have been illuminated by
Solar Power generating systems.
Communication has seen a sea change in India in last ten years and shall see it more
aggressively developed in coming years ahead. Low power requirement of Communication
equipments and Government of India’s commitment to take communication to last mile has seen
tremendous boost in use of Solar Power Generating equipments in this sector. The popular
applications in this sector are powering rural telecom exchanges, CDMA repeaters as well as base
stations, Handsets of Fixed wireless terminals, GSM towers, Rural telephony and Cell on wheel.
bought into reality by operators by mounting GSM tower which is foldable on Truck which can be
moved and made available where ever coverage is required popularly called as ‘Cell on Wheel’
Defence is also looking very seriously towards using Solar panels in various applications
mainly for communication and illumination. Foldable Solar panels are popularly used by Jawans
which can be carried on the back and used in the field to power communication equipment. Defence
is also looking towards illuminating border area with standalone Solar street lighting systems
decentralizing source of power and avoiding possibility of sabotage by enemies. Wire fencing
project is pursued by GOI very aggressively. Inducing current on the fence as well as powering
ground sensors and motion detectors is done by solar photovoltaic modules.
Introduction
Windmill is an old invention and new application. For long time energy is being harnessed
from wind to sail ships, grind grains and pump water. Wind power is the world’s fastest growing
energy resources growing at the rate of 27% per year. The sale of wind turbines in the year 2000
was to the tune of 4 billion dollars. In 2000, wind turbines produced almost 18000 megawatts of
electricity worldwide and that is enough to meet the needs of 5.5 million homes. If the current
growth is maintained it could produce about 10% of the world electricity needs by 2020.
Wind can be used to do work. The kinetic energy of the wind can be changed into other
forms of energy, either mechanical energy or electrical energy. The wind energy conversion
technology functions in the following way. The wind while passing the windmill, converts its
velocity with the help of windmill blades into mechanical energy and the mechanical energy is
converted into electric power by means of a generator.
For a wind turbine to work efficiently, wind speeds usually must be above 12 to 14 miles per
hour to turn the turbines fast enough to generate electricity. The turbines usually produce about 50
to 300 kilowatts of electricity each. Once electricity is made by the turbine, the electricity from the
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
56
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
entire wind farm is collected together and sent through a transformer. There the voltage is increased
to send it long distances over high power lines.
Wind power is known as ‘Green Power’, because of its technical and commercial viability
and its environment-friendly nature. The special features of wind energy that makes it attractive
are zero cost fuels, low gestation period, quicker benefits and usefulness for sustainable economic
development.
Present Scenario Of Wind Energy In India
With an installed capacity of 2,483 MW as on March 31, 2004, India is now the fifth largest
wind power producing nation in the world after Germany, USA, Spain and Denmark. Today, India
has earned recognition as a new Wind Super Power.
The capital cost of wind energy projects in the country ranges from Rs. 4 crore to Rs. 4.5
crore per MW. The cost of power generation is estimated to be Rs. 2 to Rs. 2.50 per KWh, depending
on the site. The cost per unit of power comes down to 50 KWh, five years after the project
commissioning due to the cost of fuel being nil.
Thereafter, for the next 15 years, it would stay at this level, as the only recurring cost would
be on the operations and maintenance of the plant. Therefore, wind harvested power is both cheaper
and reliable than other conventional sources of power.
Need for the use of energy through solar, wind and biomass sources in remote areas is
increasing and will put the nation at the forefront of renewable power used; with the government
recently proposing renewable energy standard for the nation.
A press release on the Web site for the Press Information Bureau (PIB) in New Delhi, outlines
the renewable resources that are currently utilized in India, and the Government’s Common Minimum
Program to establish enough renewable energy sources to electrify all Indian villages by 2010.
Under the program, an additional 4,000 MW of power from renewable sources would be added to
the nation’s current power generation by 2007, and the government has set a goal of elevating the
share of renewable energy sources to 10% by 2012.
Currently, according to the Bureau, renewable energy contributes about 5,000 MW of the
nation’s power needs. That is only 4.5 percent of the total installed generating capacity from all
available power sources in India Wind power alone accounts for 2,483 MW, which makes the
nation’s wind energy program the fifth largest in the world. The features of wind energy that makes
it attractive are zero fuel costs, and quicker benefits and usefulness for sustainable economic
development. Gross wind energy potential in the country is estimated at 45,000 MW, and the states
with high wind power potential are Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Kerala, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
The development of infrastructure facilities, will expedite the process of economic
development. Energy is the most crucial input for power generation projects and this will certainly
contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. Even after rapid industrialization,
India is still dependent on agriculture, which is the backbone of Indian economy. To increase the
agriculture production irrigation facilities, for which electricity is needed, have to be installed.
Rural electrification is very essential for the social development. Energy generation by wind
reduces the generation cost and will help in balancing the cost of energy.
Wind energy is pollution-free as wind fans have potential to reduce CO2 emissions. Wind
energy is inexhaustible, environment-friendly, emits no pollutant? or waste heat and needs no
cooling water.
India is one of the few countries in the world that has made significant attempts to harness
these indigenous energy sources.
Wind power potential of the country is estimated to the tune of 20000 MW. By the end of 20th
century energy production through non-conventional energy sources is about 6000 MW through
biomass, followed by 5000 MW from wind energy and 2000 MW from solar energy. Of all these
sources, wind power is found to be most cost effective and economically viable. In collaboration
with Pioneer Asia Wind Turbines, a division of Pioneer Asia Industries, Chennai, is offering 850
kw wind turbines in India. An independent wind farm developing in India is also proving to be
successful with the achievements of Chennai-based Indio Wind Energy Ltd.
A special mention has to be made about, Muppandal in Tamil Nadu, which has the highest
number of wind farms in Asia and the third highest in the world. Its highest capacity utilization of
42% has been achieved in a commercial project followed by Jogimattic in Kamataka. The industry
average is 20%.
Based on the capabilities the ministry of non-conventional energy sources, it is planned to
get an additional 15,000-MW wind power capacity during the 10th Five Year Plan. Faster growth
of wind power generation in the country is necessary to dose in the gap between the real and
potential, as envisaged by wind industry and environmentalists.
Gujarat is one of the many potential states in India for development of wind power projects.
There are 18 wind-monitoring stations in operation and 12 sites have been identified with annual
mean wind speed of 18 KMPH (Kilometer per hour) and above. Many companies are engaged in
the field of manufacture and installation of Wind Turbine Generators. NEPC MICON Ltd, a Chennai-
based company is the pioneer and leader in India for wind energy technology. The company has
created wind farm of 178 MW with 711 Wind Turbine Generators and has created Asia’s largest
wind farm Another company, which is harnessing the wind for power is Windia Power Ltd, a joint
venture company promoted by Weizmann Ltd. and Ned Wind Rhenen of Netherlands. They mainly
manufacture and market Turbine Generators (WTGs) in India.
Some of the world’s most prominent names in wind power industry like NEG, Micon, Vestas,
Enercon, Ecotechia, GE wind etc. are also in India with fully owned subsidiaries or as joint ventures
with Indian partners.
Here special mention has to be made of the Project Pawanshakti (means wind power) in
Gujarat. Pawanshakti is the joint venture of Indian initiative and expertise with Danish technical
and financial assistance. With the help of Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA),
Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources, Ministry of Energy, Government of India (DNES)
and Gujarat Electricity Board, the Gujarat Energy Development Agency has executed the project
in a record time of eighteen months. It is situated in Lamba village, 50 km north of Porbandar on
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
58
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
the Saurashtra coast in Gujarat State. Project Pawanshakti with its sophisticated technology can
easily provide power to irrigate 10000 hectares of land. The project generates 20 million units of
electrical energy every year.
A notable feature of the Indian programme has been the interest among private investors/
developers in setting up of commercial wind power projects. The gross potential is 45,000 MW
(source MNES) and a total of about 1869 MW of commercial projects have been established until
March 2003. About 8.8 billion units of electricity have been fed to various State grids from wind
power projects.
The breakup of projects implemented in prominent wind potential states is given in the
Table
WIND POWER INSTALLED CAPACITY IN INDIA (MW)
State Gross Potential Total capacity till 30.09.2004 Technical Potential
Andhra Pradesh 8275 101.3 1750
Gujarat 9675 218.05 1780
Karnataka 6620 274.2 1120
Kerala 875 2 605
Madhya Pradesh 5500 26.35 825
Maharashtra 3650 411.15 3020
Rajasthan 5400 212 895
Tamil Nadu 3050 1683.6 1750
West Bengal 450 1.1 450
Others 2990 3.1 -
Total 45195 2884.75 12875
SOLAR ENERGY
Introduction
Most of the all-renewable energy comes directly or indirectly from the sun. The three man
types of energy system comes from solar energy can be classified into passive, active and
photovoltaic. Sun differentially heats the atmosphere, causing winds, evaporates water and recycles
it as rain, which lets our rivers flow and thus hydropower and wind power is also derived from sun.
Potentially sun is the most abundant source of energy and even if a small portion of this energy
were harnessed, it could solve many of our current energy requirement problems. In order to harness
this energy large power plants are required, which are capital-intensive investment.
Passive solar heating is most cost-effective way of warming buildings. Houses heated by
passive solar energy have energy-efficient windows that face south, so they absorb as much heat as
possible from sun. Modern passive solar design stresses well-insulated buildings to keep heat in,
when it is cold outside and keep the interior cool when it is hot outside. Passive solar strategies
include the installation of large south facing windows, which will allow incoming sunlight.
A building’s energy consumption can also be reduced by utilizing active solar techniques.
Active solar heating systems have heat-collecting boxes, which absorb solar radiation and converted
into heat that is carried away from the box by water flowing through pipes or by air circulated by a
fan. The heat is used to warm an insulated storage tank of water and the air or water is then returned
to the collector. Solar heat can also be used to generate electricity.
Solar cells or photovoltaic are devices that convert solar energy directly into electricity using
semiconductor technology. This technology involves the use of various silicon substances. A solar
cell consists of thin wafers of semiconductors that give out electrons when struck by light energy.
The electrons flow out of the wafers as electric current. A solar cell can be used as a battery charger
that works merely by exposing it to light. The potential lies in the application of photovoltaic to
power homes, factories and other commercial activities. They are in use for telecommunication
and signaling devices in space application such as satellites and manned space missions. They are
also used in providing power to small villages.
Present Scenario Of Solar Energy Program In India
India is blessed with abundance of sunlight, water and biomass. To accelerate the momentum
of development and large-scale utilization of renewable energy sources, the Indian Renewable
Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) was incorporated in March 1987 under the Ministry
of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Government of India.
By 2010, IREDA hopes to add about 3000 MW of power generation capacity through
renewable energy projects it funds. More and more possibilities are being explored in environment
friendly energy fields.
IREDA estimates a potential of 5,000 trillion kwh per year of the solar thermal energy.
3 million square meters of solar thermal systems have been installed providing 15 million
liters per day of hot water. In addition, there are 372,293 solar cookers.
The public sector units CEL and BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd) are the major
manufacturers of solar cells in India.
In the private sector, RESPV and TATA-BP Solar (India) are the major players. In addition,
Pentafour Solec Technology Ltd is a new and promising entrant in the field, setting up a solar cells
manufacturing line of 3 MW per annum. Production efficiencies of 13 percent are being obtained
for cells manufactured in India for single crystal silicon.
The demand in India of single crystal PV modules in 1994 was 5.6 MW.
The Indian Department of Telecommunications still forms 70 percent of the domestic market.
There are also 954 PV community lights/TV and community facilities; 85,000 PV domestic lighting
units/Lanterns; 32,872 PV street lights; and 1,373 PV water pumps
India receives a good level of solar radiation, the daily incidence ranging from
4 to7 kWh/m2 depending on location. Solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technologies are both
encompassed by the Solar Energy Programme that is being implemented by the MNES. The
Programme, regarded as one of the largest in the world, plans to utilize India’s estimated solar
power potential of 20 MW/km2 and 35 MW/km2 solar thermal. The country has also developed a
substantial manufacturing capability, becoming a lead producer in the developing world.
The principal objective of the Solar Thermal Programme is the market development and
commercialization of solar water heaters, solar cookers etc.
Solar water heating has been applied in a wide variety of circumstances from individual
residences to hotels to industrial processes.
The MNES has been promoting the sales of box solar cookers since the early 1980’s. In
March 1999 the world’s largest Solar Steam Cooking System was installed at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
It is a hybrid system with back-up oil-fired boilers and is designed to prepare food for 10 000
people.
There is also a separate Solar Buildings Programme aimed at creating an awareness of the
potential for solar-efficient buildings. The passive solar design concept is a climate-responsive
architectural practice that is now being researched developed and implemented throughout the
country.
A Solar PV Programme has been developed by the MNES for the past two decades, aimed
particularly at rural and remote areas.
The MNES has instituted a plan for establishing solar PV power generation of 1 MW for use
in specialized applications, voltage support at rural sub-stations and peak shaving in urban centers.
At the present time 15 grid-interactive solar PV power projects have been installed in seven states
and further 10 are under construction.
Solar water heaters (SWHs) have proved the most popular so far. A conservative estimate of
solar water heating systems installed in the country is over 475000 sq. meters of the conventional
flat plate collectors. Solar water heaters are cost competitive in most applications when you account
for the total energy costs over the life of the system.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) for decentralized power supply are fast becoming popular in rural
and remote areas. Today, solar PV systems are at work converting the radiation of sun directly to
electricity. PV generated power has three main advantages over all other types of remote power
generation- free inexhaustible power, simplicity and low maintenance. PV power is practical and
extremely handy where access to conventional electric lines is difficult and costly, and for low and
portable power needs.
BIBILOGRAPHY
1. M.L. Mckinney and R.M. Schoch “Environmental Science” -Systems and Solutions Web En-
hanced Ed. 1998, Published by Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
2. W.P. Cunningham & B.W. Saigo “Environmental Science” 1999 Published by WCB/McGraw-
Hill “Down to Earth” -Science & Environment fortnightly Various Issues
3. “Indian Express” Newspaper -Wind Power Supplement
Website: www.windpowerindia.com and other related websites
Introduction
The oldest technology to harness tidal power for the generation of electricity involves building
a dam, known as a barrage, across a bay or estuary that has large differences in elevation between
high and low tides. Water retained behind a dam at high tide generates a power head sufficient to
generate electricity as the tide ebbs and water released from within the dam turns conventional
turbines. Though the American and Canadian governments considered constructing ocean dams to
harness the power of the Atlantic tides in the 1930s, the first commercial scale tidal generating
barrage rated at 240 MW was built in La Rance. This plant continues to operate today as does a
smaller plant constructed in 1984 with the Annapolis Royal Tidal Generating Station in Nova
Scotia, rated at 20 megawatts (enough power for 4,500 homes). Other tidal generating station
operating today, is located near Murmansk on the White Sea in Russia, rated at 0.5 megawatts.
These first-generation tidal power plants have all withstood the rigours of the marine
environment and been in continuous pollution-free operation for many years. But due to the very
high cost of building an ocean dam to harness tidal power, and environmental problems from the
accumulation of silt within the catchment area of the dam (which requires regular, expensive
dredging), engineers no longer consider barrage-style tidal power feasible for energy generation.
Engineers have recently created two new kinds of devices to harness the energy of tidal currents
(AKA ‘tidal streams’) and generate renewable, pollution-free electricity. These new devices may
be distinguished as Vertical-axis and Horizontal axis models, determined by the orientation of a
subsea, rotating shaft that turns a gearbox linked to a turbine with the help of large, slow-moving
rotor blades. Both models can be considered a kind of underwater windmill. While horizontal-axis
turbine prototypes are now being tested in northern Europe (the UK and Norway). A vertical-axis
turbine has already been successfully tested in Canada. Tidal current energy systems have been
endorsed by leading environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club of British
Columbia and the David Suzuki Foundation as having ‘the lightest of environmental footprints,’
compared to other large-scale energy systems.
Materials and Methods
Vertical-axis tidal turbine – Canadian connection
A Canadian company – Blue Energy Canada Inc. – has completed six successful prototypes
of its vertical-axis ‘Davis Hydro Turbine, named after its inventor, the late Barry Davis. Barry
Davis got trained as an aerospace engineer, worked on the renowned Canadian Avro ‘Arrow’
project, as well on the equally-remarkable ‘Bras D’Or’ hydrofoil project of the Canadian Navy.
Barry, then decided to apply his knowledge of hydrodynamics in creating a tidal energy generator.
Barry received support from the Canadian National Research Council and successfully tested 5
turbine prototypes in the St. Lawrence Seaway and on the eastern seaboard. Blue Energy is presently
raising funds for a commercial demonstration project of the Davis Hydro Turbine.
Fig. 3 : Chart illustrating the comparative energy advantage of Blue Energy’s vertical-axis
tidal current turbine system over other renewable energy options.
Horizontal-axis tidal turbine
Although, such tidal turbines were proposed during the oil crisis of the 1970s, the first tidal
turbines began operating in the mid-1990s when a 15-kilowatt horizontal-axis tidal turbine was
installed in Loch Linnhe on the west coast of Scotland, north of Glasgow. Now, two companies in
the United Kingdom are planning to initiate horizontal-axis tidal turbine demonstration projects
while another demonstration project has begun off the coast of Norway. A US company has also
designed a working prototype. Horizontal-axis tidal turbines closely resemble wind turbines, except
that the turbine and blades are completely submerged in water.
Fig 4 : Graphic depicting Hammerfest Strom horizontal-axis, ‘water mill’ tidal stream turbine.
Turbine propellers consist of 15-16 m blades mounted on towers placed on the sea bed. Tidal
currents drive the propellers, with blades automatically adjusting toward the prevailing
current. Each propeller is coupled to a subsea generator from which the produced electricity
is fed via shore-connecting cables to a transformer and then on into the grid.
- As the new tidal current models do not require the construction of a dam,further cost-
reductions are realized from not having to dredge a catchment area.
- tidal current generators are also considered more efficient because they can produce electricity
while tides are ebbing (going out) and surging (coming in), whereas barrage-style structures
only generate electricity while the tide is ebbing.
- Vertical-axis tidal generators may be stacked and joined together in series to span a passage
of water such as a fiord and offer a transportation corridor (bridge), essentially providing
two infrastructure services for the price of one.
- Vertical-axis tidal generators may be joined together in series to create a ‘tidalfence’ capable
of generating electricity on a scale comparable to the largest existing fossil fuel-based,
hydroelectric and nuclear energy generation facilities.
- Tidal current energy, though intermittent, is predictable with exceptional accuracy many
years in advance. In other words, power suppliers will easily be able to schedule the
integration of tidal energy with backup sources well in advance of requirements. Thus,
among the emerging renewable energy field, tidal energy represents a much more reliable
energy source than wind, solar and wave, which are not predictable.
- present tidal current, or tidal stream technologies are capable of exploiting and generating
renewable energy in many marine environments that exist worldwide. Canada and the US,
by virtue of the very significant tidal current regimes on its Atlantic and Pacific coastlines
– proximal to existing, significant electro transportation infrastructure - is blessed with
exceptional opportunities to generate large-scale, renewable energy for domestic use and
export.
Tidal energy power systems are expected to be very competitive with other conventional
energy sources, and excellent cost advantages arise from there being no pollution or environmental
expenses to remediate nor are their fuel expenses (the kinetic energy of tidal currents is free).
Further, ongoing maintenance costs are expected to be modest, as they are with other large-scale
marine infrastructures, e.g. bridges, ships, etc., and a non-polluting tidal energy regime will qualify
for valuable carbon offset credits. A 2002 feasibility report on tidal current energy in British Columbia
by Triton Consultants for BC Hydro stated, “Future energy costs are expected to reduce considerably
as both existing and new technologies are developed over the next few years. Assuming that
maximum currents larger than 3.5 m/s can be exploited and present design developments continue,
it is estimated that future tidal current energy costs between 5C / kWh and 7C / kWh are achievable.”
References
1. Wunsch, C., 1975. Internal tides in the ocean, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys., 13, 167–182.
2. Schwiderski, E. W., 1979. Global ocean tides, Part II: The semidiurnal principal lunar tide.
3. Urick, R. J., 1983. Principles of Underwater Sound, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York.
4. Munk, W., P. Worcester, and C. Wunsch, 1995. Ocean Acoustic Tomography, Cambridge Uni-
versity .
Introduction
Energy is the basic requirement for human life. In fact agriculture, industry, transportation,
communication and all other economic activities consume a large amount of energy. Overall
development of a nation is judged from the amount of energy it produces and consumes in relation
to its size & population. Present energy consumption patterns are unsustainable leading to a large
scale destruction of environment & natural capital resources of earth. Therefore the challenge before
all of us is the provision of the energy services to the poor with affordable financial investment. At
present most of the energy needs are met through fossil fuels & oil. Therefore developing countries
are dependent on oil imports for their energy needs. At present there are about two billion people
without access to electricity. Therefore there is an urgent need all over world to tap renewable
energy sources. Total renewable energy sources account for 56 EJ of energy, almost 14% of the
total world energy i.e. 401 EJ.
Wave energy
2.1 Background
Waves in sea are generated by the action of winds blowing over water and can be used as a
renewable source of energy. In fact sea could be viewed as a vast collector of energy transferred by
wind over large sea. Surface and stored as wave energy. Wave energy potential varies from place to
place depending upon its geographic location. Two factors affecting the magnitude of wave energy
are wind strength & uninterrupted distance over the sea that the wind can blow.
2.2 Potential
The total wave power potential of the world is 2 x 106 MW. The tidal energy is wavering with
250 Kw available from December to March, 75 Kw between April to November and has peak value
of 150 Kw. The economics of wave energy power, though not yet competitive with fossil fuels, are
promising and the situation is improving with more advanced technology. Capital costs for 100
MW installation is $1200 to $1500/Kw with operating costs of 5 cents / Kwh & load factor around
20%. Estimated international cost for power from wave energy is around 9.2 C/KwH.
2.3 Current Status
The first commercial wave plant in the world, Limpet 500, was installed on the island of
Islay, Scotland, in 2000 and has been providing power to the grid for U.K. The Limpet 500 is a 0.5
MW capacity plant for sitting on exposed shores, utilizing an oscillating column. design. In India
150 KW system is set at Thiruvananthpuram. The United Kingdom is said to be the dominant
player in wave power with a forecast capacity of 14.7 MW. Portugal, Spain and Denmark are other
significant markets but lag far behind U.K.
would most directly impact species that spend their lives nearer to the surfaces. The dampening
of waves may reduce erosion on the shoreline and may have damaging ecologies effects, that need
to be scientifically proved.
Conclusion
Wave energy is promising holds huge potential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Carefully
choosing sites that can withstand the alterations to the environment caused by power plants will be
crucial to effectively develop these technologies without harming the ocean.
References
1. Jones At. Oceans of energy power engineering international 2002.
2. http://www.owec.com./new files.
3. http:// www.wavegon.co.uk/product.htm.
Introduction
Energy is a crucial input in the process of economical, social and industrial development.
High energy consumption has traditionally been associated with higher quality of life, which in
turn is related to the Gross National Product (GNP). Variation in magnitude of energy resources ,
differing mix of energy resource profiles , lack of adequate resources of fossil fuels in many nations,
dispersed geographical location of energy resources within nations and in the world are some of the
complexities that characterize the global energy scene.Sources that are replenished more rapidly
are termed as ‘renewable’.These include solar,wind and ocean which are inexhaustible.
Significance of Ocean Energy
Oceans cover more than 70% of earth’s surface, making them the world’s largest solar
collectors. The sun’s heat warms the surface of water a lot more than the deep ocean water and this
temperature difference creates thermal energy.Just a small portion of the heat trapped in the ocean
could power the world.
Ocean can produce two types of energy: thermal energy from the sun’s heat and mechanical
energy from the tides and waves. Ocean thermal energy is used for many applications including
electricity generation. There are three types of electricity conversion systems: closed cycle, open
cycle and hybrid. Ocean mechanical energy is quite different from ocean thermal energy. Even
though the sun affects all ocean activities, tides are driven primarily by the gravitational pull of the
moon and waves are driven primarily by the winds. As a result, tides and waves are intermittent
sources of energy while ocean thermal energy is fairly constant. Also, unlike thermal energy, the
electricity conversion of both tidal and wave energy usually involves mechanical devices.
OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) utilises the temperature difference between the
warm surface sea water and cold deep ocean water to generate electricity. For OTEC to produce a
net output of energy, the temperature difference between the surface water and water at a depth of
1000m needs to be about 20oC .
Temperature difference between surface and sub surface (1000m) sea water
The concept of OTEC is envisioned by Jacque’s D’Arsonval in 1881. However, D’Arsonval did
not live to see his idea to fruition, and the task was completed by his student Georges Claude in
1930. Although the theoretical efficiency of OTEC is small (~2%), there are vast quantities of sea
water available for use in power generation. It has been estimated that there could be as much as
107MW power available worldwide.
Applications of Otec
Aside from the generation of electricity, it has been proposed that OTEC plants could assist
ocean based industries, such as aquaculture, refrigeration and air conditioning, desalinated water
crop irrigation and consumption as well as mineral extraction through the use of the fresh and
chilled water byproducts as shown in figure .
Applications of OTEC
Developments in India
India possess excellent thermal gradients and some of the best sites in the world for harnessing
OTEC power India has a potential of exploiting 80,000 MW of OTEC based power. Some of the
coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh provide excellent sites for OTEC plants..
Conclusion
Although the theoretical efficiency of OTEC is small (~2%), there are vast quantities of sea
water available for use in power generation. It has been estimated that there could be as much as
107MW power available worldwide.
Referemce
1. www.ocean thermal energy conversion.htm
2. Renewable energy sources –A.K.Bansal.
3. Nonconventional energy sources-K.M.Mittal.
Biomass is plentifully available in the rural regions. It is already being used by the rural
people as a major source of energy, mainly in cooking food, which constitutes almost 50% of the
total energy consumption. Assuming that there are about 140 million households in rural India,
and assuming that each family uses annually about 3 tonnes of biomass as fuel, one comes to the
figure of about 400 million tonnes of biomass utilised annually only for domestic cooking.
Our engineers and energy scientists generally think only of the calorific value of fuels and
of fuel use efficiency. But there is also a third dimension to fuel use, and that is the pollution arising
due to burning of biomass. As cooking is done within the confines of a house, the pollution caused
by cooking fires is generally not taken very seriously. But according to statistics published by the
World Health Organisation, annually about 500,000 women and children die prematurely in India
due to air pollution caused by cooking fires in rural households. Considering the fact that almost
70% of our population is rural, giving the rural women a cleanly burning biofuel is a major task,
which is unfortunately not tackled by any of our major research centres. There are many options for
providing a clean and economical burning biofuel. The biomass that is currently available to villagers
is free of cost.
One way of tackling this problem is to redesign the cooking devices in such a way that they
burn the biomass more cleanly, so that the pollution caused by them is reduced. This is achieved by
providing the fuel with sufficient air, so that it burns completely, reducing automatically the carbon
monoxide and the particular matter in the fuel gases. Another strategy is to design a stove in such
a way that waste of heat is avoided and a major part of the heat generated by the burning biomass
is transferred to the pot. This results in higher fuel use efficiency, requiring the user to burn less
fuel. Pollution is naturally reduced if the amount of fuel is reduced. Both the strategies are combined
in modern improved cookstoves. However, in practical terms, both the strategies often fail, because
the fuel that is used in the laboratory while designing the stove differs from the fuel that the rural
housewife actually uses. In a laboratory experiment, one normally uses good quality firewood, that
has been properly dried and cut into pieces of adequate size. In contrast to this, the fuel used by the
rural housewife consists of stalks of plants like cotton, maize, safflower, arhar, or of bushes growing
in the vicinity, maize cobs, dung cakes, rhizomes of sugarcane, etc. The traditional cookstove is
designed to burn such material and therefore, the housewife often finds that the improved cookstove
emits more smoke and soot than her traditional stove, comparatively.
Standardisation of fuel is, therefore, another strategy that is considered in the context of
using biomass as cooking fuel. The easiest way of standardising woody biomass is to cut it into
uniform, small pieces called chips. Highly efficient and non-polluting stoves can be designed to
burn these chips, but unfortunately not much effort has been made in this direction in India. The
second and traditional method of converting a non-standard fuel into standard one is to char it into
charcoal. It is the volatile matter in biomass that gives rise to the particulate matter in the flue
gases. In the process of charring, the volatiles are removed from the biomass to leave only the
carbon and non-combustible matter behind. Therefore, when charcoal burns, it burns cleanly, without
producing any smoke or soot. However, the traditional method of producing charcoal is itself
highly polluting, because the volatiles are released into the atmosphere in this process. Sophisticated
technologies are now available for charring, in which the volatiles are burned in the process of
charring itself, to produce the heat required in the process.
Agricultural waste is an ideal source of charcoal. When one harvests any crop, one generally
harvests only grain, fruits, pods, tubers or rhizomes. This constitutes only about 30 to 40% of the
total biomass. This means that about 60 to 70% of the total agricultural biomass, or almost 600
million tonnes, is the waste biomass produced annually in India. A small part of it is used as fodder
for cattle, but the rest is just wasted. Our Institute developed a technology to convert the agricultural
waste into charcoal and to use it as domestic fuel in the form of char briquettes. Our Institute has
also standardised a stove-and-cooker system called the Sarai cooker, which can cook the meal for
five persons, using just 100 g of our char briquettes. About 15,000 households in Maharashtra are
already using the Sarai cooker.
Another form of standardised fuel which is already being used in the rural areas is that of
biogenous methane. The biological process of methane production results in a mixture of methane
and carbon dioxide, which is called biogas. Burnt in a properly designed burner, biogas produces a
blue flame, which is absolutely clean. This technology is at least 150 years old. Traditionally, cattle
dung is used as feedstock for producing biogas, and therefore it is also called gobar gas in India.
During the last 50 years, the Government of India has made great efforts to popularise the gobar
gas technology, but the present figures indicate that there are only about 2.5 million working domestic
biogas plants in India, covering hardly 1.8% of the rural households. The failure of the gobar gas
technology in India was due to the fact that it is not a very user-friendly technology. It requires
dung from at least 6 to 8 heads of cattle. In order that the dung be easily available, the cattle must
be penned and not allowed to roam. The present technology also requires the dung to be mixed
with equal volume of water to form a slurry. Villagers do not have tap water in their houses.
Therefore, the water has to be fetched by the women from a source that is often far away from the
house. The water is generally carried in pots balanced on their heads. Fetching water for the household
is itself quite a strenuous task. Fetching daily additional 40 to 50 litres of water for the biogas plant
only adds to the women’s burden, which they generally resent. The drudgery doesn’t just stop at
fetching dung and water. Disposal of daily about 80 litres of spent slurry is also often a problem.
Our Institute produced a more user-friendly biogas system based on starchy or sugary
feedstock. Just 2 kg of sugar yield as much biogas as 40 kg of dung, and while dung requires a
retention period of about 40 days, sugar yields the gas within just a single day. Starch also works
equally well as feedstock. Our novel biogas system operates on waste starchy or sugary material
such as leftover food, oilcake of non-edible oilseeds, fruits, tubers, rhizomes or grain that cannot
be marketed due to poor quality, or non-edible material like rhizomes of banana, fruits of wild ficus
etc. A biogas plant based on this technology is quite small, having a capacity of just 1000 litres,
and its cost is also much less, only about Rs.6000. We have already installed about 200 of these gas
plants in various parts of Maharashtra, and we hope to install a total of 2000 such biogas plants in
to be planted to produce alcohol would be of the same magnitude as that required by biodiesel.
Production of biomass in any form requires the use of land, and it would require the
involvement of rural people to do it. Chemical fertilizers, an important input required in agriculture,
need a large quantities of fossil fuel in their production. Our Institute is developing the concept of
conducting agriculture without using chemical fertilizers. This concept is based on the assumption
that soil micro-organisms degrade the soil minerals to provide the green plants with all the mineral
nutrients that they need. If the soil micro-organisms are adequately fed with organic matter, there is
theoretically no need to apply chemical fertilizers to the soil. Traditional agricultural scientists
recommend the application of organic matter in the form of compost. However, the nutritional
value of composted organic matter is so low, that one has to apply 20 to 50 tonnes of compost per
hectare. In practical terms, it means that one has to use the biomass produced in about 10 hectares
for providing organic matter to one hectare. This is the reason why our planners and agricultural
scientists consider organic farming to be impracticable.
Our own work shows that if organic matter having high nutritive value, like sugar, starch,
protein etc. is used as manure, application of just 10 to 25 kg per hectare of it is enough to produce
high crop yield without using any other form of chemical or organic nutrients. This new discovery
would reduce the cost of agriculture substantially and would also reduce the cost of producing
biomass.
centralized dumping yard. This will solve many problem of transportation. Hence project capacity
of 5/10 tons Municipal Solid Waste has been recommended at each site.
Parameters of 20 TPD Plant at Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj , Kalwa, Thane
maintained. This will help for faster decomposition and degradation of solid waste. The pre-digester
system is provided with some anchor typed mixing arrangements to minimize scum formation
alongwith continuous mixing system for high rate of bio-methanization by blower/ compressor.
After the pre digestion treatment slurry is allowed to enter in main methane reactor and Gas
generation system where it undergoes mainly an aerobic fermentation process resulting into
generation of methane gas which will be used as fuel gas or generation of electricity. After about
the period of one month high quality manure can be obtained from drying beds. There is no odour
to manure at all. The gas generated is stored in metallic gas holder and it is taken to pipeline for
domestic used
Biomethenization Plant Based on Municipal Solid Waste (20 Tonnes) Thane
Municipal Corporation, Thane
Installed by M/S. Britto Bio Industries
BIOMETHANATION PLANT
RENEWABLE METHANE FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
OF BIOMASS
D.R. Kulkarni
Sr lecturer in Civil Engg, K.J.Somaiya Polytechnic, Mumbai – 400077
Email:[email protected], [email protected]
Key words: biomass, fossil fuel, anaerobic digestion, carbon tax and compost
Why renewable energy now?
A reviewed interest in renewable energy and related conversion technologies is emerging
again. Although the eventual depletion of fossil fuels lurks in the background as a long-term incentive
for the development of sustainable energy forms, more urgent incentives to re-emphasize renewable
energy are related to global environmental quality. The first concern to emerge was release of toxic
compounds and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur resulting from combustion of fossil fuels. These air
pollutants contribute globally to health and environment problems, the most common of which is
referred to as acid rain. The greatest threat is that of global warming related to an increased
concentration of carbon dioxide and other upper atmospheric pollutants resulting from anthropogenic
activities. Use of renewable biomass (including energy crops and organic wastes) as an energy
resource is not only greener with respect to most pollutants, but it’s use represents a closed balanced
carbon cycle with respect to atmospheric carbon dioxide. It could also mitigate atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels through replacement of fossil fuels. A third concern is the recognized need for
effective methods of treatments and disposal of large quantities of municipal, industrial and
agricultural organic wastes. These wastes may not only represent a threat to environmental quality,
but also represents a significant renewable energy resource.
Why methane?
Biomass may be converted to a variety of energy forms including heat, steam, electricity,
hydrogen, ethanol, methanol and methane. Selection of product for conversion is dependent upon
a number of factors including need for direct heat or steam, conversion efficiencies, conversion
and use of hardware and environmental impact of conversion process, waste stream and product
use. Compared to other fossil fuels methane produces few atmospheric pollutants and generates
less carbon dioxide per unit energy because methane is comparatively a clean fuel. The trend is
towards its increased use for appliances, vehicles, industrial applications and power generation.
Ethanol is becoming a popular biomass - derived fuel.
Conversion processes
Methane can be produced from biomass by either thermal gasification or biological
classification. Economic application of thermal processes is limited to feeds with either low water
content or those having the potential to be mechanically dewatered inexpensively. Feedstocks
containing 15% of total solids require all of the feed energy for water removal. Thermal processes
for methane production also are only economic at large scales and generate a mixture of gaseous
products that must be upgraded to methane. The product gas is composed primarily of methane
and carbon dioxide with traces of hydrogen sulphide and water vapour. The major limitation of
biological gasification is that conversion is usually incomplete, often leaving as much as 50% of
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
81
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
References
1. Chynoweth DP, Isaacson HR, Anaerobic digestion of biomass. New York, NY:Elsevier Applied
Sciences Publishers Ltd 1987
2. Legend R, methane from biomass system analysis and carbon dioxide abatement potential.
Biomass and Bioenergy 1993
Abstract
In India, fuelwood continues to play an important role both in domestic and industrial
sector. It is estimated that about 7 to 10% of the total fuelwood consumption is in rural
industries and village applications.
Biomass Gasifier can be utilized in providing the rural energy needs like lighting, irriga-
tion, water pumping along with the energy requirements of rural agro based industries.
This will also be helpful in providing a sustainable solution to rural energy problems.
Biomass is available in almost all the villages and its utilization for generation of elec-
tricity will not only increase economic activities in villages through decentralized biom-
ass power plants but also would be helpful in the development of the area leading to
general prosperity of the rural people.
There is scope to introduce wood based gasifier with steam generator instead of conven-
tional ‘Chulha’ and diesel/kerosene boiler in small agro-industries. Keeping these points
in mind, natural draft gasifier is developed by Department of Bio Energy, Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University. Natural draft gasifier does not require electricity for operation.
Capacity of gasifier is 10 kg/h. Performance evaluation study was carried out on the
system. Flame temperature of gas was found to be 6300C. The mass and energy closure
was found to be 93.73% and 78 % respectively.
Introduction
Steam is a vital part of the agro processing industry. It is used, both directly and indirectly,
for heating, cooking, sanitizing, and sterlizing. The advent of the industrial revolution provided the
impetus for the large scale processing of food. Steam was used as the medium. It was easy to
produce and simple to transport at different places. Hence steam was taken for granted and no
thought was given to improving the ways in which it can be used alternatively. The present method
of steam generation is not hygienic and energy efficient. Identifying this area of concern, gasifier
was developed and tested in Department of Bio Energy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore.
Materials and Methods
Natural Draft Gasifier System Description
Reactor
Reactor of the gasification system is a cylindrical structure. The inside of this is insulated
with fire bricks lining.
Grate
A Grate is provided at the bottom of gasifier for material support and ash removal.
Grate agitator
A grate agitator was provided to move to and fro on the channel guide with the help of the
handle. Due to the movement of the agitator, combing action on surface of the grate takes place, to
remove the ash accumulated on it.
Air inlet
Air inlet pipe is provided below the grate. The air pipe is having valve to control the air
supply to the gasifier.
Ash removal port
An ash removal door is provided below the grate for removal of ash and for firing of biomass
while starting the gasifier.
Biomass feeding hopper
Biomass feeding to the gasifier is done from the side of the reactor. A hopper attached to the
reactor is tapered and biomass is fed through the pipe to the reactor.
Sealing of biomass
A water seal at the opening of the biomass feeding hopper is provided.
Gas outlet
The gas generated in the reactor moves upward through a perforated plate having holes on
the plate.
Burner
The gas burner is an integral part of the gasifier fitted just above the reactor. The producer
gas burner is of aspirated and air swirling type. The swirl was noticed during the burning of the
gases. The control of the air to the burner was provided using the valve fitted for the air supply.
Performance Evaluation of the Gasifier
Gasifier is tested for performance studies. Before that, properties of feedstock used were
studied.
Gasifier efficiency Calculations
i) Temperature Profile of the Reactor
The temperature profile of the gasifier is measured using chromel-alumel thermocouples at
4 different locations i.e. at the 20 mm, 120 mm, 320 mm and 720 mm above the grate. The digital
temperature indicator measures the temperature inside the gasifier.
Part Dimensions
1 Natural Draft Gasifier
i. Reactor
Inner shell Diameter = 300 mm, Height = 1000 mm
Outer shell Diameter = 700 mm, Height = 1000 mm
ii. Grate Diameter = 300 mm,
Ring thickness =120mm, Width of the ring = 40mm
Bars size = 20 mm x 22 Nos, Width of the bars = 10mm
iii. Feeding Hopper Diameter = 300 mm, Diameter of Pipe 200 mm
iv. Burner Hole size = 5 mm x 456 Nos.
v. Ash removal port Outer plate= 150 x 150mm
vi. Air inlet pipe Diameter = 50 mm
viii. Fire Bricks Length=225mm,Width=113mm
Thickness=200mm
1000
900
800
Temperature, C
0 700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
10 20 30 40
Time, min
700
Temperature, C
600
0
500
400
300
200
100
0
10 20 30 40
Time, min
Flame temperature
160
Temperature, C
155
0 150
145
140
135
130
125
10 20 30 40
Time,min
Smoke temperature
32.5
Temperature, C
32
0
31.5
31
30.5
30
29.5
10 20 30 40
Time,min
Inlet air
Referemces
1. Angeeswaran, R. and N. C. Vijaraghavan, 2002. Energy Recovery from Agricultural Byproducts.
M.E. thesis submit-ted to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
2. Chern, S.M., W.P. Walawender and L.T. Fan, 1989. Mass and energy balance analyses of a
down draft gasifier. Biomass, 18(2): 127-151.
3. Dubey Anil and Sandip Gangil, 1998. Coordinators Report. All India Coordinated Research
project renewable sources of energy for agriculture and agro-based industries. XIth Annual
workshop, February, 1998.
4. Jorapur, R.M. and A.K. Rajvanshi, 1995. Development of a sugar-cane leaf gasifier for elec-
tricity generation. Biomass and Bioenergy, 8(2):91-98.
5. Karankar, S.G., and M.T Madavi, 2002. Performance and Testing of Natural Draft Gasifier.
B.Tech. thesis submit-ted to Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, India.
6. Patil, K.N., R.N. Singh and S.U. Saiyed, 2002. Case Study of SPRERI natural draft gasifier
installation at a ceramic industry. Biomass and Bioenergy, 22 (2002) 497-504
7. Sada Siva Rao, K., and A.Sampathrajan, 2000. Design And Development of Bagasse Based
Gasification System For Thermal Application. Ph.D. thesis submit-ted to Tamil Nadu Agricul-
tural University, Coimbatore, India.
Abstract
This paper discusses the biomass gasifier system for water pumping. Actual data is
collected for biomass gasifier system from GEDA. This paper emphasizes on the Techno
Economic analysis for water pump set (3.72kW) using diesel engine, electric motor and
gasifier system. The comparative study shows that the biomass gasifier save huge amount
of fossil fuels and can be adapted for water pumping.
Literature Review
The massive pace of industrialization across the globe has been largely powered by energy
that is overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels, hydro electric projects, thermal and nuclear
plants. Only renewable energy source that is clean, green, free and inexhaustible could provide
solution for environmental pollutions. Hence resource to renewable source of energy has become
imperative and has become the need of the hour [1].
Conversion of raw biomass into secondary fuels (solid, liquid, or gas) for a variety of thermal,
shaft power and electrical applications, through biological and thermal- chemical conversion
processes has been promoted in India for about two decades [3].
At present 3.72 kW & 7.45 kW biomass gasifier systems for water pumping, & 3 kW to 500
kW terms for electrical power generation are commercially available in India [4].
This case study investigates the Techno-Economic analysis for water pump set (3.72kW)
using diesel engine, electric motor and biomass gasifier system.
Introduction
Energy consumption is one of the indications of economics prosperity of a nation and also
the extent of its industrialization. The massive pace of industrialization across the globe has been
largely powered by energy that is overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels, hydro electric projects,
thermal and nuclear plants. Only renewable energy source that is clean, green, free & inexhaustible
could provide a solution. Hence resource to renewable source of energy has become imperative
and has become the need of the hour.
Renewable Energy
The world is heavily relying on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are non-
renewable, i.e. they draw on finite resource that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive
or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. In contrast, renewable energy resources – such as
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
90
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
wind and solar energy are constantly replenished and will never run out. Most renewable
energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun.
Direct Solar - Solar Photovoltanic (PV)
- SolarThermal
Indirect - Water (Hydro Power)
- Ocean Thermal energy
- Wind Energy
- Biomass Energy
Biomass
The organic matter that make – up plants is known as biomass. Biomass can be used to
produce electricity, transportation fuels, or chemicals. The energy content of dry biomass ranges
from 15,904.9 kJ/ kg for straws to 17,579.1kJ/kg for wood. Domestic biomass resource include
agricultural and forestry wastes, municipal solid wastes and industrial wastes. It provides the
opportunity for local, regional and national energy self- sufficiency across the globe and energy
derived from biomass does not have the negative environment impact associated with non- renewable
energy sources.
Biomass contains energy is produced when plants are processed into other materials such as
paper and animal wastes.
Gasifier Systems
Biomass gasification is basically the conversion of solid biomass into a combustible gas
mixture called producer gas through partial combustion in a gasifier.
Up –Draft
• High quality charcoal is used as a fuel.
• Producer gas is badly contaminated with tar and is not suitable for IC Engines.
• Due to content products like oils and tars the calorific value of the gas produced
is higher.
Downdraft
• Fuels are wood and agricultural waste
• Produces a relatively clean gas
• Mostly used for shaft power application.
Cross draft
• Fuel is high quality charcoal
• Not commonly used.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
91
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Case Study
b) Electrical Motor
Energy consumed by
3.72kW motor pump set = 3.6 * 300* 10
= 10,800 kWh.
Cost of electricity @ Rs. 5/ kWh. = Rs. 54,000/-.
Total running cost per year = Rs. 54,000/-.
c) Gasifier based water pump set system:
Gasifier systems using water pump for irrigation will save 75 % diesel which is substituted
by producer gas and thereby only 25 % diesel will be consumed per kWh. Therefore,
Diesel consumption
for 2.5 % of 0.26 kg/ kWh = 0.0065 kg/ kWh
Biomass consumed / kWh = 0.7 kg/ kWh
Total input / kWh = 0.7 kg of biomass
+ 0.0065 kg of diesel fuel
Diesel consumption = 877.5 l
Cost of diesel Rs. 35 /l = Rs. 30,712.5/-
Biomass consumption 0.7* 300*10*3.6 = 7,560 Kg.
Average annual cost of biomass including Transport, etc
for Rs. 1600 / metric tonne = Rs. 12,096/-
Total running cost per year = Rs.45,832. 5/-
This is based upon the assumptions starred earlier and that all other expenses towards operation
and maintenance of the equipment remains unchanged.
Investment
1. To run diesel pump set
cost of diesel pump set Rs. 12,000/-
2. To run electrical motor
Cost of electrical motor and Other equipment’s (wiring, meter.etc.) Rs 25,000/-
3. To run gasifier based pump set
Cost of gasifier with pump set Rs.32,000/-
(25% Subsidy) Rs.24, 000/-
Conclusion
The total cost for the three different option of energizing a 3.72 kW. motor pump set are:
1. For diesel engine - pump set Rs.1, 34,850/-
2. For electrical motor - pump set Rs.79, 000/-
3. For gasifier based - pump set Rs.66, 808/-
150000 134850
TOTAL COST IN Rs.
120000
90000 79000
66808
60000
30000
0
DE EM BGS
ENERGYSOURCES
If we considered that every year more than 1 million new irrigation pump sets are being
added to the existing population of over 8 million sets. At least half a million new pump sets are
being added are diesel based. Both types of pump set. i.e. electrical as well as diesel based, can be
easily replaced by the gasifier engine pump combination.
Hence, if one million pump sets are to be energized annually, the investment for diesel
option is Rs. 1,34,850/- crores, for electrical option is Rs.79,000/- crores and for gasifier based
option it is only 66,808/- crores. The adoption of gasifier based systems could therefore result in
national investment of saving alone of the order of Rs.68,042/- crores to Rs. 12,192/- crores per
annum.
References
1. Non conenvtatioanl energy sources, G.D.Rai.
2. Recent advance in biomass gasification & combustion –P.J.Paul & H.S.Mukunda
3. Biomass gasification principle and technology-T.B.Reed, Solar Energy Research Institute(SERI)
Golden, Colorada, USA
4. Biomass Gasification- An Excellent option for irrigation in Rural Development- Energy division,
Tandalja, Baroda
5. Status of Biomass gasifier for thermal & engine application- Gujarat Energy Development
Agency(GEDA)
6. www.ankurscientfic.com
Prelude
Agricultural out put from India has seen phenomenal growth. Factors, which contributed to
the development, were research in seeds, access to water and power, effective pesticides,
communication and improvement in storage facility. With the growth in production of agricultural
output agro-waste production is also increased. However, local thermal energy which are needs of
rural sector were mainly managed through cow dung, wood, kerosene and lately LPG. Agro mass
had few takers. In fact, storage of agro-mass posed problems such as security risk due to fire
hazard, growth of pests, blockage of covered space etc. Simplest solution, which is even practiced
today, is spread the waste and burn it.
On the other hand, in urban sector industrial growth is pushing the energy needs to hilt.
Queues at petrol pump and chimneys spewing, fossil fuel burnt CO2 are the concerns. Indian
government had recognized and efforts to use biomass were started in 1980’s. Some of the
difficulties, which were noted in use of biomass, were:
h Low bulk density and tendency to scatter around.
h Moisture content.
h Transportation costs.
Drying and briquetting was therefore the right answer.
Fiscal and economical incentives were announced and that led to installation of various
briquetting plants. Early birds however, did not have the beginner’s advantage. On the contrary
arm twisting techniques of urban buyers, poor credit facility, enforced most of the entrepreneurs to
shut the shop.
Today however, due to movement called clean development mechanism, renewed vigour is
felt in this area.
Briquetting process
The briquetting process is pretty simple. The machinery involved is a simple reciprocating
machine that compresses the bio-mass to one fifth volume. The mechanical pressure exerted on
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
95
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
the biomass is equivalent to 1350 kg/cm2. Due to this high-pressure mechanical operation, there is
heat generation, which evaporates the entrapped moisture and gives a polished finishing. The
compacted biomass is extruded through a die, which also decided the diameter of briquette.
Some raw materials are wet and do not form good solid compact briquette. There is a
separate dryer provided in the system for making the material suitable for briquetting. Lubricating
oil cooling system and electrical system are additionally required for briquetting plant. Power
requirement for briquetting plant is proportional to tonnage. A broad requirement of 60 Units per
ton of briquette can be considered as benchmark.
Raw Material
Though biomass is a very popularly talked about term, the real meaning of it is not clearly
understood. Particularly, in the context of briquette manufacturing, all bio degradable agro wastes
can be easily briquetted. The briquettable bio mass need not be always raw material in the same
form. High moisture content bio mass needs be solar dried or dried by fuel firing before briquetting.
Some of the raw materials are not easily briquetted. It is necessary to add agro or synthetic binders.
Briquettes made out of such binders are not of desired quality, as the binders do not mix thoroughly
and uniformly.
Machine selection
Machine has to be selected as per available raw material. Usually these are available as 25,
50, 60, 90 mm. Smaller M/c needs finer raw material where as if bigger agro mass such as corn
cobs are to be briquetted 90mm dia is appropriate.
Bigger size M/c achieves good productivity and labour. Absence of grid power and its
eruptive supply on the additive factors, which compel use of 90 mm M/c.
Manpower requirement
Usually raw material is handed over to factories by Tractor trolley. Manpower is needed for
unloading, spreading for solar dryers and feed hopper belt. Usually one person per ton of briquette
is required. A person with good Mechanical Engg. aptitude can maintain overall the M/c.
Business effectiveness
Manufacturing of briquette can be classified as high volume low cost business. Approximate
breakup 45% raw material, 15% raw material transportation, 15% Power, 10% Investment (full
production), 9% Other expenses and 6% Profit.
Thus, it is essential to procure raw material in time. The rural sector demands immediate
cash payments. Therefore, liquidity by prompt recovery of dues is necessary. Business is quite
sensitive to cost of transport fuel. Convenient Transporters who are having two-way business offer
low rates. Planning of loading unloading manpower, knowledge of status of inventory at user end
can affect profitability substantially.
Conclusion
Business of briquette manufacturing is seeing good growth in recent past. However, in this
enthusiasm past mistakes should not be repeated. For enthusiastic entrepreneur business offers
exciting opportunities.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
96
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Abstract
Among all renewable resources, biomass energy is the most neglected and underestimated.
The main reason is that people think only of wood as a source of biomass energy. Due to
excessive deforestation and related adverse environmental consequences, use of wood
for energy production is generally considered to be an unsustainable practice. On the
other hand, several billion tons of agricultural waste is generated annually in India, most
of which goes totally waste. Technologies are already available for converting biomass
into a variety of usable fuels such as briquettes, charcoal, biogas, woodgas, alcohol,
biodiesel, etc. as well as usable forms of energy such as electricity, heat, etc. The biomass
fuels are counterparts of the solid, liquid and gaseous fossil fuels that we are currently
using. This means that the technologies that have been perfected over the last two hundred
years or so for efficient utilization of the fossil fuels can continue to be useful in post-
fossil fuel era, with only slight modifications required to accommodate the different
characteristics of the corresponding biomass fuels. The financial and technological input
required for a shift from fossil fuels to renewables is and should be an important
consideration for a developing nation like India.
However, the agricultural waste is a low-density biomass, scattered all over the country.
Also, it is available in a wide variety of forms having a wide variety of physical and chemical
properties. As a result, in spite of its tremendous potential as a renewable source of energy, it has
remained more or less neglected by the energy planners as well as technocrats. Also, almost all
attempts at finding economically feasible ways of using biomass as a source of energy on a wide
scale have proved unsuccessful and unsustainable. We however, believe that it is technoeconomically
feasible to use biomass as a source of energy. An excellent example of the right approach to use of
biomass energy is a chain of technologies developed and successfully commercialized by Appropriate
Rural Technology Institute.
Every year, farmers in Maharashtra state alone are simply burning off millions of tons of
sugarcane trash (dried leaves of sugarcane left in the field after harvesting of the cane). In 1997, the
author undertook a project that attempted to explore means of converting this biomass into a value-
added fuel, namely char briquettes.
Under the project an oven-and-retort type charring kiln was developed. It converted sugarcane
trash into powdery char. We also standardised the machine and methodology for converting the
char powder into char briquettes.
The charring kiln can be easily dismantled and transferred from one location to other, thereby
eliminating the need to transport large quantities of loose biomass. Operated as a continuous batch
process, it consumes about 250 kg of trash to generate about 50 kg of char powder every
day. Three unskilled labourers can operate two kilns simultaneously to produce 100 kg char powder
per day. The powder can then be briquetted by using a briquetting machine. The production cost of
the briquettes is about Rs. 8 per kg.
Kerosene, which is the preferred cooking fuel for of the urban poor, is getting costlier and
costlier as the government is gradually withdrawing the subsidy on it. We felt that the char briquettes
made from agricultural waste could be a suitable low cost alternative fuel for the urban poor.
However, switching from one form of fuel to other also requires a switch over from one type of
cooking stove to other. It was, therefore, necessary to develop a cooking stove that was designed to
suit the combustion characteristics of the char briquettes. We, therefore, developed the Sarai cooker.
The cooker combines the principle of a hotbox, with the principle of a fuel-efficient stove. The
result is so energy efficient that it requires just about 100 gm of char briquettes to cook vegetables,
rice and dal for a family of five, and another 50 gm or so for roasting rotis on the charcoal burning
stove which is part of the cooker assembly. Even if the briquettes are available in the urban market
at the rate of Rs.10 per kg, the Sarai system requires fuel worth just about Re.1 per meal. No other
fuel-stove system has such a low operating cost.
The concept has taken off very well among urban as well as rural households in rice eating
localities in Maharashtra. The reasons for it is its practical feasibility which is as follow:
1. Conventional thinking had always focused on producing tons of briquettes in a centrally
located factory. This involves collection and transportation of widely scattered and low density
raw material, and the transportation cost itself renders the entire project impractical. Our approach
of decentralized production of char, and transportation of the char to a centrally located briquetting
facility makes more economic sense.
2. The Sarai cooker is assembled using components already available in the utensils market.
Thus, the production of the cooker does not involve any dedicated machinery or infrastructure. As
a result, the cooker can be produced at a relatively low cost of about Rs.350-500 (depending
mainly on the cost of stainless steel) making it affordable for the target users and profitable for the
producer and retailers.
3. Because of the efficient design of the stove, the quantity of fuel required per meal is very
less, keeping the cost of fuel per meal cooked at the lowest possible level for the consumer. This
allows the per kg cost of the briquettes to be high enough to provide sufficient net income to the
char producers, the briquetters, as well as the retailers.
This example clearly demonstrates that it is possible to find ways of using biomass energy
in technoeconomically feasible ways. Considering the huge amount of agrowaste produced annually
in India, it can be easily seen that the chain of technologies described here can have a tremendous
positive impact on the rural economy of the country.
Introduction
The world today is behind two resources - energy and water. Over the years man has utilized
positively or negatively various conventional resources to satisfy his needs and greed. Thus, limited
storage of resources have been depleting steadily. Hence the propagation of non-conventional energy
sources and their utilization is imperative today.
Why Bio-gas?
Bio gas generated from locally available waste material seems to be one of the answers to the
energy problem in most rural areas of developing countries. ( Refer Fig 3) Gas generation consumes
about one fourth of the dung but available heat of gas is about 20% more than that of obtained by
burning the entire amount of dung directly. This is mainly due to very high efficiency (60 %) of
utilization compared to poor efficiency (11%) of burning dung cakes directly. The technology thus
seeded and spawned is populist technology based on ‘Nature’s income and not on nature’s capital’
so being an agricultural country use of bio-gas as a fuel for cooking or lighting purpose can be the
best solution for all Indian farmer families.
Chemically, a useful gas is just a methane gas. It’s chemical composition consist of one part
of carbon (C) and four parts of Hydrogen molecule. It’s chemical formula is CH4 .Bio-gas burns
with clear blue flame without giving any smoke. It’s flame temperature is up to 800 oC and it has
calorific value of 5650 KCAL/ m3
Technical aspects
Bio-gas is a mixture of :
Methane (CH4 ) : 50 to 70 %
Carbon-dioxide (CO2) : 30 to 40 %
Hydrogen (H2 ) : 5 to 10 %
Nitrogen (N2 ) : 1 to 2 %
Hydrogen Sulphide (H2 S) : Small quantity
Bio-gas is generated when bacteria degrade biological material in absence of oxygen process
known as anaerobic digestion. This process produces less temperature hence valuable in terms of
energy conservation.
Components of Bio-gas Plant
Bio-gas Digester
With bio-gas technology waste is stored in specially constructed containers while being
digested and there are no of technologies used to accomplish this.
· Batch type digester – treat a large amount of materials at once. They are generally used
for large scale applications.
· Continuous flow type – add and remove waste material on daily or regular basis. They
are best suited for small scale domestic applications.
Digester Types
Temperature (oC) Min retention time (Day) Optimum retention time (Day)
20 11 28
25 8 20
30 6 14
35 4 10
40 4 10
Advantages
¾ One cubic meter of biogas is equivalent to –
3.47 Kg of wood
0.63 liter of kerosene oil
0.61 liter of diesel oil
1.5 Kg Of coal
1.25 KWh of electricity
0.45 Kg of LPG
13 Kg of fuel dung
0.5 Kg of butane.
¾ It is non polluting
¾ It gives cheap and easily available energy.
¾ It uses waste like animal and human excreta and plant residues, which can otherwise
create undesirable conditions. So it can give hygienic, clean and safe atmosphere around
populated areas.
¾ Its slurry could be used as a nutrient rich manure in farms and could tremendously
improved agriculture production (refer following table)
Manure type Nitrogen % Potassium % Phosphorous %
Farm yard manure 0.5-1 0.5-0.8 0.5-1
Digested slurry(Liquid) 1.5 –2 1 1
Digested slurry (Dried) 1.3-1.7 0.85 0.85
¾ It can substitute firewood for cooking, heating, fuel and kerosene for lighting so saving
in foreign currency normally spent in fuel and fertilizers.
¾ Socially it can save a lot of time and labour in activities such as cleaning, washing and
cooking, which they can use for other income generating /saving activities to care more
for their children and to learn.
¾ Environmentally information technology can save wood and through that help to save
vulnerable forest, soil, water and clean of the environment.
The substituting effect of biogas produced from different sized plants
3
Size of plant (m ) Dung needed Operation of Daily gas Substitute for
(kg/day) oven production
(hour/day) 3 Wood Coal Kerosene Dung
(m /day)
(Kg/day) (Kg/day) (Kg/day) (Kg/day)
6 36 4 1.62 5.62 2.43 1 21.06
8 48 6 2.16 7.5 3.24 1.34 28.08
10 60 7 2.7 9.37 4.05 1.67 35.1
• It increases the work load by way of feeding bio-gas plants and handling slurry.
• A water supply is needed nearby, to supply enough water to dilute fresh dung.
• Bio-gas production being dependent on temperature cannot be used at altitudes above
2000 mtrs. above mean sea level.
• Remoteness of installation site pose a problem for the transportation of raw materials.
Durability
The structural durability of biogas plant is taken as 20 years for digester plant but gas drum
and fittings could have shorter life.
Conclusion
Biogas is especially relevant for the introduction of small-scale decentralized energy systems,
which are very appropriate for the country’s pattern of rural and agricultural economy. Considering
that organic wastes are anyway generated plentifully in any nation, it is always advantageous to
view biogas as a renewable energy source, which holds considerable promise for meeting part of
the energy needs of a nation.
References
1) Non Conventional energy systems By K.M.Mittal
2) www.auroville.org/research/ren energy/biogas.htm
3) www.undp.org/seed/energy/policy/ch_8.htm
4) www.ecouncil.ac.cr/rio/focous/report/English/inforce.htm
5) www.unu.edu/…/unupbooks/80434e/80434EIU.GIF
6) www.re-energy.ca/t-i-biomassbuild-1,shtml
Introduction
Company Structure,
Research and Development Centre,
Division: Agro, Healthcare and Homecare.
Biodiesel fuel for future
Global development in Biodiesel
Biodiesel program in India
Importance of Biodiesel
Opportunity of Biodiesel.
Economic Benefit
Benefit in national interest
Advantage of svo and Biodiesel
Non edible oil in India
Cultivation/Plantation of Jatropha and Karanj Plant.
Introduction
Benefit of Karanj & jatropha cultivation
Biodiesel plantation requirement
Nursery preparation
Extraction of oil
Specification of Karanj / jatropha oil
Acid value
Viscosity
Refractive Index
Specific Gravity
Parameters for pollution
Parameter for fuel
Biodiesel flow chart
SVO economics over diesel
Rural Employment
Scope of Karanj & jatropha plantation over aloe Vera plantation.
Activity in our organization
Our future task
Expectation & support from government.
BIODIESEL
FUELS FOR THE FUTURE
Biodiesel is produced from animal fats, Veg. Oil, waste cooking by lipid transesterification.
Forty years before the first diesel engine was demonstrated by Rudolf diesel on August 10,
1893 in Germany. He used a vegetable oil.
In remembrance of the event in 1893 August 10 has been declared International Biodiesel
Day.
Global development in Biodiesel
Several countries like Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Sweden,
UK and USA biodiesel has been produced and tested within the period of the last 10 years.
Development in India on Biodiesel
India is the sixth country in the world with a billion population. Our country faces problems
in regard to the fuel requirement for increased transportation demand and now imports about 70 %
of its petroleum requirement .The petroleum import bill is about 14 billion dollars. The current
yearly consumption of diesel oil in India is approximately 40 million tones forming 40 % of the
total petroleum products consumption. The potential demand for Biodiesel at 20% blend is estimated
at 13.38 million tones per annum by 2012.
In the present problematic traditional cultivation, raising of energy plantation to produce
Biodiesel, farmers can develop and utilize waste lands and improve incomes, rural labour will
have more employment opportunities and soil fertility and condition will improve.
Any vegetable oil can be converted in to Biodiesel; however, in India there is no surplus
production of edible oil. Therefore, the oil that can be used as Biodiesel has to be non-edible oil.
Produced in abundance and with stand harsh climate, as they would be taken up in wastelands,
the most suitable species in this regard are Jatropha and Pongamia. These plants could be grown
on wasteland about 80 million hectares of which is available in India.
The oil extracted from the seed is used in place of diesel after simple filtration. After further
processing this can be used in four wheelers. The seed cake after extraction of oil will be very good
organic manure as it contain high nitrogen content. This cake can also be utilized for biogas
production. The pruned leaves are used as green leaf manure.
Biodiesel program in India
In India most of the trials were done using bio diesel from Karanj and Jatropha.
(Ref. chemical weekly)
In December 31, 2002: - Indian Railway Conducted a successful trial run of an Express
Passenger train on the Delhi-Amritsar rout using 5% of biodiesel as fuel.
Indian Oil Corporation began in January 2004 field trials of running buses on diesel doped
with 5% biodiesel.
Hariyana Roadway buses used of Biodiesel.
Automobile manufacturers like Mahindra and Mahindra, Ashok Leyland etc. have already
tried biodiesel mix as a fuel for their vehicles.
Harbinsons Biotech Pvt. Ltd. has set up pilot plant at Gurgaon. IIT Delhi, IIT Chennai, have
already set up a biodiesel products facility of 60 kg/day at Faridabad.
Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. has a pilot plant using Karanj for Biodiesel production in
Mumbai.
What are biofuels
• Renewable fuels from biosources.
• Include
1. Ethanol
2. Biodiesel
3. Biogas
Why Biofuels
• Pollution threat
• Reduction of green house gas emission
• Regional development
• Social structure & Agriculture
• Security of supply.
Importance of Biodiesel
• Environment friendly
• Clean burning
• Renewable fuel
• No engine modification
• Increase in Engine life
• Biodegradable & non toxic
• Easy to handle and store.
The economy of a country mainly depends upon its energy source. Energy source is the main
contribution factor for the development and growth of the developing countries. Among the various
sources identified for alternate fuel Non-edible oils were considered to be ideal in view of compatible
properties with respect to diesel. This Biodiesel concept is been adopted with Jatropha and Karanj
oils in our country.
India has vast tract of degraded lands, mostly in areas with adverse Agro - Climatic condition,
where hardy tree bone oil seed Species like jatropha, Karanj, etc. can be grown easily. Even 30
million Hectares planted for Biodiesel can completely replace the current use of Fossil fuel. Our
oil bill is presently $ 6 Million a Year and the Waste Land Development would required only about
1000 Crores per Year for 20 Years to make India self sufficient forever in oil.
Developing A strong market for Biodiesel would have Treatmendous economic Benefits.
Investment in Biodiesel will have great Future.
FUEL DIESELCOST
INDEX
Title 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Year 94-95 95-96 210 250 99-2000 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2020-2025 2030
Price 1900 1950 2100 2500 2750 2850 3000 3100 3200 5000 Not
Available
BIODIESEL
Benefits in national interest
1. Recent trends are indicative of tremendous increase in production of commercial
vehicles and consumption of diesel. So biodiesel shows good potentials growth for
demand.
2. Superior eco friendly fuel in economic point of view.
3. Energy independent
4. Environmental safety
5. Self dependent - industries, transportation, other industries
6. Barren land will be under cultivation
7. Self employment in rural region
8. Self dependent villages
9. Stable economy
10. Generating power to meet their basic needs
11. Increasing local employment during dry season
12. By generating extra income from irrigated lands during off seasons
13. Using the oil cake residue as organic fertilizer and thus reducing the use of chemical
fertilizer
14. Reducing the use fossil fuel
15. Income from barren land by cultivation
16. Rural development
So it is better to use the available plants, which produce the non-edible oil seeds to cater the
needs at rural level for self-sustainability. Though there are more than 300 different species of trees
which produces oil bearing seeds, pongamia and jatropha are the drought resistant plants, which
grow with limited water which has enough potential to meet the fossil fuel demand at rural level.
Hence these plants can well be utilized to produce the Biodiesel at rural and industrial level.
Karanj plant is known by different names as per local level. Pongamia pinnata is botanical
name from leguminosea family. It has different uses, medicinal as well as Ayurvedic. Karanj has
long life from 60 to 80 years. It has tendency to stay in drought condition, no need of irrigation.
Karanj plant is resistant to diseases and insects free. They also used as road shading tree because it
is green in summer also. So it helps to increase the natural beauty and decrease the soil erosion.
Karanj cake and leaves also helpful in organic manure accordingly it helps to increase the economy
of Indian farmers.
Now a days agriculture forestry Dept. worked on different varieties of Karanj plant for high
yielding and high oil percentage. Some institutions like SuTRA, Dept. of Mechanical Engg., Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore has developed the hybrid variety by grafting which is high yielding
and oil percentages.
Planting methods, fertilizers and new techniques also developed. Stump technique is method
in which plants are grown for one year in nursery and transfer in the field after one year by making
stump shape by removing leaves and branches which is more convenient for transportation. It
saves the money and nursery accessories. Other technique is tissue culture, helps to produce good
quality seed plant in short time.
Jatropha curcus is plant belongs to Euphorbiaceae family known by Mogali Erand, Ratan
jyot, Ratna jyot in Telagu Nepalam and Yellamunaka, in Kannada Kadalabudu.etc. in different
regions of India . Jatropha plant is used by local and Adivasi people for different purpose. All parts
of plants are used by local people. It has medicinal value. Its roots are used against Aatisaar, stem
used for dental problem an4 tooth cleaning, leaf extract also useful in cattle problem.
Benefits of Karnj and Jatropha cultivation: -
• Cultivation of Karanj and Jatropha plants prevents soil erosion and makes the soil fertile.
• Cost of cultivation is low as compare to other plants.
• Low requirement of water and also stay in low ground water level.
• Seasonal and regional acceptance.
• Often cheated by unfavorable monsoon.
• Lack of insurance coverage.
• Long life plant
• Low insect and disease damage.
• It increases rural employment.
• Pollution control.
Nursery preparation
1. In our R&D - R/586 we are going to prepare 10,000 Karanj nursery plants (from seed
and grafting).
2. Now we have prepared 500 Karanj plants from seed, and 200 jatropha
plants from seed and grafting.
3. 80 hybrid Karanj plants procured from SuTRA, Bangalore for grafting.
Procurement of Karanj seed
Seeds are collected from local area, Shahad.
Bag filling for plants
Bag filling is done in 1:1:1 proportion. One part of soil, one part of sand and one part of
organic manure (Gomay).
Germination of seed
Seeds are incubated at 35°C temperature in incubator till germination. After germination
theses seeds are transferred in polythene Bag.
Grafting of nursery Karanj plant
Grafting will be carried after 6 months of seedling but it is not practiced in R&D, but work
is going on.
Plantation
Karanj
(Mahua, Neem, Karanj)
SEED
EXPELLER
BIODIESEL GLYCERINE
RURAL EMPLOYMENT
Employment Generation and Cost in Jatropha and Karanj Plantation.
7 Cost of plants (Including carriage 2500 Nos during first 10000 2000 100 20
year and 500 Nos of plants during second year for
replanting @ Rs. 4 per plant.
8 Planting and replanting cost 100 plants per employee. 1500 300 25 5
9 Irrigation 3 irrigations during first year and one irrigation 1500 500 5 2
during second year @ Rs. 500 per irrigation
10 Weeding and soil working 10 employee x 2 time for 2 years 1200 1200 20 20
2 Plantation
1 nursery plant grafting (high yield Targeted 1,00,000 plants this year 10000 plants are ready
variety) tissue culture lab has been set at our R&D Centre
2 tissue culturing Tissue culture under process will start producing the hybrid
variety of Karanj plant within next 6 months.
7 monitoring
3 Oil processing Depend on availability of seed
4 Etherification Under lab study
6 Installation of pilot etherification unit In process
7 Installation of bio diesel plant
Introduction
There are near about 300 varieties of non-edible oil seed bearing trees in our country. Many
of the foresters were of the view that the Honge Tree is God’s gift to India. It is very versatile tree
that grows in land as well as in coastal area and all these without much care. Growing these trees
enhances the maintenance of environment of the surrounding and offers employment opportunities.
Honge oil is extracted from the seed of Honge tree, whose Latin name is Pongammia Pinnata and
whose international name is Pongammia Pinnata Perry. Honge oil can be produced on a commercial
scale provided the right strategies are followed. The performance of the engine with Honge oil is
found to be satisfactory. The viscosity of Honge oil has to be corrected by preheating the oil. The
output of the engine remains almost the same though the calorific value is slightly lower. Taken
into account the sale value of cake which is a good fertilizer, Honge oil works out to be cheaper
(i.e. Rs 13 per kg) compared to current price of diesel. The high viscosity of Honge oil interferes
with injection process and leads to poor fuel atomization. The high viscosity has to be overcome by
using methyl ester honge oil. The transformation of Honge oil to its methyl ester reduces molecular
weight to one third, reduces viscosity to one eighth and increases the diesel index.
An approach more likely to be successful is to use methyl ester honge oil diesel blend without
engine modification.
Manufacturing Process
1. Honge oil is filtered to remove solid particles.
2. Honge oil is then heated to remove water content.
3. Titration is done to determine how much catalyst is needed.
4. Exact quantity of potassium hydroxide is then thoroughly mixed in Methanol till it dissolves
completely to get potassium methoxide.
5. Honge oil is heated if required (during winter) and mixed in the potassium methaoxide while
with agitator running.
6. It is then alloy, led to settle and glycerine is removed from the bottom.
Experimental Analysis
A single cylinder, Kirloskar make, diesel engine was used for performance calculation. Testing
is carried out at various loads starting from no load condition to the rated full load condition at
1300 rpm. The tests are conducted at constant speed. The engine was loaded by band brake
dynamometer. The different blends with diesel starting from 20% of biodiesel and 80%diesel for
honge oil methyl ester was used. Successively proportion of biodiesel is increased by 20% and
finally engine was run using 100% biodiesel as fuel. For comparison purpose 100% diesel is also
used as fuel. Fuel consumption rate were measured by Burette. Exhaust gas temperature and speed
were measured by electronics micro voltmeter and tachometer respectively. The engine tests were
conducted for entire load range at constant speed of 1300rpm. The performance such as fuel
consumption and exhaust gas temperature were measured after attaining a steady state
(approximately 20 min)
DATA FOR B-80 (80% HONGE METHYL ESTE + 20% DIESEL)
Load L Fuel Cons. Break Power BMEP BSFC Break Thermal BSEC
(Kg) Mf.(kg/hr) (kW) (BAR) (kg/kW/hr) Efficiency (%)
0 1.358 0 0 0 0 0
3 1.455 0.808 1.348 1.8 5.522 18.037
5 1.63 1.3481 2.25 1.209 8.334 12.11
7 1.6979 1.8874 3.15 0.899 11.06 9.0175
10 1.771 2.696 4.5 0.6568 15.13 6.581
15 1.94 4.044 6.7512 0.4797 20.73 4.8
17 2.397 4.583 7.6511 0.521 19.06 5.227
DATA FOR B-100
Load L Fuel Cons. Break Power BMEP BSFC Break Thermal BSEC
(Kg) Mf.(kg/hr) (kW) (BAR) (kg/kW/hr) Efficiency (%)
0 1.455 0 0 0 0 0
3 1.509 0.808 1.348 1.867 5.324 18.708
5 1.734 1.3481 2.25 1.28 7.731 12.87
7 1.852 1.8874 3.15 0.9812 10.13 9.832
10 1.895 2.696 4.5 0.7028 14.14 7.042
15 2.144 4.044 6.7512 0.53 18.75 5.379
17 2.3285 4.583 7.6511 0.5062 19.576 5.0724
Experimental Result
A single cylinder, kirloskar make water cool, vertical diesel engine was used. The test was
carried out at constant speed and at different load by using diesel and blend of honge methyl ester.
Conclusion
Following conclusions were drawn
1) Brake thermal efficiency of Blend 80 of methyl ester honge oil higher than diesel.
2) Flash and fire point of ester was higher than diesel, making it safer to store from fire point
of view.
3) Exhaust smoke density and NOx emissions were lower than diesel.
4) Blended with diesel gave better performance than solo running.
5) No engine modification is required.
logical configuration. For these reasons, this analysis is limited to a ratio of two production wells
per injection well, with earlier commercial systems limited to three wells total, and later systems
using multiple triplets of wells. The original well, from which the fracture system is created, is
used for injection. Two additional nearby wells are drilled directionally to intersect the fracture
system and are used as production wells. Operation of the system involves pumping water into the
fracture system through the injection well, forcing it through the fracture system where it becomes
heated, and recovering it through the production wells.
3. A system of microseismic instruments in shallow holes around the well that is being
fractured is used. During the fracturing operation, this system gathers seismic data, which is used
to determine the extent and the orientation of the hydraulically created fracture system. This
information is then used to guide the drilling of the production wells so that they intersect the
fracture system at depth. Although the HDR system, once it is completed, can operate without it,
the microseismic system is included here because itis an integral part of creating the HDR reservoir
and because it may be left in place to gather additional information which could be useful later in
the life of the HDR system.
4. A shallow water well to provide water (or other source of fresh water).
5. Surface piping, or gathering system, to transport water between the wells and power
plant.
6. A binary power system is used to convert the heat in the water to electricity. This system
is comprised of the following major components:
a. One or more turbines connected to one or more electric generators.
b. A heat exchange vessel to transfer heat from the hot water to a secondary working fluid
with a low boiling temperature.
c. A heat rejection system to transfer waste heat to the atmosphere and condense the
vapor exiting the turbine. A wet, or dry, cooling system can be used. The capital cost of
a wet cooling system is only marginally less expensive than for a dry cooling system.
However, this cost advantage is largely offset by the higher operating cost of the wet
cooling system. For this reason, and since HDR sites in the U.S. are likely to be in arid
areas with limited water supplies, this technology characterization is limited to a dry
cooling system.
d. Injection pump(s) circulate the water through the HDR reservoir.
e. Pumps repressure the working fluid after it condenses and a vessel storing the working
fluid.
f. Electrical controls and power conditioning equipment.
Development of an Engineered Artificial Reservoir
Granites have an internal fabric of cooling joints and fractures, a result of cooling down
from a melt (like molten glass) to a solid that we see today. Developing an underground heat
exchanger involves increasing the hydraulic pressure at the bottom of a deep drill hole (approx. 4-
5km) until the existing fractures and joints are slightly opened.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
125
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
The separated rock surfaces then slip past one another in response to natural stress conditions
at that depth. When the hydraulic pressure is released the surfaces close together again, but not
with the perfect mating they had before. Small gaps remain in the closed-up fractures.The combined
gaps or voids on many fractures make up the underground heat exchanger.
At lower pressures, water can be circulated through this underground heat exchanger. This
circulated water extracts heat from the hot granite (a natural heat exchanger).
Advantages of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy can be used instead of fossil fuels to produce electricity. Replacing fossil
fuels will reduce the amount of air pollutants which can cause acid rain and contribute to global
warming. Reducing the amount of oil shipped to the Big Island (officially called the Island of
Hawaii) for electrical generation lessens the possibility of oil spills.
Electrical power generation. A 30-megawatt geothermal power plant on the Big Island
displaces the need to burn about 500,000 barrels of fuel oil every year. It eliminates the need to ship
that amount of fuel oil from the refineries on the Island of Oahu to the Big Island, thus significantly
reducing the risk of oil spills
HDR electric plant could continuously generate power 24 hours a day and supply additional
peak load power for a few hours each day. It is a reliable energy and stable with time since it does
not depend on atmospheric or climatic conditions.
It respects the environment, and has little or no effect on it. It generates almost no polluting
substances, very little carbon dioxide and only a small quantity of hydrogen sulfide (HS). Most of
these products are reinjected into the groundwater and not into the environment.
Geothermal wells have a very limited visual impact. Once a well has been drilled it is
completely invisible, since the wellhead is buried.
One of the main advantages of HDR geothermal energy is the low environmental impact. As
the energy is derived from converting heat extracted from hot rocks there are no gas emissions.
Unlike burning fossil fuels, no CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
The process does not produce any waste dumps and has a low noise impact. The construction
of a HDR geothermal power plant leaves only a small environmental footprint. Site disturbance is
limited to drill holes and pipelines, and a building to house the power plant.
Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal water is often saline, with a very high content of mineral salts – up to 100g/l,
which is three times more than seawater! It can only be used through a heat exchanger, in other
words a device through which it transfers its heat to a parallel heating circuit containing fresh
water. The two liquids never come into contact resulting in a loss of efficiency.
Geothermal water is almost always corrosive. This corrosion (due to salt, but sometimes
also bacteria) increases maintenance costs.
There is a risk of pollution when the extracted water contains heavy metals. This water has
to be reinjected into the ground water.
Geothermal wells are sometimes vented for a few hours to clear the well and pipe lines
resulting in a temporary release of steam and abated gases. Such events can be noisy for a short
time. Some continuous low-level noise is also generated during normal power plant operations.
How do you choose the site for a geothermal well ?
Alain Despla: There are two main difficulties in drilling a geothermal well; the first is to
find the best site within the chosen area, and the second is to prevent corrosion of the tubing. For
the first point, maps are available to help choose the optimum location for a well, using the geothermal
inventory made by the BRGM at the beginning of the 1980s. These maps were produced from oil
prospecting data in sedimentary basins. If we drill far enough, we will find either oil or hot water.
A failure for oil companies is a success for us! Like oil, geothermal water does not exist in a
“reservoir” in a free state. It impregnates sand or friable rock and the fluid is driven to the surface
under the effect of pressure, by drilling to expose the layer to the open air. Therefore, any geothermal
operation must be preceded by exploration for a site. Note that a second inventory was made in the
early 1990s at the request of EDF (Electricité de France), this time concentrating on surface
geothermy (about 100m deep), as part of a program to install heat pumps. All these maps will be
updated starting this year, with the assistance of the ADEME (French Agency for the Environment
and Energy Control) and will be more easily accessible using new computer and communication
storage technologies.
How do you fight corrosion ?
Corrosion was a very serious problem with early projects, but the problem is now perfectly
controlled by injecting a chemical that prevents the development of bacteria that create corrosive
sulfites. It is an in-depth treatment that needs to be carried out continuously. Provided that the
treatment is not interrupted, tubes will not be corroded from the inside and can be used for at least
30 years. All that is necessary is to clean them, like a chimney needs cleaning regularly.
Environmental Effects
Under normal operating conditions there were no emissions from the HDR pilot facility
except waste heat. The dissolved gases in the circulating fluid remained at low and essentially
constant levels throughout the test. The only gas present in significant amounts was carbon dioxide.
At the concentration found in the geofluid, all the gases remained in solution at pressures in the
range of 2 MPa (300 psi). Since the circulating system pressure was kept at 4.8 MPa (700 psi), the
gases in the fluid remained in solution and were not released to the atmosphere.
One important gas often encountered in underground fluids is hydrogen sulfide. This extremely
toxic compound is heavier than air and tends to settle in low spots if it is
released. Although signs posted at the Fenton Hill HDR site warn of the potential danger
from hydrogen sulfide and a number of automatic alarms would announce its presence at a level
well below that at which it would present any danger, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the
circulating fluid at Fenton Hill has always been extremely low (typically less than 1 ppm). Even in
the event of an unexpected release to the atmosphere, the risk arising from this low level of hydrogen
sulfide would be very small.
The dissolved solids found in the circulating fluid were generally those characteristic of
normal slightly saline fluids, mostly sodium, magnesium , calcium, and chloride, but with small
amount of other materials, such as silica and arsenic, which tend to be present in crystalline rock.
At a total solids content of about 0.4%, the Fenton Hill fluid was nearly an order of magnitude less
saline than the ocean which contains about 3% salt.
System Maintenance Issues
Except for the injection pump no major maintenance problems were encountered during
the flow test period. Based on the low and stable levels of dissolved gases and solids, the almost
total absence of suspended solids, and the relatively neutral pH of the circulating water (always
greater than 5), neither scaling or corrosion would be expected A caliper log of the injection tubing
was conducted in late 1993, several months after the flow test was terminated. In spite of the fact
that the tubing had been installed nearly 10 years earlier, the walls showed no signs of deterioration
or of excessive scale formation. In short, all the evidence at Fenton Hill indicates that facility
maintenance should be relatively simple and inexpensive for HDR systems utilizing reservoirs
created in hard, crystalline rock.
HDR Schematic
(Now Decommissioned) A picture of the Fenton Hill plant
Abstract
This paper highlights some practical ways of reducing wastage of energy mentioning the
various visible and invisible energy losses. The proper planning for energy sources for
use is also suggested which if given due consideration can be further enhanced and
worked out in detail for actual implementation. Both these aspects themselves will con-
stitute a big energy source, which is to be harnessed with immediate effect so that we can
make a cultural change to face the present and forthcoming energy problems in the
advanced technical era.
Key Words : Alternatives, Cost effective, Cultural change, Energy demands, Energy Management Petroleum based
fuels, Six Sigma, Wastage of energy.
Introduction
It is mandatory to understand the importance of energy management which includes,
prominently;
1) Avoiding wastage of energy, what ever may be the source from which it is produced.
2) Proper planning of the usage of energy sources so as to make synergetically cost effective.
Why go for alternative sources?
Over the last few years it has been observed that present and up-coming trends in industrial
as well as business demands, strenuous competition, growing population, mechanized living styles
are causing increase in energy demands. Advanced technological developments, which are changing
at a very fast rate, are adding to these demands substantially.
The ease of use and low cost, petroleum-based fuels gained dominant position as energy
sources over a long period. Due to the continuously increasing consumption of these energy sources,
the natural stocks of these sources have considerably reduced with time.
Hence these sources have lost economic leverage leading to increase in the use of alternatives,
such as biomass, solar and wind energy, which have become attractive.[1]
Present scenario regarding wastage of energy
It is observed that much of the energy is wasted in various ways which results in decrease of
the energy sources without any service to the mankind. A few of these are,
• Poor road condition results in more fuel consumption, more wear and tear of vehicles,
higher maintenance cost of vehicles, more replacement of spare parts, more accidents
etc. Accidents alone result in further energy loss besides other serious losses. This
energy loss is continuous and very big.
• Poor maintenance of machinery and equipments in industries, other companies, offices
etc. result in wastage of energy. One can imagine total energy loss in this form.
• Municipal Corporations, Nagar Parishads and Gram Panchayats work include electricity
and water supply. There are many reasons we can observe how a great amount of energy
is wasted. Water supply needs a huge energy right from construction of dams till it
reaches the consumer. Hence waste of one drop of water is a great energy loss. Same is
the case with electric energy. In the year 1990 in a seminar on energy crisis, one paper
was presented which stated that in a city the cost of electricity wasted due to early
switching on and late switching off of street lights was Rs. 64,00,000. Hence, total
wastage in this type is of the order of crores.
• Wastage of energy in the domestic use is of a high order. Much of the energy is lost due
to misuse or non-required use.
• Wastage of energy in the form of electricity and water is of a very high order. Along
with usual known wastage there are a great deal of indirect wastages. For example poor
quality seeds will consume energy but will not give expected yield.
There are so many such practical losses which call for better energy management. Due to
the continuous increase in consumption of these energy sources, the natural stocks of these sources
have considerably reduced with time. Hence these sources have lost economic leverage leading to
increase in the use of alternatives, such as biomass, solar and wind energy, which have become
attractive.
Methodology to develop energy conversion system
To make a system almost wastage free, right from initial stages the system should be developed
adopting Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) methodology. Steps involved will be-
Define : details including purpose, elements involved like machineries, transmission, distribution,
use should be minutely decided.
Measure : Details of measurement system in all the phases should be decided.
Analyse : The elements of the first two phases be thoroughly analysed so that the system could
effectively designed.
Design : Based on the above phases system should be completely designed.
Verification: Design is to be verified using problem redefinition technique and after practical
verification final implementation is to be done. [2]
Methodology to use energy
Use of energy should also be based on Six Sigma methodology.
Define: Define the purpose of energy use clearly.
Abstract
Availability based tariff was introduced in western region and for the first time in India,
from 1st July2002 for the NTPC stations, for operational and commercial discipline. In
order to ensure secure grid operation, ABT is definitely useful .The aim of this paper is
to share the experience of state utilities like MSEB, GEB about the system operation and
how to maintain grid discipline using ABT activities in present power crisis.
Availability Based tariff (ABT) has already been implemented in all the five regions of
the country and the benefits derived by adopting this commercial mechanism are widely
acknowledged. The mechanism helped in improving the availability of central generators
for better grid discipline, a better grid parameters, utilisation of bottled up power and
reduction in cost of power.
The ABT, gives incentive for enhancing the output capability of the power plants, which
would enable more consumer load to be met during peak load hours. Secondly for
backing down during off peak hours -there is no financial loss to he generating station
and lastly shares of beneficiaries in the central generating stations allocated as per schedule
and utilisation of power as per allocation so as to try to avoid overdrawl of power
Introduction
Maharashtra state is Constituent of the Western Regional Electricity Board (WREB). Other
major constituent States are Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattigarh and Goa. These states are
interconnected by strong 400 Kv and 220 Kv Networks so as to exchange their due shares (Central
Sector Power) from the power Stations of NPC and NTPC in normal day to day working and to
interchange the power in case of emergency. Bulk power supply in the regional grids mainly
constitutes of power from multi-shared projects, better known as central sector stations in India.
The tariff mechanism applied to such bulk power supplies at 400 KV and 220 KV levels affects
the grid at large and the importance of right mechanism can never be overemphasized. The small
changes in tariff structure can result in large in large savings or losses to the power ports.
Disadvantages of PLF linked tariffs and resulting wastage of scare national recourse is too well
known. Despite such clear disadvantages, the ABT (Availability Based Tariff) implementation is
marred with legal hurdles. Till introduction of ABT, the existing mechanism has been operation
for more than a decade and has not resulted in linking system operation with right commercial
signals thereby causing problems in the form of -
Wastage of National Resources
High Frequency operation due to poor planning and lost opportunities for exchange
of surplus from power from one State/Region to another.
Energy cannot be stored as such must be consumed as and when it is generated. In other
words, Load Generation balance has to be maintained. It requires proper Generation Scheduling.
Excess generation results in unnecessary high frequency and shortage of generation results
in low frequency, hence poor quality of power supply . To have a Reliable and Quality of Supply
better Planning of Generation scheduling and suitable tariff mechanism needs to be in place.
So as to send commercial signals to Generators and Beneficiaries.
Availability Based Tariff (ABT)
The Availability Based Tariff (ABT) has been implemented in the Western Region for the
power received by the utilities from central sector generating stations. Normally, at rated frequency,
the power from central sector stations would be cheaper than the power from private sector stations;
which would be generating power, by using costly fuel like Naphtha. The ABT implies penal rates
that may be higher than the cost of IPP power at frequencies lower than 49.0 Hz. The ABT regime
also implies no payment for generation at frequency higher than 50.5 Hz. It means that, during
load drop particularly in monsoon, the utilities may have to back down their own low cost generation
to accommodate the ‘TOP’ power sources. The normal concepts of Economic Load Dispatch, in
such cases become different. The load dispatcher, therefore, has to be more careful in advising the
maintenance schedule for thermal power stations to minimize the backing down of low cost
generation. This is of particular relevance since low revenue Ag. Loads are minimum in monsoon
and immediately after harvesting season.
This is instituted with a view to encouraging the regional utilities to operate the grid system
at an agreed level of 49 Hz. and above. This condition, therefore, can compel the load dispatcher
to carryout load sheding at low frequency regions, not only from the system security point of view,
but also to economize on the cost of power delivered in the frequency levels in the Western Region
is termed as UI (unscheduled interchange) charges. The term U1 indicates violation of scheduled
limit of power drawl from central sector power stations by the constituent utilities in the region.
This is worked out for intervals of 15 minutes over which the ruling average system frequency is
taken as the basis.The integrated energy, as recorded in the Precision Energy Meters installed at the
points of interchange of power between the interconnected utilities, is billed at the rates that rise
sharply as the frequency deteriorates and at frequency of 49.0 Hz and below, the cheaper central
sector power would cost as high as Rs 6.00 per KWH. The Energy drawn at frequency higher
than 50.5 Hz is available almost free, since such drawl helps the system in high frequency
operation. The table below indicates the UI rate at different frequency and as per present formula
the rate changes by 6.0 Paise per KWH for every frequency change of 0.02 Hz.
The option is thus available for the utility to trade the surplus in high frequency conditions.
Also the utility has to be carefully assessed so that the cost of power drawn from central sector
stations in comparison to the cost of power available from private sector stations at command and
on demand for a known duration is viable. The importance of ABT is demonstrated in the Western
Grid by way of better system conditions and observance of Grid Discipline by the constituent
states. The slabs of Availability Based Tariff at different frequency are given below:
Introduction
A cell (or combination of cells) is capable of generating an electric current by converting the
chemical energy of fuel directly into electrical energy. The fuel cell is similar to other electric cells
in respect that it consists of positive and negative electrodes with an electrolyte between them.
Fuel in suitable form is supplied to the negative electrode and oxygen often from air to the positive
electrode when cell operates, the fuel cell is oxidized and the chemical reaction provides energy
that is converted into electricity. Fuel cells differ from conventional cell in respect to that the
active materials are not contained with in the cell but are supplied from outside.
Working of Fuel Cell
Operation of fuel cell can best be described with reference to a specific device. Fuel cell can
be adapted to variety of fuels by changing the catalyst. Here hydrogen, oxygen cell is described. As
shown in fig.1 a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell comprises two thin porous electrodes,
an anode and a cathode, separated by a catalyst coated polymer electrolyte that passes only protons.
As soon as hydrogen fuel enters the flow channel the anode splits into electrons and protons. The
electrons travel off via external circuit to power a drive motor or some other load. The protons
migrate through the membrane to the cathode where it combines with returning electrons and
oxygen from the air to form water due to catalytic action of PEM.
Why Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the perfect fuel because:
9 It can be produced from variety of energy sources.
9 It satisfies all energy needs from transportation to electric power generation.
9 It is the least polluting since its use produces water.
9 It is the perfect carrier for solar energy in that it affords solar a storage media.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
137
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Likewise, hydrogen is the perfect partner for electricity, and together they create an
integrated energy system based on distributed power generation and use. Hydrogen and electricity
interchangeable using fuel cell (to convert hydrogen to electricity) or an electrolyter for converting
electricity to hydrogen. A regenerative fuel cell works either way, converting hydrogen to electricity
and vice versa.
Hydrogen Generation
For almost all fuel cells, the fundamental fuel requirement is hydrogen. Hydrogen can be
obtained from several fuel sources through variety of routs, of which reforming is perhaps the most
important. Some visionaries of hydrogen economy believe that, in the distant future, petroleum
use as a transportation fuel will be forbidden to save the remaining resources for production of
high–value products such as drugs, building materials, and petrochemicals. Likewise, coal use will
be banned for environmental reasons. Remaining primary energy sources, mostly renewable and
nuclear power will then be used to generate electricity and hydrogen. Electricity will be converted
into hydrogen when a supply exceeds demand and energy needs to be stored. Hydrogen will be
converted back into electricity when required by a fuel cell vehicle.
120
100
80
He at of
combustion
60
20
0
Diesel G asoline Methane Methanol Hydrogen
3. Yan kishinevsky and Shalom Z. “Coming Clean with Fuel Cells” IEEE power and Energy
Magzine Nov/Dec 2003.
4. Electrical India, Vol 45 No.4 April 2005.
5. A.B.Hart, “ Fuel Cells Theory and Applications”.
6. G.T.Young , “ Fuel Cells Vol -I”.
7. G.T.Young , “ Fuel Cells Vol -II”.
8. Wolf V,Hubert A.G and Arnold Lamm , “Handbook of Fuel Cells-Fundamentals, Technology
and Applications Vol -I”.
9. Wolf V,Hubert A.G and Arnold Lamm , “Handbook of Fuel Cells-Fundamentals, Technology
and Applications Vol -II”.
10. Wolf V,Hubert A.G and Arnold Lamm , “Handbook of Fuel Cells-Fundamentals, Technology
and Applications Vol -III”.
FUEL CELL
Devendra R. Patil
T.Y. EPS
In transportation, and for many other applications, fuel cell technology is opening new doors
of opportunity for hydrogen. Governments and industry around the world, including in Canada, are
investing heavily in research and development into hydrogen fuel cells
Types fuel cell
Fuel cells are generally (but not always) given names that refer to the electrolyte:
· AFC: Alkaline Fuel Cell
· PAFC: Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell
· MCFC: Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell
· SOFC: Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
· PEMFC: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (or Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell)
· DMFC: Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (here is exception to the name giving rule)
When hydrogen is fed to the anode compartment, and air or oxygen to the cathode
compartment, an electrical potential of approximately 1Volt builds up. When the anode and cathode
are externally connected by an electrical load, a current is produced and hydrogen and oxygen are
consumed.
The potential of the PEMFC drops as a function of current drawn from the cell. After an
initial steep drop in potential, there is an almost linear relation between current density and potential.
The power increases as a function of load, according to an almost parabolic curve. At high current
density, close to the highest power density, the potential starts to drop off non-linearly.
The fuel supply may be a simple cylinder containing compressed hydrogen and pressure
controller. The use of liquid hydrogen or metal hydrides makes the system somewhat less simple,
since heat must be provided to the tank. If instead of hydrogen a hydrocarbon is used as a fuel, the
fuel supply system becomes more complicated. In this case a fuel processor (fuel reformer and gas
purifier) is required to provide hydrogen for the fuel cells. The electrical energy produced by the
fuel cell stack(s) can be fed to the motor invertor directly. In some cases, it may be attractive to use
a buffer system, such as a battery, super capacitor or fly wheel. The buffer will supply peak power.
This may be needed during start-up, or during acceleration. The buffer can also be used to absorb
energy during regenerative braking. When a buffer is used, the system is referred to as a series
hybrid system.
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC)
MCFC is under development. The electrolyte consists of molten carbonate in a matrix, which
does not let threw the electrons but it lets threw ions.
The reaction is:
The working temperature for this type of cell is 500-700 ° C. With these high temperatures
you can avoid expensive catalyst as platinum. The working temperature is a compromise you get
a high efficiency but also a high corrosion speed.
MCFC can be made with relatively big units. Cells, which are 2 m, have been made. They
give up to 2 kW. The efficiency is around 60 %
The lifespan is the biggest problem with the cells, its just around 5 000 hours.
Advantages and disadvantages with MCFC
Advantages Disadvantages
Inner reforming possible The electrolyte has the be closely controlled
Can be connected to a distant heating net Cathode and anode have a limited life span
because of corrosion
CO does not pollute the cell High sensitivity to sulfur
High efficiency Los of electrolyte
Big cell areas possible and there High costs
by a better efficiency
USA and Japan lead the development of MCFC. Several test units are on its way and it
looking good in the cell. If you pressurize the cell it can increase the efficiency by 10 %. The
American company Westinghouse plans to introduce a commercial cell in the 2002.
National Seminar on Alternative Energy Sources
146
VPM’s Polytechnic, Thane
Without a bottom cycle the efficiency is around 50 % for a SOFC in the MW class. With a
ottom cycle the efficiency is about 70 %
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, considered the most promising for automotive
application of four current types of fuel cells. This was a brilliant innovation in the late 1950s by
Len Niedrach and Tom Grubb. They did away with the liquid electrolyte which causes a lot of
problems and replaced it with a solid polymer film. Platinum electrodes are added by pressing the
power into the surface of the membrane, and the membranes are stacked up with bipolar spacers to
provide for a flow of fuel and oxygen (or air) on alternative sides. This is the ultimate in simplicity
of construction and operation. The cell does not have to be heated to start up, it is very efficient, it
is very reliable and long lived, and it is potentially cheap. The membrane is very small, which
makes the device compact and well adapted to vehicle uses. The low temperatures under 100° C
also make the fuel cell an alternative to the engines of to day.
The PEM fuel can only be powered with air (oxygen) and hydrogen. That makes it necessary
either to have hydrogen supply infrastructure or to use an onboard gas generator system with reformer
producing hydrogen from any hydrogen rich liquid such as methanol. Options are divided about
the choice of methanol or hydrogen in fuel cells vehicles.
Iceland's plans for a cleaner future
On Iceland it will soon be over with polluting cars. With the help of an agenda all traffic on
the island will be changed to hydrogen energy, with just one waste product water. The Project is
possible because of Iceland has enormous resources of renewable energy.
On Icelandic gas stations there will soon be an better alternative then unleaded gasoline:
They will be able to refuel with hydrogen and there by not burden the environment with carbondioxid
and other poisonous substances. Iceland has a chance to be the first place in earth where hydrogen
forces out traditional engines. This optimistic vision is a result of co-operation between Vistorka
(an Icelandic company), Daimler-Chrysler, Norwegian Hydro and Shell. The four companies have
formed Iceland Hydrogen Fuel Cell Company and they work with the Icelandic government and
Reykjavik University to rearrange the Icelandic transport sector, so in 25-30 years it will only use
hydrogen. The Icelandic government supports the project because they want Iceland to be an exporter
of know-how and technology.
In the beginning it is just about getting practical experiences on the use of hydrogen and fuel
cells. Iceland will be the whole wide worlds little test lab. This can be one of the 21st century's
biggest challenges.
On the volcanic island there is an abundance of renewable energy sources, which at the
moment only are exploited to a mild degree. For example, only eight percent of the hydro-energy
are being used and just about 1.5 % of the geothermal energy.
At the start only the Reykjavik city busses will drive on hydrogen. The next phase will be to
gradually change the internal-combustion engine's in the ordinary cars to hydrogen use. The last
phase will be the Icelandic fishing fleet will be changed to hydrogen use. They will have a very
limited oil import and this has decreased their carbodioxide emissions with 70 %. This is not bad
for Iceland with its population of 265000 inhabitants, but with 133000 cars, 1500 busses and 800
ships. The Icelandic people can look forward to a great economic gain if this works. If it works
other countries will follow in Iceland's footsteps, and there by the entire world will gain on Iceland's
experiments.
Fuel cells for stationary electric production
Fuel cell is being used in experiments and demonstration purposes around the world. Fuel
cells with SOFC and MCFC technology has a potential big market if small scale natural gas or oil
production is available. Westinghouse plans on having a SOFC-GT (Solid oxide fuel cell combined
with a gas turbine) on the market soon. A concurrent for the fuel cell is turbines that will use
hydrogen as fuel, because of that fuel cells might not be used for big scale electric production.
Market and cost for fuel cells
As the technology is still in the development the cost are high. Calculations of cost for plants
cannot be used based on demonstration plants. It must be built on larger series of fuel cells. Today
its too expensive for fuel cell to reach a bigger market, but according to the companies that develop
the fuel cell the cost will be greatly cut in the future.
1. Fuel cells for vehicles.
2. Distribute electric power.
Conclusions
1. The expectations on fuel cell technology is very big. If you could manufacture PEM with long
enough life spans, it will change the vehicle market completely.
2. For small scale electric distribution there is a potential market provided that an acceptable fuel is
near by. For relatively small scale electric and heat production MCFC and SOFC have the
potential of high efficiency.
3. For lager scale power plants the image is not so clear, but one can reach a high efficiency.
Mrs. S. S. Kulkarni
Senior Lecturer. EPS Deptt.
It is now widely recognized that fossil fuels and other conventional resources, presently
used in generation of electrical energy may not be either sufficient or suitable to keep pace with the
ever-increasing world demand for electrical energy. The prospects for meeting this demand and
avoiding a crises in supply would be improved if new and alternative energy sources could be
developed. Fortunately many such sources exist. Undoubtedly many of these would be exploited
more and more in future [ 1 ].
Another frequently required aspect in an industry is safety engineering and environmental
issues. It is very much essential for healthy survival of a human being in a society.
Also meeting a load demand only is not important bur conservation, energy audit also play
vital role in an energy management programme. This minimizes wastages of energy and brings the
optimum utilization of electrical energy. In this paper, suggestions are given to design curriculum
for advanced diploma in non conventional energy sources, energy management and safety. It is a
two semester course. Each semester contains theory papers and practicals / industrial visits as well
as seminars. The second semester contains a project work where a student will prove the importance
of non conventional energy source against conventional one and should be able to carry out energy
audit and apply safety rules at his work place.
The course proposes all three important areas which keep pace with latest technological
development.
Introduction – What industry needs?
Energy plays a major role in the economic development of a country. It is an indispensable
component of industrial product, employment, environment and comfort [ 1 ]. Since conventional
sources have limitations, non conventional sources become important , thus leading to non
conventional plant erection which requires expert in that area.
When energy is generated at least cost at the same time energy wastages should be minimized.
It is covered under the energy audit, conservation programmes etc. which is collectively termed
‘Energy Management’.
The erection of a well equipped plant requires safety, hygiene and environmental issues to
be considered which is proposed in the course.
As electrical energy plays a vital role in all round development of a country, a person
skilled in electrical safety, energy audit and knowledge of non conventional energy sources is
required in an industry.
5. Defining a Problem
6. Design a Solution
7. Searching for Information
8. Impact of his activity on environment.
Course Structure
The proposed course is of two semesters. The first semester contains five subjects each of
100 marks theory and practical of 50 marks, based on the reports of industrial visits reports. The
second semester consists of five subjects and one project work of 100 marks each. Both semesters
include seminar by each student. The proposed project work expects some study or survey which
will cover non conventional power plant, safety encountered in it and energy management in a
plant. The details of subjects are given at the end in a tabular form.
Design and methodology
This course curriculum is in the form of suggestions. Efforts are made to include all three
areas of utmost importance in today’s industrial scenario and fast technical growth. Stress is given
to almost all non conventional sources of generation, at the same time developing thinking skills
and creativity in students so that they are ready to work in a non conventional power stations. Due
importance is given to safety aspects in a plant where they work, which also takes into account
hygiene and environmental issues. Environmental issue takes into account that non biodegradable
material should be avoided or minimized. It is also proposed to make them familiar with ISO
14000, because for exporting a product to some countries like Europe ISO 14000 accreditation is
mandatory [ 3 ].
Not only continuous availability of energy supply in adequate amount is necessary for the
progress of industry but energy conservation efforts are also essential in today’s competitive world
where it is necessary to cut down overheads such as energy bills which is covered under the subjects
of energy management and audit. In rural areas, where plant is located at remote places, transmission
and distribution of energy increases infrastructure cost as well as running cost and T & D losses.
This also calls for captive power plant and its erection in the premises or nearby places of industry
and which can be owned by that plant. Most of the energy required by the plant is for illumination.
Therefore, an audit of illumination system can indicate some savings. The introductory illumination
topics are proposed under energy management / audit. To avoid wastage in energy further, a co-
generation system is to be adopted which converts energy contained in a fuel into two or more
usable forms. It is also proposed in the curriculum.
Along with theory, practicals in the form of industrial visit / visit to power station also
should be organized for co-relating theory and practical reports based on visit which can be submitted
as term work for that subject.
To enhance creativity and technical skills in a student, they have to undertake a project work
which should include a case study or survey or they can design their own non conventional plant
and implement safety norms and can also carry out energy audit for this proposed plant [ 4 ].
We have tried to balance theory and practicals / visits and it is assumed that a student is
familiar with Basic Electrical Engg., Generation Engg., Power Systems, Measuring Instruments,
Testing Procedures, Maintenance Schedules etc.
Conclusion
The paper has proposed a new course at post diploma level on non conventional energy
sources, energy management and safety. The relevance and importance of this course in the context
of today’s industrial scenario and needs are enumerated.
The conventional sources of energy are depleting at a faster rate, it is required to have
generation from non conventional sources. The students need to be given exposure to technologies
and issues involved in non conventional energy sources such as wind, solar etc. Such a course will
also help to make society at large aware of the application of non conventional energy sources in
household use.
Energy audit has become an essential part of improvement activities in industry. It basically
aims at identifying the unnecessary energy consumption and energy wastages / leakages. Students
armed with knowledge of energy audit can contribute significantly in energy conservation
programmes of industry.
This paper has also highlighted the ever important safety issues and growing realization in
industry about the adherence to products and processes eco-friendly. Inclusion of safety and
environmental issues in the curriculum will make the proposed course more meaningful and attractive
in today’s industrial scenario.
Distribution of Subjects
Proposed structure of advanced diploma in non conventional energy sources, safety and
energy management –
SEMESTER I
Max. Marks
Sr. No. SUBJECT TH PR SW
1 Non Conventional Energy Sources I 100 50 50
2 Safety Engineering 100 50 50
3 Safety, Health & Environmental Management 100 50 50
4 Energy Management-I 100 50 50
5 Power System Planning 100 50 50
SEMESTER II
Max. Marks
Sr. No. SUBJECT TH PR SW
1 Non Conventional Energy Sources II 100 50 50
2 Industrial Hygiene & Occupational Health 100 50 50
3 Advanced Safety Management & Engineering Techniques 100 50 50
4 Energy Management-II 100 50 50
5 Illumination Engg. 100 50 50
6 Seminar ---- 50 ---
7 Project ---- 100 ----
• TH – Theory
• PR – Practical
• SW –Sessional Work
Important topics covered under each subject-
SEMESTER I
Sr. No. Subject Important Topics
1 Non Conventional Energy Sources I Details of Solar energy, Wind energy, Biomass
energy; its applications
2 Safety Engineering Safety in the use of machines, Material
handling, Electrical hazards, Housekeeping etc.
5 Power System Planning Load forecasting – Short term and long term,
Reliability engineering basics, Outage of a plant
and related factors.
6 Seminar Based on above related topic.
SEMESTER II
Sr. No. Subject Important Topics
Acknowledgements
We would like to sincerely thank Prof. B. P. Tale, Director MSBTE, Mumbai who encouraged
us to design this course.
References
1 B. R. Gupta, ‘Generation of electrical energy’, Eurasia Publishing House (Pvt.) Ltd. New Delhi,
2001 edition.
2 A handbook of ‘Curriculum for general Diploma in Electrical Engineering’ by Maharashtra
State Board Of Technical Exams., Maharashtra State, Mumbai.
3 A handbook of Project synopses for ‘Energy Day 2005’ organized by Energy Systems
Engineering, I.I.T., Bombay.
4 Y. K. Anand, P.N. Meenan, Suneel Dath, ‘An Innovative approach for identifying problems
and issues of curriculum development in Polytechnics’, ISTE Journal, Vol. 17, No. 3, July-
Sept.94.
Install smokeless chulhas in rural households that depend on firewood for cooking in order to
conserve our forest wealth.
Do not waste items like food, cloths, tins boxes paper, drinking water, etc., these consume energy
in their production.
Streamline procedural requirements for establishment of new capacities for production, generation,
distribution, and consumption of all forms of all forms of energy.
Conclusion
The demand for energy is increasing day by day. The ever increasing use of modern means of
transport systems, changing lifestyles and mechanization of labour have led to sudden and very
large spurt in the energy requirements. There are several choices available in selecting an alternate
source, but the cost factor is high and each is suitable only in a particular area. Since the renewable
sources of energy have inbuilt constraints of use, almost 90% of the energy requirements have to
for now be met from the finite sources available on this planet. With the impending energy crisis
facing mankind, saving ‘every bit of energy’ is of great importance. This saved energy can then be
put to same useful ‘use’ in future. We must remember ‘energy saved is energy produced’. We have
to practice sustainable consumption
Mr. Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director, Maharashtra Nature Park was the Chief Guest and Mr. Sunil
Pote, Deputy City Engineer, Mr. Bodke were the guest of honour of the above competition.
Mr. S.V. Kulkarni, Director, SVK-CDM Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Thane and Mrs. Radha Natarajan,
Geography Department, N.G. Bedekar College of Commerce, Thane were judges of the competi-
tion.
All papers were very much informative and having innovative ideas. Papers covered the areas on
solar energy, wind energy, bio diesel, bio fuels, geothermal, nuclear, ocean energy, tidal energy and
hydro energy. The theme dominating the presentation was that- By using non-conventional sources
of energy we can minimize pollution and solve many problems relating energy and its utilization.
Systematic presentation and innovative information were the two important factors of the success
of the competition. Mrs. G.S. Ingawale, Senior Lecturer and ISTE Chapter Secretary was the
coordinator of the competition.
3) Gujarat Chairman,
Director, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB),
Gujarat Energy Development Agnecy Vidyut Bhavanam, Pattom,
(GEDA) Thiruvananthapuram-695004,
Suraj Plaza, part-II, Sayaji Gunj, Tel. : 0471-2449854, 2440121-2
Vadodra - 390005. Fax : 0471-2449854
Tel.: 0265-2363123, 2362058, 2361409
Fax : 0265-2363120 6) Lakshadweep
Email : [email protected] Executive Engineer (Ele.)
Union Territory of Lakshadweep,
4) Karanataka Department of Electricity,
Managing Director, Kavaratti - 682555,
Karanataka Renewable Energy Tel. : 04896-262127
Development Ltd. (KREDL) Fax : 04896-262936, 262140
No. 19, Maj. Gen. A.D. Loganadhan
INA Cross, Queens Road, 7) Madhya Pradesh
Bangalore 560052 Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh
Tel. : 080-2282220-1 Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. (MPUVN),
Fax : 080-2257399 B-Block, Urja Bhawan, Main Road
Email : [email protected] No. 2, Shivaji Nagar, Bhopal - 426 016.
Tel. : 0755-2553595, 2556245
Fax : 0755-2553122
Email : [email protected]
Power Agencies
8) Maharashtra
Chairman, Tamil Nadu Electricity
Director,
Board (TNEB),
Maharashtra Energy Development
Electricity Avenue, Anna Salai,
Agency (MEDA),
Chennai-600002,
MHADA Commercial Complex,
Tel. : 044-28521300, 28521210
S.No. 191-A, Phase -I,
Fax : 044-28521210
Opp. Tridal Nagar, Yerawada,
Email : [email protected]
Pune - 411006.
Tel : 020-26683633, 26683634
12) Uttar Pradesh
Fax : 020-26683631
Director, Non-conventional Energy
Development Agency (NEDA),
9) Orissa
Vibhuti Khand, Gomati Nagar,
Chairman & Chief Executive,
Lucknow-226010,
Orissa Renewable Energy Dev. Agency
Tel. : 0522-2392942-3, 2392872-4,
(OREDA),
Fax. : 0522-2393952, 2392072
S/59, Macheshwar Industrial Estate,
Bhubaneshwar - 751010
13) West Bengal
Tel. : 0674-2580660, 2480258
Director, Bengal Renewable Energy
Fax : 0674-2580368
Development Agency (WBREDA),
Bikalpa Shakti Bhavan,
10) Rajasthan
Plot No. J-1/10, EP&GP Block,
Managing Director,
Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V,
Rajasthan Renewable Energy
Kolkata-700 091.
Corporation Ltd. (RRECL),
Tel. : (033)-23575038, 23575348
(Formerly REDA & RSPCL)
Fax : (033)-23575037, 23575347
E-166, Yudhisthir Marg, C-Scheme,
Jaipur 302 004.
Tel. : 0141-2384055, 2384077
Fax : 0141-2381528
List of Agencies
1) Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory 9) Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce
Commission Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA)
World Trade Centre, No.1, 13th floor, Tilak Road, Pune 0 411 002.
Cuffe Parade, Mumbai - 400 005. Tel. : 9120-4440371, 4440472
Fax : 9120-4447902
2) [email protected]
Web: www.mcciapune.com
India Core Response Team
119 B, Jaina Tower II 10) Solar Energy Society of India(SESI)
District Centre, Janakpuri Changi Ram Block, 334,
New Delhi -110058, India Asian Games Village,
www.indiacore.com New Delhi 110049.
Tel. : 011-26495001
3) National Hydroelectric Power
Fax : 011-51751800
Corporation Ltd.
(A Govt. of India Enterprise) 11) Department of Atomic Energy
NHPC office complex, Sector 33 Government of India,
Faridabad 121003, Haryana, India Anushakti Bhavan,
www.nhpc.co.in Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg,
Mumbai 400 001. India
4) TERI
Tel. : 91-22-22026823/22028917
Tata Energy & Resources Institute
Dabari Seth Block, Habitat Place, 12) Nuclear Power Corporation of
Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India India Ltd.,
[email protected] • www.teri.in.org Vikram Sarabhai Bhawan,
Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400094.
5) BHEL
Tel.: 91-22-25560222,2556 0140,
BHEL House, Sirifort,
2556 0300
New Delhi 110049
www. indusscitech.net
6) Bureau of Energy. Efficiency(BEE)
13) Central Power Research Institute
www.energymanagertraining.com
Government of India
www.aipnpc.com.
New BEL Road, P.O.Box No. 8066,
Bangalore 560008.
7) Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Productivity
National Productivity Council
6, SIDCO Industrial Estate,
Ambuttur, Chennai 600 098.
8) MITCON Consultancy Services Ltd.
Kubera Chambers
Shivajinagar, Pune 411005
Tel. : 9120-25534322/3309
Fax : 9120-2553 3206
Email : [email protected]
THAKUR POLYTECHNIC
An ISO 9001 : 2000 Certified Institute
Thakur Complex, Kandivli (E), Mumbai 400 101.
Tel. : 2854 2481 / 2854 3540 / 2854 2433 Fax : 2854 1993
Email : [email protected] • Web : www.thakureducation.org
Courses Offered
The Polytechnic offers three year diploma courses with yearly examination pattern in
various branches of engineering and technology, the syllabi of which are prescribed by
the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE). The course are approved
by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi.
Course Intake
Mechanical Engineering 60
Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering 60
Computer Engineering 90
Information Technology 60
Computer Technology 60
Electronics Engineering 60
FORTHCOMING
NATIONAL SEMINAR
ON
GEO-INFORMATICS
DECEMBER 8th & 9th, 2006
Last Date for Submission of Abstract : 31st July 2006
Notification of Acceptance : 16th August 2006
Last Date for Submission of Paper : 31st October 2006
Venue
Thorale Bajirao Peshawe Sabhagruha
“Jnanadweepa”, Thane College Campus,
Chendani Bunder Road,
Thane 400 601, (MS), India.
Organising Secretary
Mrs. K.S. Agashe
Incharge Electronics Department
V.P.M.’s Polytechnic
“Jnanadweepa”, Thane College Campus,
Thane 400 601, (MS), India.
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]