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| Plan panel expert warns of coal shortage | |
| Bs Reporter / Kolkata August 25, 2008, 0:07 IST | |
India needs to concentrate more on nuclear and solar energy, for efficient energy usage and consumption, since the coal reserve of the country will be depleted within the next 45 years.
"We should focus on our solar and nuclear generated source of energy since the rate at which coal and lignite is getting consumed, the nation's coal reserve will run out within the next 45 years", said Kirit Parikh, member of Planning Commission, in an interactive session on, Energy Scenario for India in 24th century, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICC).
Almost 86 per cent of rural households in India use traditional fuel, in the form of firewood and dung cakes creating an economic burden of Rs 300 million, which is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
The country requires 800 million MW installed capacity of energy in the near future, which can best be achieved by using solar and nuclear energy.
There is a low energy scenario in India, with the requirement of coal being about 1500-2500 million ton.The requirement of oil is also increasing and is heavily dependant on imports.90-95 per cent of oil is import dependant, followed by gas and coal, 50 and 45 per cent respectively.
The average energy efficiency of coal based power plants in India is about 30 per cent which need to be increased to 35 per cent, as against the energy efficiency of plants in Germany which is about 48 per cent, said Parikh.
Solar energy is the most obvious alternate solution where the energy can be generated in 10 million hectare of land inspite of the high cost factor involved, said Parikh.
Solar energy generation require Rs8-15Kilo Watt(KW) per hour whereas that of coal requires Rs 2 KW per hour, however with fast depleting coal resources, solar and nuclear energy is the best possible solution, added Parikh.
Nuclear energy, unlike popular opinion, is not an expensive disposition.
Almost 70-80 per cent of electricity in France is generated through nuclear power plants, it depends on how we are able to execute the power plant, further added Parikh.
According to Kirit, the much-debated 123 Agreement is a good option for India, as it would help in producing fast nuclear energy, which is a sustainable energy solution
India can also add to its power installation capacity by using the potential of the neighbouring countries, for instance by taking the help of Nepal, another 50,000 Mega Watt(MW) of energy can be added but it is far from the energy that is actually required, added Parikh.
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