Renewable Energy - Research Project
A 3 month long research project with around 30 young people who were passionate to learn how to conduct academic research and write up a research paper. We took on the topic of Renewable Energy in India and have explored various different forms of energy. The papers are not intended to claim any form of energy is best for India, but rather, explore the general pros and cons of each type within the context of India.
Note: The papers were not written by professionals, but by youth from various demographics exploring this topic for the first time, so all feedback is welcome!
Topics Explored Below:
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Progress and Prospects of Renewable Energy Transition in India
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Future Of Carbon Free Fuel Using ‘Green Hydrogen'
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Bioenergy For A Sustainable Future
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Energy Storage in India- Battery Storage Technology
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Electricity Act, 2003 and the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020
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A Comparative Study on Silicon and Perovskite Solar Cells
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Hydropower in India
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Energising Nature: Rethinking the Sustainability of Renewable Energy Usage Vis-à-Vis Wildlife Conservation
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Renewable Energy and Human-Animal Conflicts
Illustrations have been made by Chhavi Mathur, Sindhuja Manivannan, Tvisha Pande, and Vaishnavi Khadatare
Progress and Prospects of Renewable Energy Transition in India
By Apoorva Muthukumar
India is the fastest-growing economy at a rate of an average of 5% every year and is currently the fifth-largest economy in the world. There is an exponential rise in the consumption and manufacturing of goods and services to keep up with growing demands, but the country also has a large population in rural areas of about 288 million, that currently do not have access to grid-based electricity. While India has for long invested in building solar power plants and hydropower plants, it is not without dispute. In the age where sustainable development goals are driving progress forward and many governments exploring ways in which they can attain these goals, this paper aims to review where India stands in regards to their energy policy as well as what is the pathway forward for them.
Future Of Carbon Free Fuel Using ‘Green Hydrogen’
By Batul Shakir
India is emerging as one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the world. Although the energy produced can be deemed to be clean, the major issue in India related to these resources is the availability of land to lay the infrastructure for energy generation at a large scale which in turn is causing clearing of forest lands. This is where a new source of energy ‘hydrogen’ fits into the complex puzzle of renewables. Green hydrogen is a clean, low carbon fuel which is produced using water and in turn produces only water vapour when consumed in a fuel cell. Unlike other renewables, it can be used in places where there are issues with availability of wind and sunlight. So will hydrogen forever change the face of energy production and help us to decarbonize earth?
Bioenergy For A Sustainable Future
By Noelina Ashwani DSouza
Bioenergy has a wide range of applications and it is renewable and eco-friendly. This is a research work on how bioenergy can lead to sustainable energy management. It discusses various types of bioenergy, resources and processes involved, benefits of increasing bio-power plants, and the improvement of bioenergy through proper waste management systems. This project also spreads awareness on innovations in this vast field of bioenergy. The aim of this project is to facilitate a shift from exhaustible resources to eco-friendly and renewable resources. Bioenergy is one of the fastest growing fields with great potential and energy and hence can be used for a sustainable future.
Energy Storage in India- Battery Storage Technology
By Abhishek Sreekant
The Indian Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), in 2013, estimated that by 2020, the market potential in India for energy storage systems in renewable energy applications alone would be in the vicinity of 6000 MW. The role of energy storage, in an energy mix that includes significant contributions from solar and wind power, cannot be emphasised enough. The dynamics of the battery market in India are changing rapidly, with the increasing demand for advanced battery technologies and emerging application areas. It is thus important to study the emerging landscape of energy storage technologies and their applications in the renewable energy segment.
Electricity Act, 2003 and the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020
By Purnima Tandon
This paper looks at the Electricity Act of 2003 and the bill proposed in 2020 and analyses some of the key features. The Electricity Act, 2003 is an Act of Parliament of India and is enacted to transform power sector in India. The act encompasses major issue like distribution, generation and trading in power. The Electricity Amendment Bill has been introduced to promote the entry of private players into the market in the generation, distribution and transmission of electricity. The provisions of the Act had become archaic, according to some experts and hence this Amendment has been introduced with some policy modifications. This paper also presents the viewpoint of several experts in the field on the new Electicity Bill 2020.
A Comparative Study on Silicon and Perovskite Solar Cells
By Vishnu Tej Gunisati And Suganesh R.
The aim of this article is to draw the attention of the reader to the current problems and limitations associated with crystalline silicon solar cells and how the perovskite solar cells are capable of overcoming the issues in efficiency and the production costs of crystalline solar cells. In the beginning of the article we will first introduce various aspects of silicon solar cells i.e. the material introduction, method of manufacture of both crystalline silicon solar cells and perovskite solar cell. Then we explicate the advantages of the later by comparative analysis of both types of cell and conclude with the significance of reorienting the solar energy markets towards adopting perovskite solar cell.
Hydropower in India
By Suveda Bobbili & Ann Mary John
India is currently the world’s fifth-largest hydropower producer with a total installed capacity of 50 GW. The first hydro-electric power plant in the country was established in Darjeeling, in 1898 and then Shivanasamudra in1902. As of March 31, 2020, 13.61% of India’s electricity demand is met using hydropower (large and small hydro), while other renewable sources (wind, biomass power/cogeneration, waste to energy, solar power) constitute 22.24% of the supply. This paper provides an overview of the hydropower sector of the country, with a special focus on small-hydro projects
Energising Nature: Rethinking the Sustainability of Renewable Energy Usage Vis-à-Vis Wildlife Conservation
By Ashna D
In recent years, the switch to renewable energy sources has received considerable global attention. Nevertheless, a transition to renewable energy production can crucially affect weather patterns and existing habitat characteristics, resulting in critical biodiversity loss. These changes include altering species habitats, animal migration patterns, damaging croplands, and increasing human-wildlife conflict. Therefore, climate change problems, wildlife conservation, and energy production cannot be addressed in isolation. This article briefly discusses some aspects of this complex relationship between human-wildlife conflict and renewable energy production and argues in favour of a community commons-based approach to address some emerging problems.
The Relationship Between Agriculture and Energy in India
By Anushka Dev and Durgesh Sharma
