Search

Globally, G20 has been recognised as a catalyst in building environmentally sustainable growth and promoting energy transitions towards more flexible, transparent and cleaner energy systems through sustainability reporting practices. Sustainability reporting practices, an umbrella of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting practices review a specific set of criteria that evaluate a business on how effectively implements ESG projects and the impacts its factors have had on the business towards sustainable growth. By burning fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gases, the power sector companies are more directly contributing to the global energy transition. For the net-zero transition, it is crucial to concentrate on sustainability and incorporate ESG reporting practices. The purpose of this study is to analyse the reporting practices of ESG indicators by 10 listed power sector companies; that have high market capitalisation operated in India. Sustainability, ESG and annual reports of selected companies are taken for five years spreading from the year 2017-2018 to 2021-2022. The presence of ESG indicators in power sectors is measured by Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report framework issued by SEBI guidelines. Descriptive cum exploratory research methods are used to analyse the ESG indicators in reporting practices of power sector companies. The finding of the analysis shows that all the sample power sector companies are disclosing ESG indicators and National Voluntary Guidelines in their sustainability reporting. The paper found that all the sample companies are disclosing the social indicators, more than the environmental and governance indicators in the sustainability report by top 10 power sector companies listed in NSE. Irrespective of ownership of companies, discloser of sustainable reports remains persistent over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green hydrogen can be the transitional solution required to reduce anthropogenic emissions and enhance energy independency from fossil fuel. To improve green hydrogen adoption, a cluster-based infrastructure, called a hydrogen hub, is devised taking into account the demand-supply interplay coupled with transport ease. In this paper, we have identified sites across states that are conducive for hydrogen hubs. It involves a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) framework deployed to assign priorities within competing set of criteria. A comprehensive analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to rank criteria that are connected to establish a functioning hydrogen hub. These criteria include, but not limited to, proximity to refineries, fertilizer plants, substations, chlor-alkali units, steel manufacturing plants, water availability, access to gas pipelines, railway line access, and finally distance to highways. Our analyses indicate that proximity to refineries and fertilizers scored higher (scores directly proportional to importance) while railway line access scored the least. These prioritised scores are used to spatially locate sites using geographical information system. In a total of thirteen states identified, Gujarat had the largest parcel of most suitable land for setting up hydrogen hub followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. For India to set up a functioning hydrogen economy and achieve green hydrogen goals, it is important to identify states that can drive the agenda forward. This paper illustrates a way (amongst many available ways) to identify states based on their strength and capability to fulfil the national goal of 5 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030. • The paper addresses setting up of green hydrogen hubs in India based on a multi-criteria site selection framework. • Nine selection criteria covering aspects of hydrogen ecosystem proposed to identify site(s) suitable for hydrogen hubs. • Integration of AHP and GIS is used to ascertain land parcels where hydrogen economy can sustain across states in India. • Zones in 13 states were identified as potential hydrogen hubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in green energies attempts to fulfil worldwide energy needs while substituting fossil fuels. It does, however, necessitate a vast amount of land. On the other hand, food security is jeopardized by the effects of climate change as well as an expanding population, particularly in India. As India strives for net-zero emissions by 2050, the integration of photovoltaics (PV) with agriculture has unlocked an emerging field known as agrivoltaics (AV). Agrivoltaics not only provides a long-term solution to the issue of land competition, but it also increases agricultural yields, conserves water resources, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. To evaluate the elements influencing the efficiency of AV, studies on revolutionary technologies connected to solar systems and the latest generation of photovoltaics are examined. This paper looks at agrivoltaics as a climate-conscious farming option with its advantages and disadvantages in India. This article also reviews AV plant designs and how varied intervals, altitude, and density affect shadowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the process of extracting ethanol from Jatropha curcas and its various blending effects on spark-ignited engine performance for environmental sustainability. Alternatives to conventional fuel sources have to be found because of the depletion of fossil fuels and stringent regulations. Every day, the growing population and improved transportation increase the energy demand. Bioethanol is an effective substitute for gasoline and SI engine diesel. Worldwide, passenger cars typically blend 10% bioethanol with gasoline. Some nations, like India, have stated plans to blend 20% bioethanol with gasoline starting shortly. From leftover jatropha deoiled cake (JDC), bioethanol was produced utilizing the fermentation and vacuum distillation methods. Four different blends were prepared on a volumetric basis at different engine speeds at a constant compression ratio of 10:1 and the wide-open throttle was tested for various performances and emissions. Bioethanol enrichments reduce CO and CO2 emissions but increase nitrogen oxide emissions. JDCE 15 was found to have the best engine performance out of all the fuel blends tested. This study suggests that, if NOx emission reduction measures are carried out, JDC can be used as a source for the manufacturing of second-generation bioethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines India's environmental policies and budget allocations from 2016–2024, revealing a focus on infrastructure that may overshadow environmental conservation. Significant discrepancies between policy rhetoric and budgetary commitments suggest that there is a need for realignment. Advocating an 'environment-centric' approach, the study calls for increased budgetary commitments to environmental protection, a strategic shift away from fossil fuels, and stringent regulatory oversight, all essential to ensure sustainable development in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for vehicles in India is on a continuous rise, primarily attributed to increasing income levels. The Indian government has initiated steps to decarbonize the transport sector, offering incentives for alternate vehicles' adoption. This study introduces a qualitative framework, employing a causal structure to comprehend the dynamics of vehicle demand. The framework takes into account critical feedback loops that influence the demand for alternate vehicles and, consequently, the overall vehicle demand. The causal loop diagram for vehicle demand encompasses five key domains: socio‐economic development, infrastructure development, environmental awareness, fuel supply market and alternate vehicle technology. Notably, economic activity, urban sprawl, vehicle demand, alternate vehicle technology improvement, and the sustainability and fuel constraints linked with internal combustion engine vehicles emerge as the critical aspects governing the dynamics of the model. The leverage and intervention points influencing the vehicle demand are also identified. Further, based on the evolving interaction of the various reinforcing and balancing loops, this work identifies three distinct phases of the evolution of vehicle demand dynamics in India, namely, the emerging phase (2020–2040), the growth phase (2040–2060) and the stagnation phase (2060–2080). The paper discusses the crucial features of these phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growth of industries and population, the need for energy consumption has increased, which has inevitably increased greenhouse gas emissions. Further use of fossil fuel for energy consumption exacerbates the situation making it one of the major issues for climate change. China, India, the USA, and Russia are the world's leading countries in energy consumption and emissions and are responsible for climate change. These countries account for 54% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the global environment. This paper investigates the energy consumption of China, India, the USA, and Russia and its trend in greenhouse gas emissions. Using four available datasets from 1980 to 2018 for China, India, USA, and 1992 to 2018 for Russia, we employed three advanced machine learning algorithms (support vector machine, artificial neural network, and long-short term memory) and verified its predicted capability with actual greenhouse gas emissions. The obtained results were evaluated with three statistical metrics (route mean square, mean absolute percentage error, and mean bias error). The predicted results with three machine learning algorithms were very close to actual greenhouse gas emissions. Besides, we forecasted the trend of greenhouse gas emissions in these countries from 2019 to 2023. The forecasted results with the long-short term memory model confirm an increase in CO2, methane, and Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the case of China and India; in contrast, the results indicate a slowdown of CO2, methane, and N2O emissions in the USA and Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a span of about two decades, India has become the second fastest growing economy in the world after China. India has surpassed other Asian developing countries not only because of increases in inflows of foreign direct investment but also because of its potential to be a significant outward investor, including in the energy sector. With less than one percent of the world's oil and gas reserves, more than 80% of its oil requirement is imported. Overseas equity oil investment gradually emerged as a policy instrument of augmenting energy security. In the early 2000s, Indian national oil companies (NOCs) were encouraged by the Government to seek sourcing fossil fuels from abroad. While equity ownership ensures long-term supply security, they are complex and bring in strategic and geo-political considerations. Within India, there are demands for stronger diplomatic support. In this paper, the factors governing outward investment for equity oil are analysed in the context of an energy security framework with four vectors of Accessibility, diversity, reliability, and affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a fast-growing industry not only in India but all over the world due to their environment friendly and economic properties. Moreover, it is being seen as a future replacement for fast depleting fossil fuels. But still, the international vehicle market cannot accept EVs as a ubiquitous vehicle manufacturing standard due to their short cruising range and underdeveloped charging infrastructure. Therefore, as an immediate and cost-effective solution to a problem subject to limited battery capacity, the EV route regularization, i.e., optimum energy usage route selection becomes utmost important. To accomplish this objective, this paper proposes a meta-heuristic routing model based on the principles of Artificial Bee Colony (ABC). The proposed model has been designed to consider prominent energy consumption influencing parameters like speed, battery health, road elevation, etc. Moreover, tractive effort modeling on different road surfaces like dry, wet, snow, and icy is also embedded in the design of EV route modeling. The simulation of the proposed model has been done to quantify its performance bys utilizing route maps as well as real-time information of vehicles' location by the Warrigal project as input. The analysis of obtained results has revealed the traces of saving in EVs' energy consumption of about 7.1% in comparison with Google maps if the route suggested by the proposed model is followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the time-varying effects of fossil fuel consumption on CO2 emissions in India utilizing the time-varying cointegration test, allowing for multivariate long-run time-varying cointegration parameter developed by Bierens and Martins (2010) and the time-varying vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model developed by Primiceri (2005). The long-run time-varying coefficients reveal that GDP has a positive and increasing impact on CO2 emissions over time. Moreover, results confirm the polluting effects of all fossil fuels. Besides, the TVP-VAR model findings also demonstrate that changes in income and fossil fuel consumption have a positive and significant impact on environmental degradation. Coal is found to be the most polluting fuel, followed by oil consumption. Furthermore, the time-varying responses show that increased natural gas consumption has the least influence when compared to other fossil fuels on CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China and India are the largest coal consumers and the most populated countries in the world. With industrial and population growth, the need for energy has increased, which has inevitably led to an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions because both countries depend on fossil fuel consumption. This paper investigates the impact of energy consumption, financial development (FD), gross domestic product (GDP), population, and renewable energy on CO2 emissions. The study applies the long short-term memory (LSTM) method, a novel machine learning (ML) approach, to examine which influencing driver has the greatest and smallest impact on CO2 emissions; correspondingly, this study builds a model for CO2 emission reduction. Data collected between 1990 and 2014 were analyzed, and the results indicated that energy consumption had the greatest effect and renewable energy had the smallest impact on CO2 emissions in both countries. Subsequently, we increased the renewable energy coefficient by one and decreased the energy consumption coefficient by one while keeping all other factors constant, and the results predicted with the LSTM model confirmed the significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Finally, this study forecasted a CO2 emission trend, with a slowdown predicted in China by 2022; however, CO2 emission's reduction is not possible in India until 2023. These results suggest that shifting from nonrenewable to renewable sources and lowering coal consumption can reduce CO2 emissions without harming economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for electricity all over the world is enhancing significantly. A major portion of this demand is met by fossil fuels leading to substantial mining, environmental pollution, and increment in global warming. The escalating rate of extraction is declining their reserves at an alarming rate and enhancing their price as well. Thus, it has become essential to shift to alternative resources for power generation. Northeast India has a superfluous reserve of renewable energy which can competently fulfill the electricity requirement in the region. The surplus can significantly contribute to supplying the demand of other states in the country. In addition, the use of clean energy can conserve fossil fuels and expenditure and at the same time can slow down environmental pollution. This paper comprehensively analyzes the potential of perennial assets in this area; projects their economic and ecological benefits; and also makes a brief comparison of the conventional systems with the probable green alternatives. Renewable capacity in this regime is found 66,682 MW out of which 99.51% is yet to be explored and Rs. 5.66 × 1012 will be required to extract them. Utilization of these boons can save 187.39 Mt of combustibles and 648.61 Mt of greenhouse gasses from emission. Capital, energy, and carbon that will be invested during the installation and operation of the systems will be paid back in 3.6, 2.3, and 2.25 years, respectively. The average levelized cost of this unremitting energy will be Rs. 4.80/kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is the world's largest producer of milk for over 20 years. This production mainly responds to growing domestic demand, and relies almost entirely on millions of small herds (3 female buffaloes or cows) fed with local crop residues. This paper aims to assess the socio-economic and environmental sustainability of this dairy development model by implementing different approaches at various geographical scales. To assess such a model is complex. On the one hand, the recycling of biomass for livestock feed is mainly practiced by the poorest farmers, who have a limited access to land, markets and other resources. It sustains their employment and livelihoods, but also their food security since theyconsume part of their milk production. On the other hand, the intensive use of subsidized mineral fertilizers and energy for irrigation to produce crop grains and residues leads to high fossil energy uses and greenhouse gas emissions per litre of milk, calling into question the model's environmental sustainability. Our results need to be explored further by (i) investigating more case studies to develop a larger picture of the diversity of the Indian dairy sector, and (ii) integrating the different approaches and levels within a larger framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for alternative and viable energy sources for the automotive industry is increasing due to the fast depletion of fossil fuel reserves. In the present scenario fluctuating petroleum prices. Inconsistent supply, global politics, conflicts of oil-producing countries sky-rocketing energy demands, lacking oil reserves make an energy-intensive country like India, vulnerable to energy security. For a few years, researchers across the world found Biodiesel as a favourable potential energy source to fulfil its energy needs due to its availability, renewable nature, low toxicity and lesser polluting nature. There are various sources of biofuel identified by the scientists and researchers so far, which include edible oil, non-edible oil, animal fats, microbial feedstocks, waste cooking oil, etc. making biodiesel viable for use and economical for production is the very next challenge for researchers. The present work, emphasises on various selection criteria e.g. physicochemical properties, structural composition, environmental aspects, economic aspects etc. to choose better alternative out of the available biofuel resources. This paper will extensively contribute to identifying the most appropriate and cost-effective feedstocks for biodiesel selection for greater use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the climate change threat, India has recently committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 35% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels. Energy efficiency in buildings offers the greatest potential for saving energy at the lowest cost. This paper reviews current energy consumption trends in the residential building sector of India and traces various initiatives by the government to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in terms of regulatory framework, green building rating systems, fiscal incentives and institutional mechanisms affecting energy demand management. Further, the paper provides an overview of various barriers and challenges in implementing energy efficiency programmes in housing along with suggestions to strengthen the institutional framework and create awareness to accelerate energy efficiency programmes for reducing CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse impacts of climate change have occupied central theme of many policy initiatives. This paper investigated the impact of economic development, fossil fuel consumptions and population density on CO2 in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh using annual data over the period 1971–2014. We have applied panel Autoregressive distributed lags model to estimate the long‐run dynamics and Vector error correction model specified Granger causality test for finding the causality direction. Using three multivariate equations model, the empirical outcome of our study has established key associations that have crucial policy implications. Firstly, the results of auto‐regressive distributed lags (ARDL) confirmed the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis that the relationship between CO2 and economic development is U‐shaped. Moreover, fossil fuel consumption and population density have a positive impact on CO2 emission in the long run. VECM test evidence suggests that short‐run causalities from economic development to CO2, population density to CO2 and fossil fuel consumption to CO2 exist. Secondly, CO2 has a negative impact on economic development while the impacts of fossil fuel, FDI and total exports on economic development have been significantly positive in the long run. In short run, CO2, fossil fuel consumption and FDI Granger cause economic development. Lastly, CO2 emission negatively influences population density while economic development positively affects population density in long run. Moreover, short‐run causalities from economic development to population density and CO2 to population density exit. For policy drives, efficient and low carbon emission technologies should be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has set aggressive targets to install more than 400 GW of wind and solar electricity generation by 2030, with more than two-thirds of that capacity coming from solar. This paper examines the electricity and carbon mitigation costs to reliably operate India's grid in 2030 for a variety of wind and solar targets (200 GW to 600 GW) and the most promising options for reducing these costs. We find that systems where solar photovoltaic comprises only 25 to 50% of the total renewable target have the lowest carbon mitigation costs in most scenarios. This result invites a reexamination of India's proposed solar-majority targets. We also find that, compared to other regions and contrary to prevailing assumptions, meeting high renewable targets will avoid building very few new fossil fuel (coal and natural gas) power plants because of India's specific weather patterns and need to meet peak electricity demand. However, building 600 GW of renewable capacity, with the majority being wind plants, reduces how often fossil fuel power plants run, and this amount of capacity can hold India's 2030 emissions below 2018 levels for less than the social cost of carbon. With likely wind and solar cost declines and increases in coal energy costs, balanced or wind-majority high renewable energy systems (600 GW or - 45% share by energy) could result in electricity costs similar to a fossil fuel-dominated system. As an alternative strategy for meeting peak electricity demand, battery storage can avert the need for new fossil fuel capacity but is cost effective only at low capital costs (USD 150 per kWh). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's commitment to Paris Climate Change Agreement through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) will require the energy system to gradually move away from fossil fuels. The current energy system is witnessing a transformation to achieve these through renewable energy targets and enhanced energy efficiency (EE) actions in all sectors. More stringent global GHG mitigation targets of 2 °C and well below 2 °C regimes would impose further challenges and uncertainties for the Indian energy systems. This paper provides a quantitative assessment using bottom-up optimization model (AIM/Enduse) to assess these until 2050 for meeting carbon mitigation commitments while achieving the national sustainable development goals. Energy transformation trajectories under five scenarios synchronized with climate mitigation regimes are explored—Business As Usual scenario (BAU), NDC scenario, 2 °C scenarios (early and late actions), and well below 2 °C scenario. The key results from the study include (a) coal-based power plants older than 30 years under NDC and older than 20 years for deeper CO2 mitigation will be stranded before their lifetime, (b) increase in renewables of up to 225–280 GW by 2050 will require battery storage with improved integrated smart grid infrastructure, (c) growth in nuclear to 27–32 GW by 2050 is dependent on nuclear supply availability, (d) gradual shift towards electrification in industry, building, and transport sectors, and (e) installation of CCS technologies in power and industry sectors. Cumulative investments of up to 6–8 trillion USD (approximately) will be required during 2015–2030 to implement the actions required to transform the current energy systems in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, effective use of hydrocarbon fuels are essential for achieving energy security, economic growth, climate goals and to bridge the implementation delays in the renewable energy sector. Based on the published data, the paper reviews the role of hydrocarbon resources in the Indian energy sector and the need for an innovation-centered ecosystem in the areas of clean-coal usage, natural gas, sequestration and utilizing unconventional hydrocarbon resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy in different forms is required to drive a nation's growth and its sustenance. However, a significant issue that plagues the world is exploitation of fossil fuel negligently, for domestic and commercial requirements. The Government of India (GoI) has devised its renewable energy policies to encourage and promote the use of renewable energy sources in an efficient manner. In this paper, feasibility is explored for employing solar PV power generation at a wind power generation site through hybridization such that power production can be improved throughout the year. Simulation studies have been conducted for the site using RETScreen to analyze hybrid power generation at Harapanahalli in Karnataka, India. The wind farm has 18 wind turbine generator (WTG's) installed, having 2 MWe capacities each, producing 36 MWe supplied to the local grid. By using sun path and shadow analysis for the site, it is calculated that 344,531.25 m2 of shadow‐free space is available which can be suitably used for alternate methods of power generation. From the present analysis, it is predicted that annual power generation capacity of the site can be improved by about 90% on adopting hybrid power generation. The project cost is pegged at 188 crores Indian rupees (INR) and the payback period of the hybrid system was ascertained to be approximately 7 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power sector of India is in a huge catastrophe in satisfying the energy requirement of the public due to incessant exhaustion of fossil fuels. The nonstop exhaustion of fossil fuels, rising power needs and increasing production cost of power requires economic operation at the generation side and economic utilization at the consumer side. Economic dispatch is the process of determining the optimal power output from 'n' number of generators to meet the demand at low cost subject to certain constraints. Economic dispatch ensures the optimal generation of power at low cost from thermal power plants. The mathematical formulation of economic dispatch problems is usually done by the piecewise quadratic fitness function. This article compares the results generated from various techniques such as Lambda Iteration (LI) method, Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO) and Shuffled Frog Leaping Approach (SFLA). LI method is a traditional method of solving economic load dispatch which works on the concept of equal incremental cost (λ). GA works on Darwin's theory of evolution, where the population of individual solutions is modified repeatedly to obtain the optimal solution in the population. PSO is derived from the concept of swarm intelligence, where the best solution is found using the values of personal best and global best in the population. QPSO is basically derived from the PSO. SLFA is obtained from the concept of food- frogs used to find an accurate solution to our power system problem. In this paper, the best fuel cost and execution time was found from QPSO, SFLA compared with LI, GA and PSO methods. These approaches are applied for three and thirteen generator system and the convergence characteristics, heftiness was explored through comparisons from different approaches discussed earlier. The results are hopeful and it suggests that shuffled frog leaping algorithm is very effectual in terms of both the minimized fuel cost obtained and the execution time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy plays a major role in the manufacturing process. Technologies used for energy generation and resource utilization were changing very fast. Conventional and nonconventional energy generation process leads to change in the energy recovery pattern. Forecasting of energy needs to be done based on the energy analysis and availability of resources. Dependency on the fossil fuel is more in India, which needs to be relooked for making Indian power sector more energy secure and reliable in the coming decades. In this paper, an attempt is made to forecast the energy generation for the 10 years (2015–2025) from municipal solid waste (MSW) in Faridabad, Haryana, India. Forecasting of MSW was analyzed based on three collection efficiencies (50%, 70%, and 80%) in Faridabad. The result shows that 2.65 kg of MSW is required to generate one unit of electrical energy with thermal conversion system. It was also obtained that approximate 2% of required electrical energy would be obtained from waste-to-energy (WTE) system in Faridabad over a period of 10 years (2015–2025). The result presented here could be a decision matrix for municipalities to develop effective waste management system for upcoming smart cities in India. Moreover, another novelty of this study reflects that cities having similar waste characteristics and population index could adopt this study for waste management and energy recovery. Proposed WTE system would reduce volume of the solid waste thereby improve environment of the city. Abbreviations: CPCB: Central Pollution Control BoardWTE: Waste-to-energyMSW: Municipal solid wasteTPD: Tons per dayGDP: Gross domestic productKcal: Kilo caloriekg: KilogramKwh: Kilo watt hourMW: MegawattMT: Metric tonCHP: Combined heat and power [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The probable availability of renewable power sources is unexceptionable, and the government of India is setting high goals for the use of renewable energy. Renewable distributed generation (DG) reduces the need for fossil fuels, relieve environment change, and decrease radiations of CO2 and other perfluorocarbons. DGs and capacitors are more desirable choices to balance power demand closer to the load centres than centralized power generation. Optimal position and capacity of DGs play an essential role in enhancing the performance of distribution systems in terms of system loss mitigation, voltage profile enhancement and stability concerns. This paper introduces Harris Hawk Optimization (HHO) and Teaching Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) approaches for efficient distribution of different types of DGs in the radial distribution system (RDS) to enhance system loss minimization, voltage profile, yearly energy savings and decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to depreciate system energy losses, cost of energy losses and more reliable voltage regulation within the frame-work of RDS planning. Four different cases are considered to assess the suggested algorithms. Simulations are carried out on IEEE 33-bus and 69-bus test RDSs. The preponderance of the recommended approaches has been shown by analysing the results with techniques available in the literature. The comparison is made based on the power losses and voltage profile of RDS. The outcomes reveal that a significant decrease in power loss, enrichment of the voltage profile across the network and exactness of the suggested methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal will continue to play a major role in economic development of India with particular reference to energy. The significant resources of coal in comparison with other fossil fuels have enabled this valuable mineral to remain at the centre stage of India's energy scene. This paper presents the detailed laboratory investigations in terms of characterization; size analysis and washability studies carried out on a typical high ash non-coking coal sample and suggest the concept of beneficiation for the improvement in the quality of run-of-mine (ROM) coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the high demand for fossil fuels, exploring the frontier areas for hydrocarbon reserves has become imperative. The recent discoveries in Gojalia, Sonamura, Baramura, and Sundalbari fields emphasize the need to explore additional anticlinal structures in Tripura for hydrocarbon exploration. Tulamura anticline (the study area) produced gas from Upper Bhuban, establishing hydrocarbon prospectivity in the northern part, but the southern part remains largely unexplored. An electro-log interpretation revealed the presence of sand facies deposited in a fining upward sequence, suggesting channel deposition. An integrated geophysical approach using seismic inversion and machine learning techniques was performed to delineate and characterize the litho-facies dispersal patterns in the Tulamura field. Spectral decomposition (12, 20 and 28 Hz) of stacked seismic data were RGB (red-green-blue) blended, revealing the southward striking channel geometry of the Bhuban Formation at a depth of 2220 m. The 3D P-impedance and Vp/Vs ratio volumes were estimated using the model-based pre-stack seismic inversion. Inversion results help discriminate among sand, shale and siltstone litho-facies. Petrophysical property (effective porosity) was predicted by combining the post-stack seismic attributes and well-log data using neural network modelling. The identified sand facies within the channel geometry exhibit relatively moderate to low P-impedance (9800–10600 m/s * gm/cm3), low Vp/Vs ratio (1.68–1.76), and moderately high effective porosity (8–13%) from surroundings, indicating favourable conditions for hydrocarbon accumulations. Shale between channels and major faults can create favourable stratigraphic entrapment, while an upward fining sequence suggests an intact top seal. This study advocates an integrated approach involving geophysical inversion and machine learning to identify optimal conditions for hydrocarbon accumulation within sand facies, supported by structural and stratigraphic entrapment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is dealing with the problem of high automotive emissions as the number of vehicles on the road is rising. The primary cause of these emissions is the burning of crude oil. India imports crude oil from nations with abundant oil supplies because it lacks the resources to meet all of the country's energy needs for cars. There is a need to look for a carbon-free alternative fuel that is locally accessible in sufficient quantity to suit India's energy needs in order to address the problems related to oil imports and vehicle emissions. Hydrogen is a clean fuel choice among the potential energy sources because its combustion only yields water as a byproduct, and also due to its purity and high energy content, hydrogen energy offers a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. India has the benefit of producing hydrogen from renewable sources like solar and wind during periods of lower demand because of its continuously expanding renewable energy generation capacity, and Asia is one of the continents with a wealth of these resources. Also, the exponential increase in food waste generation has prompted the scientific community to convert it into value-added resources. The main elements influencing the adoption of hydrogen as a cost-effective energy source in Asian nations are the availability of resources, safety requirements, public acceptance, and appropriate government incentives. The current analysis discusses the need to use hydrogen as an alternative fuel, its production processes, storage concerns, transportation, and the sources that are available. In various Asian nations like Japan, Korea, China, India, and Malaysia, particular focus has been placed on the notion of a renewable hydrogen economy. Perspectives on fuel supply, environmental effects, and social acceptance could help the biohydrogen energy sector evolve in a favorable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that the supply of fossil fuels are inadequate and their usage as energy source cause environmental degradation, besides as the world population increases the energy demand is also increasing day by day, this leads to search for new renewable energy sources. Clean and ecological friendly power is requested far and wide today. The main objective of this paper is to utilizing the human energy that is lost in pedaling, and transforms it into a useful form that is electricity. In this work a low cost pedal power generator is fabricated for pedal power generation. For this a single phase induction motor is converted to single phase 4-pole alternator by changing its parameter. The output of alternator which is AC is converted DC using the Bridge rectifier. In order to reject the harmonic components a capacitor filter is used. As an application the rectified output is used for battery charging. The paper explains in detail the method using car alternator to generate power. A detailed analysis of using pedal power is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rudarsko-Geolosko-Naftni Zbornik is the property of Faculty of Mining, Geology & Petroleum Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The global energy requirement has grown at a phenomenon rate and the consumption of primary energy sources has been a very high positive growth. This paper focuses on the consumption of different primary energy sources and it identifies that coal will continue to remain as the prime energy source in foreseeable future. It examines the energy requirement perspective for India and demand of coal as the prime energy source. Economic development and poverty alleviation depend on securing affordable energy sources and Indian coal mining industry offers a bright future for the country’s energy security, provided the industry is allowed to develop by supportive government policies and adopts latest technologies for mining. It is an irony that in-spite of having a plentiful reserves, India is not able to jack up coal production to meet its current and future demand. It discusses the strategies to be adopted for growth and meeting the coal demand. But such energy are very much concerned with environmental degradation and must be driven by contemporary managerial acumen addressing environmental and social challenges effectively The paper highlights the emissions of greenhouse gases due to burning of fossil fuels and environmental consequences of global warming and sea-level rise. Technological solutions for environment friendly coal mining and environmental laws for the abatement of environmental degradation are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majority of the power generation in India is carried out by conventional energy sources, coal and fossil fuels being the primary ones, which contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emission and global warming. The Indian power sector is witnessing a revolution as excitement grips the nation about harnessing electricity from various renewable energy sources. Electricity generation from renewable sources is increasingly recognized to play an important role for the achievement of a variety of primary and secondary energy policy goals, such as improved diversity and security of energy supply, reduction of local pollutant and global greenhouse gas emissions, regional and rural development, and exploitation of opportunities for fostering social cohesion, value addition and employment generation at the local and regional level. This focuses the solution of the energy crisis on judicious utilization of abundant the renewable energy resources, such as biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and ocean tidal energy. This paper reviews the renewable energy scenario of India as well as extrapolates the future developments keeping in view the consumption, production and supply of power. Research, development, production and demonstration have been carried out enthusiastically in India to find a feasible solution to the perennial problem of power shortage for the past three decades. India has obtained application of a variety of renewable energy technologies for use in different sectors too. There are ample opportunities with favorable geology and geography with huge customer base and widening gap between demand and supply. Technological advancement, suitable regulatory policies, tax rebates, efficiency improvement in consequence to R&D efforts are the few pathways to energy and environment conservation and it will ensure that these large, clean resource bases are exploited as quickly and cost effectively as possible. This paper gives an overview of the potential renewable energy resources in Indian context while evaluating the present status, the energy demand of the country and forecast consumption and production, with the objective to evaluate and assess whether India can sustain its growth and its society with renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insatiable appetite for non-renewable fossil fuels in the past has resulted in a plethora of anthropogenic climate changes and pollution across the globe, causing serious threats to human beings and the environment. To avoid this contention, greater use of wind energy could be the solution for economic growth and sustainable environment, in the long run. This paper discusses the ways in which India has started the growth of wind energy and the country’s potential to expand its contribution to meet ever-increasing energy needs. The paper lucidly presents India’s progress to become the top five wind energy producers in the world. This paper also discusses the major achievements, programs, policy, and incentives for the installation of wind power in India. Opportunities and challenges have been discussed along with the ways to remove barriers to achieve higher growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind is one of the most fascinating industries in the renewable energy sector and it is experiencing a remarkable growth. Offshore wind energy generation offers an opportunity in the race to decrease the dependence on fossil fuels, reduce green house emissions, increase energy security and create employment opportunities. UK has proven success in offshore wind and has been enjoying the economic benefits of offshore wind since over a decade. Offshore wind energy is an emergent renewable energy industry in the United States. The United States is coping up with the challenges and heading up fast to catch up with the industry. India is still in its infancy stage where the policy frameworks are framed by MNRE government and getting ready with the tools to enter into the offshore market. This paper researches the current situation and trend of offshore wind industries in UK and US, from aspects of policy, grid connections, operation and maintenance and cost reduction and analyses the proper direction and pathways of the industry to India. Therefore this paper highlights the scenario as to how these three countries UK, USA and India, respectively, are enabling offshore wind, to make a vital and sizeable contribution to the low carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of rapid economic expansion, China, the USA, and India have become the largest energy producers and sources of CO2 emissions in the world. They burned over 45% of global fuels in 2016. Meanwhile, the developing strategies of 24 polluted states to decrease fossil energy consumption without additional economic output. This paper explores the effect of world top polluted countries' CO2 emission, their GDP and production of electricity by potential indicators and identifies the basic factors that contribute to changes in an environment where petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear, biomass, and other renewable energy and hydroelectric sources are examined with GDP per capita. We estimate our data for the period from 1968 to 2017 and use the GLM model. The results show that more production of electricity is causing abnormal CO2 emissions. The Granger causality test shows that there is a unidirectional relationship between energy consumption and economic advancement. Also, there is a short-run bidirectional causality that exists among the energy indicators. We find a unilateral causality between energy consumption and economic growth. Therefore, the consumption of energy might be conductive of 24 (polluted) countries and better economic development; the consumption of energy may be failsafe and guaranteed, while we should limit the resources of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the challenge of decarbonizing India's transportation and power sectors, which jointly contribute to around 35% of the nation's emissions. The research introduces a transport model designed to project the growth of EVs within the 2-wheeler (2W) and 4-wheeler passenger (4W) segments, considering different policy scenarios. These scenarios are assessed for their impact on technology adoption, fossil fuel demand, power requirements, and CO2 emissions. Additionally, the study presents a demand model to forecast national electricity demand. The power model is also developed and linked with the transport and demand models to evaluate different fuel mix options for meeting the projected national power demand through 2050. The findings reveal that ambitious policy scenarios can drive EVs to constitute roughly 45% of all 2W and 4W vehicles on Indian roads by 2050, substantially increasing electricity demand to an estimated 295 TWh with a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions within the transport sector. Significantly, the soft linkage between these models underscores the potential for India to meet up to 90% of its national electricity demand through renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydropower. The research underscores the feasibility of transitioning towards a low-carbon energy system through renewable energy and EV integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the design of indoor-outdoor mobility wheelchair for Indian settings. The design of such a wheelchair has not been available for the low resourced settings. This work developed a prototype wheelchair with features to provide variable elevation of seat (elevation of 300 mm: seat height from floor - 500 mm to 850 mm), 360 degree rotations of seat and ease of seat transfer to make the wheelchair relevant for accessibility in indoor settings. The device is powered by a battery (24 V 18 Ah LifePo4) and electric motor (350 watt with driving speed up to 20 km/hour) thereby making it suitable for indoor use rather than conventional fossil fuel powered vehicles. Its additional feature of having visibility from other vehicles, front light, and ability of driving on different terrains make it suitable for outdoor use. The mobility wheelchair is affordable (manufacturing cost for prototype was around 325 US $) in India. We have further provided justification for all the technical specifications of the components we used. The wheelchair was fabricated locally in our workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's fossil fuel based energy-led economic growth and carbon emissions are largely influenced by economic liberalization. In this paper, we have considered twenty years before and after liberalization (1971-2010) and by formulation of an error correction model, we have demonstrated how causal associations among economic growth, drivers of growth, and negative consequences of growth undergo changes based on three constructs, namely industrialization, energy efficiency, and rural-urban migration. Analysis of missing feedback link in Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis using contextual interventions is the primary contribution of this paper in ecological economics literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, depletion of fossil fuel and increasing demand for energy have led to the substantial interest in developing alternate energy sources, especially biodiesel. First generation biofuels produced from food crops and oil seeds are limited to achieve targets for biodiesel production. Second generation biofuel produced from non-food feed stock such as microalgae provides various potential advantages for biofuel production when compared with first generation biofuels. This paper investigates the possible use of microalgae for biofuel production on the selected potential sites in the country. Algal biomass and oil yield for the selected sites are predicted using the analytical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bio-economy is characterised by aspirations of replacing the fossil-based economy with biobased energy, resources and processes; biofuels are particularly popular. This new shift comes with multiple risks and uncertainties in both industrialised and developing economies. The uptake of biofuels is inextricably linked to and legitimised by policy processes involving a complicated nexus of vested interests, political aspirations, and technological drivers, and a range of associated factors. In this paper we describe the characteristics of and contours along which two national biofuels policies in India and South Africa have been articulated and developed. In doing so we establish how a biofuels regime has gained legitimacy, becoming embedded into policy processes dictated largely through specific networks and reflective of the rationalising effect of global and local narratives. We analyse how pro-poor 'win-win' narratives gained purchase amongst different actors and in turn how they were used as a basis for biofuels policies. The case studies are, however, complex and differentiated, pointing towards sociopolitical nuances and structural subtleties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited has awarded the packages of constructing underground unlined rock caverns for storage of 1.33 and 1.25 MMT of high sulphur crude oil at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Padur (Karnataka) respectively to Hindustan Construction Company Limited, where-in Geoconsult is engaged for detailed design and site services. The unlined rock caverns for oil and gas storage call for site characterization in terms of geology, hydro-geology, geochemistry, geomechanics and geotechnics, which in turn facilitates assimilation, assessment and amalgamation of all relevant data to establish an overall geological and/or geotechnical framework for the projects. In general, the construction of an underground unlined rock cavern compriseds five principal activities: (i) geological and/or geotechnical site investigations; (ii) stability assessment; (iii) temporary rock supports design; (iv) excavation and related works; and (v) permanent rock supports re-design according to the observational approach. This paper outlines (a) the construction stage geological and/or geotechnical investigations to acquire geological/geotechnical data for rock mass quality appraisal as per Q-system and permanent rock support recommendations, (b) design criterion to utilize the rock itself as the principal structural material, to create as little disturbance as possible during the construction stage, and to add only the required supports, and (c) geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring to measure displacements at the surface and within the rock mass in order to fine-tune the excavation methods and rock supports, undertaken during construction stage of the project. Die Sondergesellschaft Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited beauftragte Hindustan Construction Company Limited mit dem Bau zweier nicht ausgekleideter Felskavernen zur Lagerung von 1,33 bzw. 1,25 Mill. t sauren Rohöls in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) und Padur (Karnataka). Geoconsult ist mit der Ausführungsplanung und baubegleitenden Dienstleistungen betraut. Für die Herstellung der Kavernen zur Rohöl- und Gasspeicherung wurden die geologischen, hydrogeologischen, geochemischen, geomechanischen und geotechnischen Eigenschaften erhoben, was eine Erfassung, Zusammenführung und Verschmelzung aller relevanten Daten für den geotechnischen Rahmenplan ermöglichte. Generell umfasst die Ausführung fünf Hauptaktivitäten: (i) geologische und geotechnische Erkundungen; (ii) Stabilitätsberechnungen; (iii) Planung der temporären Stützmaßnahmen; (iv) Ausbruch und begleitende Arbeiten und (v) laufende Anpassung der permanenten Stützmaßnahmen an die Ergebnisse des geotechnischen Messprogramms. Dieser Artikel stellt (a) die geologischen Erkundungen während der Bauphase zum Zwecke der Erlangung geologischer und geotechnischer Daten zur Bestimmung der Felsqualität, des Q-Wertes und der permanenten Stützmaßnahmen, (b) die Planungsparameter für die Verwendung des Fels als primären Baumaterials unter möglichst geringer Auflockerung während des Ausbruchs und Einbau der benötigten Stützmittel, sowie (c) die geotechnische Instrumentierung und Monitoring zur Messung von Verschiebungen an der Oberfläche und im Gebirge zur Feinabstimmung der Ausbruchsmethode und der Stützmaßnahmen in der Bauphase, dar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy and energy services are the backbone of growth and development in India and is increasingly dependent upon the use of fossil based fuels that lead to greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and related concerns. Algal biofuels are being evolved as carbon (C) -neutral alternative biofuels. Algae are photosynthetic microorganisms that convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide (CO) to various sugars and lipids Tri-Acyl-Glycols (TAG) and show promise as an alternative, renewable and green fuel source for India. Compared to land based oilseed crops algae have potentially higher yields (5-12 g/m/d) and can use locations and water resources not suited for agriculture. Within India, there is little additional land area for algal cultivation and therefore needs to be carried out in places that are already used for agriculture, e.g. flooded paddy lands (20 Mha) with village level technologies and on saline wastelands (3 Mha). Cultivating algae under such conditions requires novel multi-tier, multi-cyclic approaches of sharing land area without causing threats to food and water security as well as demand for additional fertilizer resources by adopting multi-tier cropping (algae-paddy) in decentralized open pond systems. A large part of the algal biofuel production is possible in flooded paddy crop land before the crop reaches dense canopies, in wastewaters (40 billion litres per day), in salt affected lands and in nutrient/diversity impoverished shallow coastline fishery. Mitigation will be achieved through avoidance of GHG, C-capture options and substitution of fossil fuels. Estimates made in this paper suggest that nearly half of the current transportation petro-fuels could be produced at such locations without disruption of food security, water security or overall sustainability. This shift can also provide significant mitigation avenues. The major adaptation needs are related to socio-technical acceptance for reuse of various wastelands, wastewaters and waste-derived energy and by-products through policy and attitude change efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Renewable energy represents an area of tremendous opportunity for India. Energy is considered a prime agent in the generation of wealth and a significant factor in economic development. Energy is also essential for improving the quality of life. Development of conventional forms of energy for meeting the growing energy needs of society at a reasonable cost is the responsibility of the Government. Limited fossil resources and associated environmental problems have emphasized the need for new sustainable energy supply options. India depends heavily on coal and oil for meeting its energy demand which contributes to smog, acid rain and greenhouse gases’ emission. Last 25 years has been a period of intense activities related to research, development, production and distribution of energy in India. Though major energy sources for electrical power are coal and natural gas, development and promotion of non-conventional sources of energy such as solar, wind and bio-energy, are also getting sustained attention. The use of electricity has grown since it can be used in variety of applications as well as it can be easily transmitted, the uses of renewable energy like wind and solar is rising. Wind energy is a clean, eco-friendly, renewable resource and is nonpolluting. The gross wind power potential is estimated at around 48,561MW in the country; a capacity of 14,989.89MW up to 31st August 2011 has so far been added through wind, which places India in the fifth position globally. This paper discusses the ways in which India has already supported the growth of renewable energy technologies i.e. wind energy and its potential to expand their contribution to world growth in a way that is consistent with world''s developmental and environmental goals. The paper presents current status, major achievements and future aspects of wind energy in India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the context of energy security, rural development and climate change, India actively promotes the cultivation of Jatropha curcas, a biodiesel feedstock which has been identified as suitable for achieving the Indian target of 20% biofuel blending by 2017. In this paper, we present results concerning the range of environmental impacts of different Jatropha curcas cultivation systems.Moreover, nine agronomic trials in Andhra Pradesh are analysed, in which the yield was measured as a function of different inputs such as water, fertilizer, pesticides, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Further, the environmental impact of the whole Jatropha curcas biodiesel value chain is benchmarked with fossil diesel, following the ISO 14040/44 life cycle assessment procedure. Overall, this study shows that the use of Jatropha curcas biodiesel generally reduces the global warming potential and the nonrenewable energy demand as compared to fossil diesel. On the other hand, the environmental impacts on acidification, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and water depletion all showed increases. Key for reducing the environmental impact of Jatropha curcas biodiesel is the resource efficiency during crop cultivation (especially mineral fertilizer application) and the optimal site selection of the Jatropha curcas plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used Microsoft XL optimizer and Particle Swarm Optimization to find optimized integrated combinations of RES. Thermal energy demand data is generated for a midtownand found highest requirement of hot water and cooking heat. Solar water heaters, biogas and biomass gasifier are the most promising RES technologies to satisfy the thermal energy demand of a midtown. To reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, the renewable energy systems must be utilized in an interactive manner and need to be optimized. Currently, the thermal energy demand of any city is mostly satisfied by the conventional resources. It produces considerable strain on fossile fuel reserves and lead to increase green house gas emissions also. The thermal demand of city can be satisfied by integrative use of renewable energy resources. This integrative use needs modelling and optimization. In this paper, optimised combinations of three renewable energy systems, such as solar water heating systems, biomass gasifiers and biogas energy systems are presented to satisfy the thermal demand of a region. A Microsoft excel optimizer software is used to solve the multiobjective optimization problem to find the optimum combinations. Minimization of lifecycle cost and CO 2 emission are considered as main two multiobjectives. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is utilized to solve the constraint optimization problem. The thermal energy demand satisfaction of Kolhapur city, a midtown city, in western Maharashtra, India, is taken for case study. The daily average thermal energy demand of one day for each month is satisfied in this case study for the whole year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biomass has often been regarded as a promising renewable energy resource to mitigate climate change. However, what will be the impact on global surface temperature if biomass replace fossil fuel remain unclear. This paper, through a case study in Uttar Pradesh, India address this issue by assessing biomass resource potential to reduce fossil fuel demand and mitigate climate change. Impact of biomass power related GHG emissions on global surface temperature is estimated using the Absolute Global Temperature change Potential (AGTP) climate metric. Uttar Pradesh can produce 71 Mt surplus biomass annually, equivalent to 7298 MW power. Power density of biomass range between 0.10 and 0.25 Wm-2. Significant amount of GHG emissions reduction is possible if biomass replace fossil fuel as a power source in the region. Annual GHG emissions associated with 1 MWh of power derived from coal, natural gas and biomass would cause 4.10 × 10−7, 2.40 × 10−7 and 1.25 × 10−7 mK rise in global surface temperature, 100 years after an initial emission, indicating potential of biomass power to mitigate climate change. Variation in spatio-temporal distribution and low power density could be delimiting factors in large-scale deployment of biomass power. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Biomass resources and power potentials are assessed for Uttar Pradesh, India. • GHG emissions from biomass power is assessed and compared with fossil fuels. • Climatic impact of power generation is assessed via novel climate metric. • Biomass power can mitigate climate change by replacing fossil fuels. • Spatio-temporal variability and low power density are limitations of biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a lighting unit is developed for homes to minimize energy consumption and cost. It has dual mode of charging batteries through a grid or photovoltaic solar energy devices. The utility of such devices has increased in recent times because many countries around the world are reducing or eliminating subsidies on kerosene, diesel and other fossil fuels due to the continued high price of crude oil. This has made solar energy cost competitive. The present work shows that solar energy is far more economic than kerosene based lighting systems (kerosene lanterns). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short rotation bioenergy crops for energy production are considered an effective means to mitigate the greenhouse effect, mainly due to their ability to substitute fossil fuels. Alternatively, carbon can be sequestered and stored in the living biomass. This paper compares the two land use categories (forest land and non-forest land) for two management practices (short rotation vs. long rotation) to study mitigation potential of afforestation and fossil fuel substitution as compared to carbon storage. Significant carbon benefit can be obtained in the long run from using lands for growing short rotation energy crops and substituting fossil fuels by the biomass thus produced, as opposed to sequestering carbon in the biomass of the trees. When growth rates are high and harvest is used in a sustainable manner (i.e., replanting after every harvest), the opportunities for net carbon reductions appear to be fossil fuel substitution, rather than storage in ecosystem biomass. Our results suggest that at year 100 a total of 216 Mg C ha is sequestered for afforestation/reforestation using long rotation sal ( Shorea robusta Gaertn.f) species, as opposed to offset of 412 Mg C ha for carbon storage and fossil fuel substitution for short rotation poplar ( Populus Deltoides Marsh) plantations. The bioenergy option results in a continuous stream of about 3 Mg C ha yr of carbon benefits per year on forest land and 4 Mg C ha yr on non-forest land. Earlier studies have shown that in India waste land availability for establishing energy plantations is in the range of 9.6 to 36.5 Mha. Thus, using the 758 Tg biomass per year generated from 9.6 Mha waste land gives a mitigation potential in the range of 227 to 303 Tg C per year for carbon storage and fossil fuel substitution from poplar plantation for substituting coal based power generation. Depending upon the land availability for plantation, the potential for energy generation is in the range of 11,370 PJ, possibly amounting to a bioenergy supply of 43% of the total projected energy consumption in 2015. Further studies are needed to estimate the mitigation potential of other species with different productivities for overall estimation of the economic feasibility and social acceptability in a tropical country like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: India''s energy challenges are multi-pronged. They are manifested through growing demand for modern energy carriers, a fossil fuel dominated energy system facing a severe resource crunch, the need for creating access to quality energy for the large section of deprived population, vulnerable energy security, local and global pollution regimes and the need for sustaining economic development. Renewable energy is considered as one of the most promising alternatives. Recognizing this potential, India has been implementing one of the largest renewable energy programmes in the world. Among the renewable energy technologies, bioenergy has a large diverse portfolio including efficient biomass stoves, biogas, biomass combustion and gasification and process heat and liquid fuels. India has also formulated and implemented a number of innovative policies and programmes to promote bioenergy technologies. However, according to some preliminary studies, the success rate is marginal compared to the potential available. This limited success is a clear indicator of the need for a serious reassessment of the bioenergy programme. Further, a realization of the need for adopting a sustainable energy path to address the above challenges will be the guiding force in this reassessment. In this paper an attempt is made to consider the potential of bioenergy to meet the rural energy needs: (1) biomass combustion and gasification for electricity; (2) biomethanation for cooking energy (gas) and electricity; and (3) efficient wood-burning devices for cooking. The paper focuses on analysing the effectiveness of bioenergy in creating this rural energy access and its sustainability in the long run through assessing: the demand for bioenergy and potential that could be created; technologies, status of commercialization and technology transfer and dissemination in India; economic and environmental performance and impacts; bioenergy policies, regulatory measures and barrier analysis. The whole assessment aims at presenting bioenergy as an integral part of a sustainable energy strategy for India. The results show that bioenergy technology (BET) alternatives compare favourably with the conventional ones. The cost comparisons show that the unit costs of BET alternatives are in the range of 15–187% of the conventional alternatives. The climate change benefits in terms of carbon emission reductions are to the tune of 110T C per year provided the available potential of BETs are utilized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Minimizing carbon pollution and fossil fuels is among the most crucial issues in the sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, global environmental concerns have increased since India did not sign the global coal pledge at COP 26. It is therefore a question mark how India will achieve the 2070 carbon-free target with the increasing use of coal and oil. In this contenxt, this work examines the impact of fossil fuel efficiency, structural change, renewable energy consumption, technological innovation, and urbanization on carbon efficiency in India from 1980 to 2019. Employing the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag approach; the study reveals that fossil fuel efficiency, structural change, renewable energy, and technological innovation improve carbon efficiency, while urbanization worsens environmental quality. Based on the study's findings, the Indian government should invest more and incentivize technological innovation that supports fossil fuel efficiency and renewable energy deployment to achieve the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) aim to increase the share of non-fossil fuel, especially renewables, in power generation. But at the same time, it mentions that coal is likely to dominate the power generation in the short and medium term to meet the increase in demand and support the intermittency of renewable energy-based power generation. Thus, additional efforts to transform the thermal power generation to a more efficient and less emitting one in the near term by increasing the use of natural gas (a fossil fuel with a lower emission factor than coal) may be planned towards achieving India's additional mitigation commitments. The paper presents the implications of a proposed increase in the share of natural gas in thermal power generation of India by looking into the trade-off between emission mitigation and energy security. Along with a Reference Scenario, three alternative emission scenarios are proposed to understand the likely impacts of increased penetration of natural gas in power generation on India's projected emission profile up to 2050. Results suggest that higher mitigation potential can be achieved through fuel-switch in thermal generation and technological up-gradation to enhance energy use efficiency. The energy security due to the increased share of natural gas imports can be dealt with by diversifying import sources. Shifts can achieve this in the emphasis on long-term contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide-spread dependence of transportation sector on the ever-depleting and greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels when burnt has raised considerable energy security and environmental concerns. Consequently, countries around the world have positioned biofuels as a center stage alternative to fossil fuels in their national policies to provide energy security and carbon emission control. In this regard, the paper conducts a feasibility assessment of setting-up large-scale supply chain of bioethanol (i.e., a biofuel variant) based on the regional availability of agricultural residues. Critical resources and capabilities requirements and governance attributes for bioethanol supply chains are explored using the resource-based view and institutional theory lenses. An agricultural residues (as biomass inputs) based bioethanol supply chain (BESC) model is proposed to incorporate the economic and environmental optimality considerations for an agro-climatic region. A case study of the Punjab State in India is used as an application of the proposed BESC model. Findings suggest that sustainable BESC configurations can be achieved differently for different agricultural residues. Comparative analyses, trade-off scenarios, and sustainability assessments of various agricultural residues-based BESC configurations are conducted. The policy implications of the priority areas are discussed within the bounds of India's biofuel policy. • Designed biomass-based bioethanol supply chains from a policy perspective. • Resource-based view and institutional theory are applied. • Developed large-scale supply chain model for energy security and carbon-neutrality. • Performed comparative, trade-off, and sustainability analyses for biomass types. • Priority areas for creating a nationwide bioethanol economy are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]