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This research study is one of the significant to offer an inclusive investigation of the impact of green finance correlated policies by applying text analysis approach and panel data from 28 states and 8 union territories between 2010 and 2020. The paper uses the SDID and illustrates that overall, India's green finance associated with policies have directed a substantial decrease in industrial CO 2 emissions during the study period. Furthermore, the paper determined that the Fintech growth pays to the reduction of SO 2 (sulfur dioxide) emissions and positively influences environmental safety and investment enterprises. India is a great competitor worldwide in green finance strategy operation, and controllers need to accelerate the design of green finance products and boost the volume of financial institutions to provide green credit facilities. Though minimalizing the risk fintech stances, policymakers should inspire fintech's to take part in environmental quality protection inventiveness that encourages green consumption actively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, there has been a significant interest in developing solutions to improve the efficiency of power systems, such as optimal energy consumption and management. The demand response programs (DRP) have long been one of the most effective strategies to encourage consumers to change their consumption behavior. In this paper, a novel hybrid DRP has been implemented by combining the time of use (TOU) and incentive-based (IB) DRP methods. To meet the load demand, a PV-WT-BESS hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) has been proposed in this work. Further, to analyze the impact of hybrid DRP on the capacity allocation of different system components, optimal sizing has been performed in two scenarios, one with the actual load and the second with the load after considering the hybrid DRP. The optimization has been carried out by using an improved search space reduction (ISSR) algorithm. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the ISSR algorithm, the obtained results are compared with other algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), grey wolf optimization (GWO), teaching-learning based algorithm (TLBO), seagull optimization algorithm (SOA), and sine cosine algorithm (SCA). Finally, a novel energy management strategy (EMS) is also proposed in this work on the supply side of the HRES, which intelligently uses the variations in the grid tariff to charge the BESS when the tariff is low. To demonstrate the proposed DRP and EMS-based sizing, a case study has been performed for a grid-connected PV-WT-BESS for the location of Kanyakumari, India. From the results obtained, it has been concluded that the hybrid DRP reduces the peak demand up to 5%, which reduces the levelized cost of energy (LCE) by 22%. Furthermore, the proposed novel EMS reduces the LCE further by 5%. The overall cost reduction of up to 25% has been achieved by using both the proposed hybrid DRP and EMS, while satisfying all necessary constraints. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grape farms face many climate risks during cultivation, and regulatory and sustainability-related challenges after the harvest. To support the farmers, Government of India (GoI) aims to promote adaptive capacity throughout the grape value chain by improving resilient infrastructure. This paper proposes a novel Grapevoltaics farm design based on shared circular business model principles where resources like energy, water, and land are shared between grape farmer and solar plant operator. The resilience (in the near term) and sustainability (in the long term) of such multifunctional systems may be influenced by the decisions taken by the involved stakeholders in terms of resource sharing and support extension when facing climate risk events. To address stakeholder engagement, the proposed Grapevoltaic farms leverage blockchain smart contract, making them Blockchain-enabled Grapevoltaics (BCeDGVs). To understand the feasibility, 1-ha Grapevoltaic farm is modeled for 12 grape growing regions accross India and analysed using Resilience Performance, Life Cycle Analysis, and Techno-Economic (RePLiCATE) approach. The results show that the solar panels provide resilience support based on the rules of engagement written on blockchain smart contracts. The BCeDGVs has 1295.28–2908.08 kWh/kWp/day electricity generation potential across India with a lifetime average of 15,380.65 MWh even after considering the national average photovoltaic degradation rate of 1.9%. The observed grape yields vary between 2 and 31.25 Mt/ha with an average yield of 45 Mt/ha (table grape) and 40 Mt/ha (wine grape), and the rainwater harvest varies between 1.23 to 7.32 M l. The economic assessment revealed that grape farmers and photovoltaic plant operators across India under BCeDGVs could have revenues ranging between INR 56.25 to 225 million and INR 29.48–66.19 million, respectively, suggesting to relook into the feed-in tariffs and crop selling prices. The environmental sustainability results suggest that 1.984 ha/MW land-use mitigation and 12–100% reduction in groundwater dependency are possible while maintaining the minimum and maximum national average global warming potentials as 0.074 and 0.088 kg CO 2 -eq./kg grape, respectively. Overall, the integrated assessments find that the BCeDGVs may promote low carbon, climate resilient grape cultivation in India and has possible integration with GoI's GrapeNet platform. This study highlights a new research direction symbiotic grape farms and energy networks. [Display omitted] • Grapevoltaics co-locate Vitis vinifera cultivation with solar photovoltaics. • Blockchain smart contract facilitated shared circular business model in agriculture. • Harvested rainwater cut emissions for grape crop and solar panel cleaning. • Dynamic operation of solar panels protects the grape crop from rain events. • Grapevoltaics integration with APEDA's GrapeNET platform, Govt. of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first comprehensive hourly-resolution scenario study of the Indian electricity system with a view to investigate the transition from fossil to renewable energy-based power generation. Currently, India is 76% dependent on coal for power generation, however ambitious goals exist. Energy organisations including International Renewable Energy Agency and The Energy and Resources Institute, have presented scenarios but neither with support of dynamic simulation nor with assessment of optimal renewable energy contributions. In this paper, the optimal electricity system is analyzed in comparison with these. Results show that an optimal scenario could supply the hourly electricity by (i) increasing production capacity to about 615 GW, which is a 98.3% increase compared to the 310 GW in 2016, (ii) improving capacity factor of wind power and photovoltaic to 27% and 21% respectively, (iii) increasing wind power production to 433 TWh/yr (from 46 GWh/yr in 2016), solar photovoltaic to 290 TWh/yr (12 GWh/yr in 2016), river hydro to 42 TWh/yr (7.7 GWh/yr in 2016), biomass and nuclear power of 15 GW each. The costs of the identified optimal scenario are lower than of the previous scenarios. Finally, simulations show that inclusion of optimal proportion of biomass and nuclear could avoid any import dependency. • Design and analysis of renewable energy scenarios for India. • Evaluation of the cost structure of renewable energy scenarios. • Comparison with official Indian scenarios. • Proposes the Renewable Nuclear Dependency Index (RNDI) for evaluating scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion-absorption refrigeration (DAR) is a cooling technology that uses a three-component working fluid and a thermally-activated bubble-pump for fluid circulation. DAR cooling modules can be manufactured at low cost and entirely driven by thermal energy, making this a promising technology for cold-chain services in off-grid regions. In this work, we investigate the performance potential of an ammonia-water-hydrogen solar-DAR system for application in rural India. In Part I of the investigation, a semi-empirical system model is developed that considers both the steady-state operation of the DAR system and dynamic behaviour during start-up with a solar-thermal heat source. The model is calibrated using experimental data from a laboratory DAR system where heat input rate and system charge pressure are variables that can be adjusted. Under steady-state conditions, the system achieves a maximum coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.25 with a system pressure of 14 bar. However, at the minimum heat input rate of 100 W the system can take up to 2 h or longer for bubble pump activation, prior to which no cooling is produced. In the accompanying paper (Part II), the model is used to investigate the influence of various parameters on system performance and to identify promising areas for improvement. • A model of a solar diffusion absorption refrigeration system is presented. • The system's steady-state and dynamic operation are characterised. • The role of system charge pressure and working fluid concentration are assessed. • The experimentally calibrated model predicts steady-state COP to within ±20%. • The peak heat source temperature during start-up is predicted to within ±10 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diffusion-absorption refrigerator (DAR) is a cooling technology that can be driven entirely by thermal energy. With solar-thermal collectors as the heat source, this technology can provide a zero-emissions solution for essential cold-chain provision in the world's poorest regions. In the accompanying paper, a system model of a solar-driven DAR system was developed for simulating operation under variable solar conditions. In Part II of this study, we apply this model to assess the predicted performance of the system in its intended application: for on-farm refrigeration of harvested crops in rural India. The roles of the working-fluid charge pressure and collector array area for maximum cooling are investigated. A charge pressure of 16 bar is found to be optimal for ambient conditions during the October harvest season in Ahmedabad, with a collector-array area of 1.5 m2 found to be most appropriate for the nominal 70 W cooling-capacity system. However, the time taken to reach the required solar collector temperature for bubble pump activation results in a daily operating period of less than 5 h and a predicted overall solar-to-cooling efficiency of less than 1%. To address these limitations, modifications to various components are considered based on simple assumptions for improving performance. • An assessment is performed of a solar diffusion absorption refrigeration system. • Off-grid cooling operation is simulated for the target region of Ahmedabad, India. • A cooling output of 170 kJ/day is predicted with a solar collector area of 1.5 m 2. • An optimal charge pressure of 16 bar is determined for maximum cooling output. • Modifications to key system components are recommended based on the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term performance monitoring and characterization of field-exposed solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are essential for efficient power generation. This paper is an attempt at performance evaluation of the amorphous silicon (a-si), Heterojunction Intrinsic Thin layer (HIT), and Multi-Crystalline (mc-si) technologies after twelve years of outdoor exposure in the composite climate of India. Characterization techniques such as Visual Inspection, Infra-Red (IR) Thermography, Electroluminescence (EL) Imagining, and Electrical characterization have been carried out. I–V measurements, power losses, current degradation, and voltage degradation calculations are carried out. The percentage of electrical decline is 8.61%, 2.73%, and 29.08%, for Isc, Voc, and P MP respectively in a-si solar modules. For HIT modules 1.97%, 0.68%, and 0.48% for Isc, Voc, and V MP respectively. Finally, for the mc-si PV modules, these are 3.76%, 0.5%, and 1.44% for Isc, Voc, and P MP respectively over 12 years. The average degradation rates are found to be 1.24%/year, 0.14%/year, and 1.50%/year for a-si, HIT, and mc-si modules respectively. The EL imagining of the a-si modules shows the localized shunt over the surface of the modules as well as disconnected cell interconnects whereas no such defects are over the m-ci and HIT modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas is a locally accessible and renewable energy source that can be generated from organic feedstocks under anaerobic conditions. This paper aims to assess the future biogas potential in India from varied sources (crops residues, animal manure, municipal solid wastes, municipal and industrial wastewater). The study uses a bottom-up, resource focused approach for the assessment of biogas potential. The paper assess agriculture and animal residues as well as generation, collection and availability of municipal and industrial waste for biogas production. The results show considerable potential of biogas in the next two decades due to rising waste generation and deployment of infrastructure for improving waste collection efficiency. The analysis estimates that the biogas potential ranges from 310 to 655 billion m3/year in the year 2040 depending upon availability of different resources. The estimated biogas potential in the year 2040 is around 36% of India's current (2015) total primary energy supply in the high availability scenario. Finally, the paper offers policy recommendations aimed at realizing the biogas potential. • Future Biogas potential from animal and agricultural based waste resource in India is estimated. • Bottom-up resource based approach is used for assessment. • Estimated future biogas potential is around 12.8 EJ in 2040. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the share of weather-dependent renewables in the electricity grid is essential to deeply decarbonize the electricity system. Wind and solar "droughts" or low generation days can severely impact grid stability in a renewable-rich grid. This paper analyzes for the first time wind, solar, and hybrid energy-droughts in India using a stochastic weather generator. Available literature analyze the observational data that is of limited duration (30–40 years). Therefore, discussion of low-probability high-impact renewable energy-droughts that have long return periods (in the range of 30 years) is limited in the literature. The present study seeks to address this research gap by exploring the risk of wind, solar, and wind-solar powered energy-droughts based on simulated long time series (5000 years). It is found that the weather generator captures mean, seasonality, and correlation between wind speed and solar irradiance and is therefore used to estimate return periods of extreme wind and solar-droughts. Our analysis shows that wind-droughts are more intense than solar-droughts in India. We examine the role that wind-solar hybridization can play in offsetting low wind energy episodes. The benefits of hybridization are regionally dependent. In South India, hybrid plants have advantages over either wind or solar plants alone. In comparison, for Rajasthan, the benefits of hybridization are limited. When one of the regions (South India or Rajasthan) has a renewable drought, the other region has only a 10% probability of having a similar drought. Our findings highlight the need for having robust inter-regional grid connections to mitigate regional level renewable droughts. • Stochastic weather generator (long timeseries) is used for drought analysis. • Wind-droughts are more intense than solar-droughts over India. • Wind-solar hybridization reduces drought intensity more effectively in South India. • Incentives for hybrid plants should be region specific. • Hybrid energy droughts are complementary between regions (south and west India). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the possibilities of a small-scale floating solar PV integrated Pumped Storage Hydroelectric (PSH) system in India, where a subsidized Time-of-Day tariff is employed. Finding and utilizing new reservoirs and water bodies in hilly areas for electrical energy storage and renewable energy integration is vital for more extensive renewable energy exploration. Prior studies in India have not explored the possibility of integrating floating solar PV systems with small-scale PSH systems. PSH systems and floating solar PV systems are modeled from fundamental relations. Objective function and constraints are formulated based on the operating conditions of the system and the grid energy tariff in India. The levelized cost of solar energy and the levelized cost of stored energy is estimated to analyze the economic aspects of the proposed system. For optimal scheduling, developed a linear programming solver-based optimization algorithm. In addition, this study utilized particle swarm optimization for optimal sizing of the system. The results of this study validate the feasibility of the proposed method. Economic savings of floating solar PV resulted in a levelized cost of 0.8518₹/kWh, and the availability of existing cascaded reservoirs brought on a levelized cost of 4.2713₹/kWh for stored energy. Compared to the grid-alone system, the proposed system reduced the daily operating cost and loss of load probability. The proposed system performs economically in a subsidized static tariff environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strategies for achieving sustainable development goals is to close the gap between environmental vulnerability and economic progress (SDGs). The significance of renewable energy in harmonizing environmental and economic conditions is becoming a touchy subject in current debates. Against this backdrop, the major objective of this paper is to assess whether economic growth and environmental sustainability can promote renewable energy consumption in the Indian economy by using ARDL and Novel Dynamic ARDL estimation techniques. The results obtained from both the methodology shows that rising efficiency in the economic growth coupled with environmental sustainability leads to an increase in renewable energy consumption. We also find, from the frequency domain causality test, that there is a unidirectional causality between renewable energy consumption and economic growth & renewable energy consumption and environmental sustainability in both the short- and long run. The former causation validating the conservation hypothesis for the Indian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the integration between electricity and renewable energy certificate (REC) markets for India. The empirical investigation covers the factors influencing solar and non-solar REC markets, using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modeling approach. The variables used in this study are the traded volume of solar and non-solar RECs, the traded volume of electricity, wholesale electricity price, and prices of solar and non-solar RECs. The dataset contains monthly time series for the period January 2013–July 2020. The ARDL bounds test results show that the variables are cointegrated. The long-run ARDL estimates indicate that the traded volume of solar REC is influenced by the traded volume of electricity (positive effect), wholesale electricity price (negative effect), the traded volume of non-solar REC (positive effect), and price of solar REC (negative effect). However, the traded volume of non-solar REC is influenced by only traded volume (positive effect) and price (positive effect) of solar REC. Based on the findings of this study, few suggestions are discussed to strengthen the REC market in India. [Display omitted] • Impact of electricity market on renewable energy certificate (REC) market is examined for India. • Autoregressive distributed lag model is employed on a monthly time series data over January 2013–July 2020. • Only the traded volume of solar REC is influenced by traded volume and price of electricity. • Traded volume of solar and non-solar RECs is positively related to each other. • An increase in the price of solar REC raises traded volume of non-solar REC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban and suburban advancement has increased the consumption of energy per capita gradually. Electrical distribution companies have expanded their network to cater to the demand, making the system more vulnerable to low probability high impact events. The extreme events occurred in last five year had shown us complete to partial blackout, which calls for resiliency enhancement. The presented study concentrates on the Dehradun, India, which listed as the most earthquake-prone region by Union Nations Development Programme. Hence, this paper proposes three main strategies to make a resilient distribution grid against an earthquake; (i) Hardening approach at grid side and demand side against earthquake disaster (ii) Monte-Carlo methodology for earthquake hazard model (iii) K-means algorithm with clustering quality index to identify the multiple vulnerable zones. Grid side hardening is performed using the optimal unit placement of the Solar PV plant (SPP) with storage and parallel cables with sectionalizers. For demand-side hardening, electric vehicles are considered storage after an event, duly taking their future growth rate into account. Furthermore, a Mixed Integer non-linear problem is formulated to identify the optimal sizing and sitting of SPP with storage. The proposed methodology is developed and applied to the distribution system (156-bus) of Dehradun, India. • Resiliency enhancement at grid-side & demand-side using DER and EVs. • Earthquake hazard model is developed using Monte-Carlo methodology. • Identification of optimal number of vulnerable zone with clustering quality index. • A case study on 156 bus mixed-terrain real distribution system of Dehradun, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, conventional and renewable energy sources for sustainable development of energy sector in India are evaluated from multiple perspectives including economic, technical, social, environmental, political, and flexible criteria. An integrated Shannon's entropy multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method has been used for the evaluation and assessment of these sources. Thermal, gas, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, and hydro energy options are used as the alternatives in the decision model. Shannon's entropy method is applied to determine the weights of decision criteria, and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is applied to prioritize sustainable energy alternatives. The output of the proposed model was compared with six different fuzzy MCDM techniques for the establishment of correlation index. Solar energy was shown to be particularly well suited for India followed by wind and hydro energy sources. Later, the study has developed fourteen scenarios, considering the first five sustainable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and gas power), to evaluate the optimal energy mix scenario for the sustainable development of energy sector in India. An optimal energy mix scenario carries the heroic development of solar, wind, and hydro energy with cross border import-export facility for the time frame of the year 2030. • Reviewed the overview, challenges and development of Indian energy sector. • Developed integrated Shannon entropy fuzzy MCDM approach. • Evaluated the most sustainable energy alternatives in India. • Results validated with six fuzzy MCDM approaches and correlation coefficients. • Evaluated the optimal energy mix scenario in India for the time frame of 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China, India, and the USA are the world's biggest energy consumers and CO 2 emitters. Being the leading contributors to climate change, these economies are also at the core of environmental solutions. This paper investigates the causal relationship among solar and wind energy production, coal consumption, economic growth, and CO 2 emissions for these three countries. To do so, we use an advanced methodology in Machine Learning to verify the predictive causal linkages among variables. The Causal Direction from Dependency (D2C) algorithm set CO 2 emissions as the target variable. The obtained results were disaggregated and estimated in a supervised prediction model. The findings, confirmed by three different Machine Learning procedures, showed an interesting output. While a reduction in overall carbon emissions is predicted in China and the US (resulting from the intensive use of renewable sources of energy), India displays critical predictions of a rise in CO 2 emissions. This indicates that curbing CO 2 emissions cannot be achieved without conducting a comprehensive shift from fossil to renewable resources, although China and the U.S. present a more promising path to sustainability than India. Being an emerging renewable energy leader, India should further enhance the use of low-carbon sources in its power supply and limit its dependence on coal. • Renewable energies, coal consumption, economic growth, and CO 2 we examine. • We investigate the causal predicted relationship on China, India, and the USA. • An advanced methodology in Machine Learning is used. • India has a prediction of an increase in emissions of CO 2. • China and the U.S. present a more promising path to sustainability than India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the costs of solar PV continuously decrease and pollution legislation imposes less burning of agricultural residues, decentralized renewable energy is increasingly affordable for providing electricity to one billion people lacking access to a power grid. This paper presents a techno-economic feasibility case study of biomass gasification in off-grid and grid-connected mini-grids for community-scale energy application in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Energy demand data was collected through surveys in a village with irrigation and agro-processing loads and off-grid households and used to construct a seasonal load profile based on statistical methods. This was used to simulate single-source and hybrid mini-grids based on solar PV, biomass gasification and diesel generation using HOMER Pro. Hybrid PV-biomass or PV-diesel systems were found to offer the highest reliability for off-grid power at the lowest cost. Single-source PV was cheaper than biomass gasification, though the cost of electricity is highly sensitive to biomass supply and gasifier maintenance. Both renewable options were around half the cost of diesel generation. The findings held across grid-connected systems with weak, moderate and strong reliability of grid supply. This suggests that biomass gasification-based mini-grids are not cost-competitive with PV unless the two generation sources are combined in a hybrid system, though they require operational testing prior to implementation. Image 1 • Hybrid PV–biomass or PV–diesel systems offer higher reliability at lower cost. • PV is cheaper than biomass gasification mini-grids for productive energy provision. • Grid-connected PV offers lowest LCOE over 20 years for strong and weak grid supply. • LCOE of biomass systems is highly sensitive to biomass requirement and maintenance. • PV–biomass systems appear resilient to operating parameters but lack field testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Renewable energy-based off-grid or decentralised electricity supply has traditionally considered a single technology-based limited level of supply to meet the basic needs, without considering reliable energy provision to rural consumers. The purpose of this paper is to propose the best hybrid technology combination for electricity generation from a mix of renewable energy resources to satisfy the electrical needs in a reliable manner of an off-grid remote village, Palari in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. Four renewable resources, namely, small-scale hydropower, solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines and bio-diesel generators are considered. The paper estimates the residential, institutional, commercial, agricultural and small-scale industrial demand in the pre-HOMER analysis. Using HOMER, the paper identifies the optimal off-grid option and compares this with conventional grid extension. The solution obtained shows that a hybrid combination of renewable energy generators at an off-grid location can be a cost-effective alternative to grid extension and it is sustainable, techno-economically viable and environmentally sound. The paper also presents a post-HOMER analysis and discusses issues that are likely to affect/influence the realisation of the optimal solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent years the decentralized rural electrification is becoming cost effective and convenient for areas where grid extension is very difficult. The present paper deals with the electrification of dense forest areas of Uttarakhand state in India by Integrated Renewable Energy Optimization Model (IREOM). The IREOM consists of locally available renewable energy resources such as Micro-Hydropower (MHP), biomass, biogas, wind and solar photovoltaic (SPV) systems have been used to meet electrical energy and cooking energy needs of a cluster of villages. The paper includes the selection of different system components, sizing and development of a general model to find out optimal combination of energy subsystems for the selected study area in order to minimize the cost of energy (COE) generation for a required reliability values. The sizing of different renewable energy system components has been carried out so that they are suitable for four different seasonal load profiles. The two reliability values are considered for the selection of optimum solution of year round application. The model developed for this purpose, has been found to be quite useful in optimizing the renewable energy system sizes that are available in market. The proposed model totally depends on the renewable energy systems and eliminates the use of conventional energy systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a study undertaken for identifying niche areas in India where renewable energy based decentralized generation options can be financially more attractive as compared to grid extension for providing electricity. The cost of delivering electricity in remote areas considering cost of generation of electricity and also cost of its transmission and distribution in the country have been estimated. Considering electricity generated from coal thermal power plants, the delivered cost of electricity in remote areas, located in the distance range of 5–25km is found to vary from Rs. 3.18/kWh to Rs. 231.14/kWh depending on peak electrical load up to 100kW and load factor. The paper concludes that micro-hydro, dual fuel biomass gasifier systems, small wind electric generators and photovoltaic systems could be financially attractive as compared to grid extension for providing access to electricity in small remote villages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the results of a survey administered to households, personnel belonging to industry and commercial establishments, and policy experts with the objective of eliciting their views on the barriers to the diffusion of renewable energy technologies (RETs). Taking the Maharashtra State, India, as a case study, the paper develops a systematic classification of barriers to the adoption of RETs (economic, technological, market and institutional) and ranking them based on the perceptions of various stakeholders. The results provide evidence of how the consumers receive RET information and make decisions using their limited analytical capabilities. The analysis is used to enhance the knowledge by introducing ideas based on behavioural theory. Not only do these ideas help understanding the consumer perspective, they also help develop policy interventions. The aim is to define each barrier and describe its mode of influence that will help to develop policy measures for the removal of each barrier. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this paper is to model a hybrid energy system for rural India. In this analysis a hybrid renewable system consists of solar-wind-hydrokinetic-bioenergy is proposed. Overall analysis including Optimization and sensitive analysis are evaluated by HOMER software. Optimized results are evaluated considering total net present cost, cost of energy, annual electric generation, renewable fraction and CO 2 emission. The analysis is done in order to increase efficiency of the system with comparatively less cost. From this exercise it is found that, combinations of more varieties of different renewable energy system are better to fulfill futuristic demand. Futuristic demand is calculated by logistic growth model. The value of COEs ($) and total generations (kWh/yr) are 0.3563 and 133045; 0.247 and 170948; 0.242 and 179018; 0.241 and 179303 for the year (2012–2021), (2022–2031), (2032–2041) and (2042–2051) respectively. However some other combinations may produce more power, although in such cases, in order to storage excess power COE will increase. As compared to the year (2012–2021) to (2042–2051) the optimized COE of electricity is minimized, keeping Annual cost nearly constant and amount of electric generation is increased without much effect on environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal performance of Earth Air Tunnel Heat Exchanger (EATHE) system is found to be highly dependent on thermal properties of soil and soil with poor thermal properties require longer buried pipe for desired heat exchange between air and sub-soil. In densely populated country like India, EATHE systems are rarely used due to the limited ground space (higher aspect ratio in terms of length) in most of the residential and commercial applications. Therefore, in this paper, problem of space limitation for the installation of straight EATHE system is attempted by proposing new spiral shaped EATHE system. The developed EATHE systems were used to determine cooling and heating potential individually and COP were 5.94 and 6.24 in summer; 1.92 and 2.11 in winter for straight and spiral respectively. A transient numerical model has been developed to investigate the performance of both systems. The COP were 4.23 and 4.48 in summer; 5.0 and 5.16 in winter for straight and spiral respectively. The experimental and numerical results suggested that the thermal performance of these two systems are comparable can be interchanged based on available site conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small hydropower projects (SHPs), though generally considered more environmentally benign and socially acceptable as compared to large projects, yet their overall sustainability is under suspicion in the Himalayan regions. Almost all SHPs in this region are being developed as run of the river mode which generally causes less/no submergence and quite less displacement of people as compared to large reservoir based hydropower production mode. However, in the absence of proper planning and monitoring mechanism, these projects are causing implacable tunnelling of hills, choking of streams, conversion of streams into dry ditches and long term socio-environmental impacts. This paper presents a SHP development study from hydro rich Beas river basin of Himachal Pradesh, a state nestled in western Himalayan region of India. In depth field studies, focus group discussions with the project affected people and interaction with project proponents of five SHPs in this region suggest that sustainability issues with respect to SHPs are not small vis-a-vis size of their installed capacity. There is an urgent need to take steps to include SHPs having an installed capacity of above 10 MW into the ambit of environment clearance process which is absent in many countries of the world at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources are gaining more and more interest because they are nonpolluting and sustainable. Recently, a notable number of renewable distributed generations (DGs) having intermittent generation patterns are being interconnected with the distribution network to meet growing load demand and nullify environmental threats. Appropriate integration of renewable DGs in distribution networks is crucial to guarantee the qualitative network operational benefits. In this paper a simple but efficient approach has been proposed for optimal placement and sizing of solar and wind DGs in distribution territory by considering electrical network power loss minimization, voltage stability and network security improvement. The stochastic nature of solar irradiance and wind speed are accounted using suitable probabilistic models. Weighted aggregation particle swarm optimization technique is employed to optimize the objective functions considering bus voltage limit, line loading capacity, discrete size limit and penetration constraints of DGs. Strategic weight selection technique has been adopted to assess the well trade-off solution by persuasion of multiple objectives regarding the performance of distribution network. The proposed method has been applied to a typical Indian rural distribution network, and the satisfactory results are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper maps the district-wise potential for concentrating solar power (CSP) and centralized solar photovoltaic (SPV) technology based power plants in India. The evaluation is based on remotely-sensed annual average global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and direct normal irradiance (DNI) provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) surface meteorology and solar energy program. The solar irradiation data (GHI and DNI), land-use data and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were used in GIS environment while employing land-use criteria and topography to exclude unsuitable sites for harnessing solar energy. Furthermore, land-cover factor, number of sunshine hours and conversion efficiencies were taken into account to calculate technical potential in suitable land areas for solar power development. The result shows potential sites for installation of CSP and centralized large scale SPV plants in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy consumption in developed as well as developing countries is high, especially in the residential and commercial building sectors. Researchers have been working on several technologies for the reduction of energy consumption in buildings; among them, energy-harvesting techniques are quite promising. In this paper, we explore a possibility of harnessing energy from grey water, while it flows down through high-raised buildings. We propose the usage of a micro/pico hydro turbine installed at the ground floor of a high rise building that utilizes the energy of grey water falling from floors above, to generate electricity. The electrical energy generated from the turbine can be utilized further in numerous ways. Scaled prototype of the same has been developed and tested. The proposed design of a gravity-energized wastewater system in high-rise buildings for generation of hydroelectricity is being checked for its feasibility in Indian markets. Calculation shows that the proposed system is commercially promising for most of the major cities in India. We also discuss cost benefits analysis of the proposed system to support our claims for possible commercialization of this technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bhutan sells electricity across the border to India. However large sections of its population do not have access to electricity. The harsh mountainous terrain coupled with sparse and dispersed settlements in Bhutan makes grid extension difficult, costly and economically unviable. Therefore, it is worth looking at renewable energy options to meet electricity demand in remote locations. This study aims to identify the least-cost technologies that could be used in the rural areas of Bhutan. The study analyses the energy needs of rural households, the resources available, and current policies and programs on rural electrification. The Hybrid Optimization Model HOMER for designing distributed generation (DG) systems both on and off-grid was used to find the least-cost technologies for different potential resources and to compare the cost of deploying these technologies with conventional electrification through grid extension. This paper identifies possible rural electrification options for Bhutan and compares them with extending the grid to the remote areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Jammu and Kashmir the northern most state of India is blessed with immense potential for utilization of renewable energy. The state at present is fairly untapped in terms of energy utilization and thus venturing into this region would definitely prove to be profitable. The natural energy sources like sunshine, wind, vegetation, water flow, biomass and other biological wastes though abundantly available in the state yet are not being potentially harnessed resulting in very low per capita energy availability, deforestation and poor health. Renewable energy acquires a promising option not only for energy availability next view and of environment protection but also the socio-economic conditions of the people residing in these areas can be improved to a great extent. The hydroelectric power has tremendous potential for generation of electricity in the state because the topography of the state provides extensive network of canals and streams. This paper describes the resource potential and opportunity to enter the market and bring more renewable energy projects in the form of solar, biomass derived fuels, biogas and hydroelectric in the state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy used in buildings in India is ever-increasing. About 47% of total energy in Indian residential buildings is used for ventilation controls alone. Comfort temperatures defined in Indian codes are inappropriate (23–26 °C). There are no thermal comfort field studies in residences reported from India. The author conducted a field study in apartments in Hyderabad, in summer and monsoon seasons in 2008. The present paper discusses the occupants’ methods of environmental control, behavioural adaptation and impediments. Due to poor adaptive opportunities, about 60% of occupants were uncomfortable in summer. The comfort range obtained in this study (26.0–32.5 °C), was way above the standard. Fanger’s PMV always overestimated the actual sensation. The occupants adapted through the use of personal environmental controls, clothing, metabolism and many behavioural control actions. Use of fans, air coolers and A/c s increased with temperature, and was impeded by their poor efficacy and noise, occupant’s attitudes and economic affordability. Air-coolers and A/c s were mostly used in top- floors, as the available adaptive opportunities were insufficient. Behavioural adaptation was higher in summer and was limited in higher economic groups always. Subjects frequently exposed to A/c environments, tolerated thermal extremes little, and desired “thermal indulgence”. This study calls for special adaptation methods for top-floor flats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of the application of model (developed in part I) and simulation algorithm (developed in part II) for determining the techno-economics of battery storage type hybrid energy system intended to supply the load of a rural remote area having a cluster of nine villages (grid isolated). The hour-by-hour simulation model is intended to simulate a typical one month period of system operation. For simulation purpose, hourly solar insolation data and load data have been generated and used as an input data. Demand side management (DSM) is used in this study to smooth out the daily peaks and fill valleys in the load curve to make the most efficient use of energy sources. The economic analysis has resulted in the calculation of optimized hourly, daily, and monthly system unit cost of proposed hybrid energy system. The obtained results represent also a helpful reference for energy planners in Uttarakhand state and justify the consideration of hybrid energy systems more seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Solar PhotoVoltaic (SPV) based systems have been widely accepted technology for rural electrification in developing countries. The standalone SPV home lighting system has increasingly been popular among rural households, while SPV mini-grid supply system is being promoted for rural electrification schemes. This study uses data from household survey to explore the impact of household characteristics on the preference for electrical energy from SPV systems. Econometric evidence shows heterogeneity in behavioural pattern for these two SPV systems. The flexibility in use and cost of systems might explain this difference. Household characteristics such as monthly household income, household size, occupational status of household head, number of room and type of house significantly influence household’s decision for SPV standalone home lighting systems. For SPV mini-grid supply household’s income and monthly expenditure on kerosene are significant predictors. The result reported in this paper might be a valuable input for policy makers to frame right policy mix with regard to provide subsidy on rural electrification programmes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The rapid rise in crude oil prices and the geo-political uncertainty associated with ensuring uninterrupted supplies have compelled researchers, economists and politicians to look for indigenous substitutes. Liquid biofuels – ethanol and biodiesel – are widely recognized, technically feasible alternatives. Even as the jury is out to determine the environmental footprint of biofuels, the surrounding frenzy has often led to the announcement of unsustainable support prices for feedstock and unviable procurement prices for the finished product. This paper makes a detailed assessment of incentive structures facing the agriculturists, refiners and the consumers. Data from the Indian market are employed to illustrate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Large potential of energy still remains untapped in irrigation canals in central and southern parts of India and other countries. This energy can be utilised to augment the gap between demand and supply. The advantages of low-head canal-based small hydropower (SHP) schemes are that being in a plain area; they are near to the load centres, easily accessible and having assured water availability as canals are running for quite a long time. For decision making in development of any SHP project, economic and financial viability is very important along with technical feasibility. Thus, one needs to know the realistic cost of the project. This needs a lot of efforts in terms of time and money. In the present paper an attempt has been made to determine the correlations for the cost of different components of canal-based SHP schemes. The cost based on the developed correlations, having different head and capacity, has been compared with the available cost data of the existing hydropower stations. It has been found that these correlations can be used reasonably for the estimation of cost of new canal-based SHP schemes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) model is developed for estimating beam solar radiation. Introducing a newly defined parameter, known as reference clearness index (RCI), computation of monthly mean daily beam solar radiation at normal incidence has been carried out. This RCI is defined as the ratio of measured beam solar radiation at normal incidence to the beam solar radiation as computed by Hottel''s clear day model. Solar radiation data from 11 stations having different climatic conditions all over India have been used for training and testing the ANN. The feedforward back-propagation algorithm is used in this analysis. The results of ANN model have been compared with measured data on the basis of root mean square error (RMSE) and mean bias error (MBE). It is found that RMSE in the ANN model varies 1.65–2.79% for Indian region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An indirect forced convection and desiccant integrated solar dryer is designed and fabricated to investigate its performance under the hot and humid climatic conditions of Chennai, India. The system consists of a flat plate solar air collector, drying chamber and a desiccant unit. The desiccant unit is designed to hold 75kg of CaCl2-based solid desiccant consisting of 60% bentonite, 10% calcium chloride, 20% vermiculite and 10% cement. Drying experiments have been performed for green peas at different air flow rate. The equilibrium moisture content M e is reached in 14h at an air flow rate of 0.03kg/m2 s. The system pickup efficiency, specific moisture extraction rate, dimensionless mass loss, mass shrinkage ratio and drying rate are discussed in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the present paper, three parametric models Yang, CPCR2 and REST (without considering transmittance due to nitrogen dioxide) have been analyzed for four Indian stations, namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Jaipur over the period of 1995–2002, under cloudless conditions. These stations have different climatic conditions. The beam radiation at normal incidence as well as global solar radiation at horizontal surface was computed for these locations during all seasons except monsoon (June to September). The computed values of beam and global irradiance was compared with reference values in case of beam and measured values in case of global solar radiation on the basis of percentage root mean square error (RMSE) and mean bias error (MBE). The maximum RMSE is 6.5% in REST model, as compare to 15% in Yang and 11% in CPCR2 model for predicting direct normal irradiance. The predicted global radiation at horizontal is showing maximum RMSE 7% in REST model, 13.4% in Yang and 25.9% in CPCR2 model. This shows that REST model has good agreement with measured data for these Indian stations as compare to other two models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy planning exercises for rural areas make use of a mix of locally available renewable resources with some commercial resources to cater to the energy needs of the population. Such exercises are economically attractive in developing countries, whereby, the foreign exchange reserves for the purchase of commercial energy is curtailed. The first step in the implementation of an energy planning exercise is to understand the energy consumption and utilization habits of the population being served. Frequently, an assessment of the levels of inequality in the consumption of various resources is necessary as, this provides the rural planner with an understanding of the future trends and thus forearms him with strategic alternatives to combat any future energy resource crisis that the trends seem to imply. In the present paper, an attempt is made to assess the level of energy resource consumption inequality in a typical hilly rural Indian village. The Gini Coefficient of Inequality, a measure of inequality in the field of Econometrics has been applied for this assessment. The population is segregated into different categories based on their income levels and certain socio-economic criteria, which are also felt to exercise an influence on consumption levels of energy. The results of the analysis are then discussed in the light of the findings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The solar dryer reported in this paper was developed to enable farmers to add value to their produce by drying it at farm itself. It can also be used in cottage industries in remote places. The dryer has a multi-shelf design with intermediate heating, passive, integral, direct/indirect and portable solar dryer. Intermediate heating of air in-between trays results in uniform drying in all the trays. Since the dryer at the farm is not likely to be used throughout the year, it has been made portable. A novel feature of this dryer is that the product can be dried under shade or otherwise as per requirement. The design is low cost to make it economically viable. The maximum stagnation temperature was 75 °C in the month of November at Ludhiana (31°N). During experiments on drying of fenugreek leaves the moisture evaporation on first, second and third drying day was 1.4, 0.9 and 0.4 kg/m2 of aperture area. To overcome the problem of reduction in efficiency on second and third drying day, a semi-continuous mode of loading has been investigated, in which the efficiency remains almost the same on all drying days. The shelf life of the dried product is more than one year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The main purpose of the paper is to explore the renewable energy investment opportunities in Mauritius. Magnum Power, an engineering firm in India promoting renewable energy technologies, conducted a feasibility study to identify the possibilities of investments on various renewable energy projects in Mauritius. The study analysed the Mauritius energy scenario, the earlier and recent renewable energy projects, the current status of such projects, the barriers for renewable energy developments, and the suitable renewable energy technology for fruitful investment. Based on the study outcome, an investment proposal for a 10 MW wind farm project is presented, which would be a useful guideline for investors looking for investment opportunities in Mauritius. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]