Karnataka Minister for Energy K.S. Eshwarappa on Tuesday said the State had been facing severe shortage of power on account of deficit rainfall in June following which the Energy Department was thinking of announcing a formal load-shedding should the dry spell continue for two more days.
Now, this is not just in Karnataka but this has been going on for decades... we have known the demand supply short fall since time immemorial. Do we not have a clue how the shortfall can be bridged? How long do we rely on the Hydroelectric source? Really what are the challenges in meeting the energy needs?
The Minister said there was no proposal before the government to purchase additional power from private companies such as GMR and Jindal apart from sugar units which had cogeneration plants.
So what are they waiting for?
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For God to answer their prayers
Apparently our CM has "full faith" in God and he has asked us all to pray very hard. With a government like ours, I don't think we have too many other options :)
Jokes apart, I wonder how they plan to run the Metro with this sort of power supply. Maybe all passengers just pray and the train levitates and moves along?
First it was denial (no power shortage), now some sort of acceptance but might take a bit longer before they can think of some options.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Where is the money?
During the weeks prior to Lok Sabha elections the state apparently spent 3000 crores on buying power to ensure uninterrupted power supply. The logic was to have a feel good factor.
Now even if they want to buy power they are hardly left with any money and with tax revenues coming down significantly this year, problem will only worsen. I wonder what it has done to our finances. For long Karnataka had a better track record when it came to managing finances and deficits. With such useless expenditures, with no quantifiable returns we will be doomed very soon. It is our money that these guys burnt - all for the sake of feel good factor - my a***.
And some one should tell our Honorable CM that planting trees would have better results than praying "VERY VERY HARD"
Shortsightedness
Mr Hon'ble CM seems to have got it all wrong. First, prayers dont make rain fall! Trees do. On one hand he is chopping down all the greenery on the other he is praying for rain! Its like praying to win the lottery without buying a ticket!
Then we have proposed monstrocities like a 250 Storey building. How much more power will that consume?
As srivatsa point out - metro is another concern. May as well start setting up solar panels and windmills above the train!
Lastly, if there is a shortage due to rainfall - its not really the govt's fault. We are the consumers and we are all cause to this plight. Now the least we can expect from the govt. is proper management.
If you are having load shedding accept it. Have scheduled load shedding so people can plan thier lives. This unscheduled, denied load shedding is irritating and just shows the apathy, self centredness and cowardlyness of the management.
Take strict measure not to waste energy on Billboards, exterior lights on IT Parks etc at night. We have to learn to conserve. The demand is always going to grow, can we always look to meet the demand?
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Wither Non-Hydro electric power?
We are trying to curtail the demand side because we are short on supply. How much thought has gone into bridging the gap using non-hydroelectric sources? how is the supply side planning looking for the next 20 years. These are long gestation capital expenditures, surely there will be a 20 year plan.
I hope it doesnt look like this
year 1 - Pray, year 2 - Pray............. year 20 - Pray.
Solar energy - will it help?
Though it is necessary to find ways of bridging the shortfall, promotion of solar technology could help in addressing the demand v/s supply gap.
It is a known fact that one unit of power conserved is equal to two units generated. Government should promote the use of solar appliances for domestic use and commercial purposes wherever possible and give attractive waivers / subsidies on the purchase of these appliances to promote the same.
Solar energy can be a good alternative for hydro electric power.Though it has its own limitations; it can compensate the power needs to some extent.
GoK had planned to launch an ambitious self-sustaining solar technology programme which would cater to the energy needs of 50 lakh people. (Click here for a news report on it http://www.livemint.com/2009/06/25121532/Bangalore-plans-to-brighten-up.html ). Why not something like this on a large scale be possible? At least gradually?
Growing... growing... grown.
The demand is always going to grow, can we always look to meet the demand?
Indeed, demand for every resource will grow, not reduce. It goes back to the population question doesnt it? How do you rather tackle this?
Clarification
Thought it fair to include the clarification from KSE. Still sounds like a day to day plan based on hope and prayers for the next day. Like somebody who left office recently said, God save the citizens, the administrators cant do anything.
Giving statistics, he said the demand (as on Tuesday) was 98.66 million units while the generation was around 105 million units. “The power generation still exceeds the demand but as a precautionary measure we have resorted to power rationing early fearing the worst,’’ Eshwarappa told
He admitted that things could turn worse in a week’s time if it doesn’t rain. “We are weighing various options including buying power from private companies. We have decided to buy power from only those who give us power at the lowest rate (less than Rs 5),” he said.
Bring home the sunshine, stop misuse of electricity day time
Urbanites are indulging in criminal wastage of electricity during day time. One look at the monstruous government buildings, MNCs, Call Centers, ITeS, Banks, 5 Star hotels should make us feel guilty of how callous are we in our attitudes and out of the box living condition needs.
- We are over exploiting the meagre natural resources/fossil fuels like crude oil, coal, water as if they are infinitely available. This is fallacy. They are becoming finite - Crude oil may last another 50 years, after that it will be rationing, quality coal reserves have already been exploited to nearly 75 per cent and inferior variety may result in spewing more CO2, Water - we are already fighting even for getting two pots of drinking water and future wars will be faught on water issues.
- Let us be a little more moderate in our living attitudes and save the world.
- Economics: one bulb of 40 watts burning for 6 hours during day time inside homes/banks/govt offices etc., consumes 8 units of electricity in a month. If there are more bulbs adopt simple multiplication. If one lakh Prajas adopt the free and simple U-SEE method, they can save 800,000 units per month (there are 95 lakh electricity consumers in Karnataka). Multiply this by 3 because in the present day context, one unit saved is equivalent to 3 units generated-cost of generation.
- let us stop misuse of electricity being used for lighting purpose during day time and let us bring home the sunshine that is available just outside our windows and doors
- the free and infinite solar energy can be tapped with the help of U-SEE (Unlimited Saving of Electrical Energy) - a World Bank honored project for its simple innovative idea for tapping solar light at grassroots level and for saving natural resources without involvement of hi-end technology or billion dollar investment.
- how? I invite Prajas to indulge themselves in this novel method of lighting up their homes with free lighting - India is blessed with 200 days of bright sunlight. I have designed and developed modules for getting free lighting even after sunset but they are inclusive of technology and economical models.
- The following links are worth having a look since media coverage of U-SEE has given a positive msg to people to adopt U-SEE and get benefitted. U-SEE has been showcased at more than 35 energy related conclaves, workshops, exhibitions and has been supported by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Corpn.Ltd. KREDL -
The Hindu - URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/03/13/stories/2009031351390500.htm
http://sunlightexpertvasanth.carbonmade.com/projects/2275331
- Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, World Bank honored Innovator in IDM2007 World Bank competition, Social Activist and Praja.
Re:Tweetenator
Indeed, demand for every resource will grow, not reduce. It goes back to the population question doesnt it? How do you rather tackle this?
the Demand for power can go. But then we can find new ways of meeting this demand. The per person consumption can reduce.
The challenge isn't really to produce more - its to consume less. Population is one way of handling it. But there are others. I think we have been spoilt with luxury. We need to conserve. Simple ideas - such as the no. of lights on at home, leaving lights on at night or unneccessasry use of A/C in a good climate are just luxuries we cannot rely on.
And its not only electricity - same case with water. Are we gonna keep needing more and more or can we find a way to use less? Can we create washing machines that use less water. Can we find more eco-freindly detergents so we can recycle water easily?
I think we need to work both ways - recude consumption and control population.
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Long term supply side seems a problem
IDS,
I agree that our supply side response has been worse than pathetic. The government is the one that gives approvals to various demand side projects (IT parks, industrial areas, SEZs). And yet the same government cannot see the implications of those for the supply side.
But we will be forced to go to demand side management. See this report on our coal reserves.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=333749
"Stressing the need to employ new mining technologies, a top PSU official said India is likely to run out of its 60-70 billion tonnes of coal reserves by 2040-41 if the demand continues to grow at the present pace."
You might be a technology cornucopian - I am not. The earth is 70% water and we still have not found a cost effective way to utilize it to mitigate our drinking water problems through desalination. The most effective desalination still remains the monsoon rain.
On power - take Karnataka's case. We have a population of 55 million or so and about 130-140 MU consumption a day. In 20 years, at about 2% population growth we will be 80 million or so. And if raise double our per capita power to 4 MU per day we will need 320MU/day. At 80% T&D efficiency this will mean 400MU/day generation or about 17000MW of power if this is distributed uniformly across the day. Which it is not. Assuming a 1.25 peak factor - we will need 20000MW of power. At a plant load factor of 90% we will need an installed capacity of 22GW. We currently have some 5.5GW.
I think we will be in for a prolonged period of demand management - some voluntary but mostly forced.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
President calls for energy revolution
New Delhi, Wednesday, Jul 1, 2009
Piqued by power shortages in cities like Delhi, President Pratibha Patil today had a word of advice for planners, saying that the unsavoury situation can be avoided by proper planning at all levels and gave a clarion call an ''Energy Revolution'' to meet the growing demands of the economy.
Ms Patil underscored the need for ''Energy Revolution'' in league with the Green and the White Revolution which will meet the demand for energy services of all its sectors and people.
Ms Patil said although the primary dependence on fossil fuels was likely to continue in the foreseeable future, other energy resources, including hydro-electricity, wind, solar, nuclear energy and bio-fuels would occupy more space in the energy mix.
More details at : http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20090701/1286429.html
Luxury? Us?
I think we have been spoilt with luxury
Energy revolution should wait. Our per capita consumption is pretty low internationally and yet we are being advised to bring it down. It is not acceptable. This will put a spanner in the works to get us out of poverty. There has to be quid pro quo globally and this cant be one sided. We need to take this to Kyoto. I agree with minister Jairam Ramesh for rejecting the emission targets ahead of the summit. We have to focus on the supply side. Demand will increase regardless of its management. The curve may be less steeper but the sacrifices for that curve may not be worth it if globally there is no agreement.
why should the globe stop us from changing...
IDS,
I dont think we should sign the agreement too for emmision targets.Thats an unfair comparision in the first place.
But without comparing ourselves to the west/east - i think we can reduce our consumption. We dont have to reduce our luxuries to reduce our consumptions. We could find alternative ways. Usage of more conserving technology, usage of less consuming devices could be a start.
I dont know if we have an institute that researches on this subject but it sure could be the future of power appliances! Can't we find more ecnomical ways of lighting billboards, or street lighting or another way of lighting up Vidhan soudha?
Still, I dont think the west is an excuse for our attitude towards wastage. Lets turn the light off if we are not using it. Why not promote technology like solar geysers and natural ventilation in our buildings?
We can satisfy our need - but can we satisfy our greed?
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
My dear IDS!!!
My dear IDS,
On the one hand you say that the energy revolution should wait. And on the other you say that we need to focus on the supply side. What does your supply side look like? Do you have a secret coal mine in your backyard? :)
Our President has spoken a lot of sense in that piece (one of those rare things). Even the Federal Reserve of Atlanta has entered the debate on peak oil.
http://www.frbatlanta.org/filelegacydocs/er0902_graefe.pdf
Dubai is talking solar.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090627/BUSINESS/706279884/1005
See what the head of Scotia Capital has to say
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/another-perspective-on-peak-oil/article1202380/
The spanner is in the works.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Misread the statement
On the one hand you say that the energy revolution should wait.
Thanks for pointing this out. Actually I misread the entire statement. The conotation of "revolution" and the other arguments had me thinking differently. I agree with the presidents prepared speech. We need alternative sources and we should augment the supply side.