Topic : Energy (GS Paper III)
The battles of yesteryears were fought over land, while those of today centre around energy. One of the biggest factors behind the current shifts in geopolitics is energy. Whether it is the American invasions in the Middle East, or the Chinese hegemony in East and South Asia, these are just the different means to achieve the greater end, that is energy. The world witnesses a scramble for resources by energy-hungry nations, who are in a mad rush behind resources to feed their developmental needs.
Now, where is India placed in this state of affairs? The nation under a new government is showing every sign of an accelerated growth in the coming years. There is huge requirement for energy to satisfy its burning bowels. India has been looking for energy sources, both at home and abroad. Energy agreements which India signed with countries such as Australia, which had diametrically opposite views in many subjects, serves as an indicator for the nation's ambitious plans of development at any cost. Now, what are the different sources that India is banking upon to satisfy its huge energy needs. Let us analyse this.
The largest source of power production in India are coal-fired thermal power plants accounting for 58% of the total installed capacity. This is followed by hydroelectricity(17%), renewable energy resource(12%), natural gas(9%) and nuclear energy(2%). India is heavily dependent upon external sources in case of coal, natural-gas and nuclear energy. Hydro-electricity and renewable energy sources are harnessed at home, but are way short of the current demands. Thus India is facing an acute energy-crisis with an accelerated economic expansion in one hand and a large rural population without power on the other.
Considering the relevance of the topic, we will have discussions on the energy related issues in India and the various means through which the nation has been harnessing the different resources. Stay on for more information on energy matters.
Next in line : Solar energy in India.
The battles of yesteryears were fought over land, while those of today centre around energy. One of the biggest factors behind the current shifts in geopolitics is energy. Whether it is the American invasions in the Middle East, or the Chinese hegemony in East and South Asia, these are just the different means to achieve the greater end, that is energy. The world witnesses a scramble for resources by energy-hungry nations, who are in a mad rush behind resources to feed their developmental needs.
Now, where is India placed in this state of affairs? The nation under a new government is showing every sign of an accelerated growth in the coming years. There is huge requirement for energy to satisfy its burning bowels. India has been looking for energy sources, both at home and abroad. Energy agreements which India signed with countries such as Australia, which had diametrically opposite views in many subjects, serves as an indicator for the nation's ambitious plans of development at any cost. Now, what are the different sources that India is banking upon to satisfy its huge energy needs. Let us analyse this.
The largest source of power production in India are coal-fired thermal power plants accounting for 58% of the total installed capacity. This is followed by hydroelectricity(17%), renewable energy resource(12%), natural gas(9%) and nuclear energy(2%). India is heavily dependent upon external sources in case of coal, natural-gas and nuclear energy. Hydro-electricity and renewable energy sources are harnessed at home, but are way short of the current demands. Thus India is facing an acute energy-crisis with an accelerated economic expansion in one hand and a large rural population without power on the other.
The current policy of the Government is the development of unconventional and clean energy sources. The most important among them are the renewable energy and nuclear energy, for which talks are going on various levels. The renewable energy sector includes wind (which remains the largest among renewable sources with 65% of the installed capacity), small-hydro power(upto 25 MW capacity), solar power, biomass and bagasse co-generation and waste to energy conversion. The sticking points here are the absence of a modern cost-efficient technology and the administrative bottlenecks. Nuclear energy is another area which India is pushing forward, but requires not just the modern technology but also the essential resources including the nuclear fuel.
Considering the relevance of the topic, we will have discussions on the energy related issues in India and the various means through which the nation has been harnessing the different resources. Stay on for more information on energy matters.
Next in line : Solar energy in India.
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