Energy, in particular clean electricity, is a basic need, like food, clothing and shelter, and is the foundation on which sustainable development rests. For assured energy security, we must have sufficient energy resources and the appropriate technology to harness them to meet the genuine needs of every citizen 24x7, in economically viable and environmentally friendly ways.
In the recent past, we have been forced to stop buying oil from Iran, dragged to the WTO for wanting to encourage indigenous solar technology as part of our solar policy, denied technology transfer and funding as promised by the Paris Climate Change accord, threatened with imposition of higher tariff on our exports and served notice on delisting from the FSP. Most of the countries from where we are sourcing oil and gas, and even coal for some time, are constrained by their own national interests and geopolitics.
In this context, importing energy resources and technologies is inimical to our energy security. Instead, we should develop technologies indigenously, manufacture quality equipment, and market them globally. “Develop, make and market” energy technologies should be the policy, which will ensure our energy security and our leadership role in future global affairs.
Our electricity needs are humongous, with about 250 million people not even having access to it currently. The per capita electricity consumption is 1,200 units (kWh) while the world average is about 4,000 units. Even to provide a reasonable amount of 3,000 units, the total energy generation must be tripled from the present 1,500 billion units. The emerging idea of an all-electric auto sector in the future will increase our needs by up to 20%. The only practical way to meet our future needs is through an intelligent and judicious mix of fossil and renewable energy resources and technologies so that electricity for all, round-the-clock, with realistic environmental cleanliness objectives can be achieved.
Solar and wind energy pose several challenges. This is due mainly to three unchangeable, natural limiting factors: effective availability of solar and wind energy for only one third of the year, their dilute nature, and intermittency. The three equally important technology factors are the very low efficiency of present generation solar cell panels (about 18%), limited maximum capacity of the wind machines, and non-availability of suitable energy storage devices like the battery.
Solar thermal power generation is not yet a reality. A majority of the solar PV technology deployment is by imported cheap solar panels. Biomass-based power generation is a commercialised technology, but only for small scale decentralised applications. Similarly, geothermal technologies are limited to small thermal applications. The once much-hoped-for ocean energy technologies just remain in the textbooks.
The large indigenous resource of coal which can act as a transition fuel needs cleaning to remove ash and sulphur, but technologies are not available or are costly. Imported coal is relatively clean but expensive. The newly inducted high-efficiency supercritical thermal power plants are mostly based on imported technology for the high temperature materials. Indigenously developed IGCC technology has not yet been commercialised for various reasons. The mandatory pollution control equipment for fossil plants are based on imported technology. The operation of the highly efficient natural gas turbine power plants, accepted as the least polluting of the fossil technologies, is restricted by limited domestic availability and uncertain imports of the fuel.
Thus, we are in the midst of an undeclared mini-energy crisis, because of challenges in the availability of energy resources and technologies. The national energy policy needs to be firmed up with some difficult decisions. One essential component of such a policy must be indigenous development of energy technologies.
In the renewable energy sector, the four priority technologies are: (i) Highly efficient solar PV cells made from either conventional silicon or other novel materials, with low-cost manufacturing technologies; (ii) Commercially viable scaled-up solar thermal power plant; (iii) Higher capacity and higher efficiency wind machines for onshore and offshore use; and (iv) Commercially viable energy storage device, like a battery or other novel technologies, without using lithium. This is also needed in electric vehicles.
In the fossil sector, the most vital need is to make coal use sustainable by developing four priority technologies: (i) Carbon capture, storage and reuse to tackle its deleterious role in global warming. Monoethanolamine (MEA) absorption technology for carbon capture is at a demonstration level internationally. China is working to develop its own technology. If we do not develop it indigenously, we will be forced to buy it as and when it is mandated by international agreement; (ii) Advanced Pollution Control equipment to meet the future emission limit conditions on PM2.5, mercury and other gaseous pollutants; (iii) coal cleaning technologies to reduce the ash and sulphur content in indigenous coal to increase its heating value and reduce sulphur emissions; and (iv) Manufacture of high temperature materials for use in Advanced Ultra Supercritical thermal power plants which give higher efficiencies.
In the transmission and distribution sector, priority is a smart grid technology that will ensure grid stability, operating flexibility and reliability, and energy conservation.
Renewable energy technologies can possibly offer a complete solution only in the long term. In the medium term, a judicious mix of fossil and renewable resources, with coal gradually reducing its share, is the answer. The short-term solution is a risky dependence on a changing mix of domestic and imported resources and technologies. Hence, it is essential to indigenously develop some technologies on a priority basis, as it has collateral advantages of exporting for profit and global energy leadership. The alternative is perpetual energy insecurity and missing the bus to be among the global leaders, once again.
(The writer was formerly a professor at IIT, Madras)