Context:

Electricity grid is a very complex system. It involves long-distance transmission of electricity at high voltage, step-up and step-down transformers, and a distribution network at load centres. Various electricity generators and consumers are connected to it.

Complex network

• Grid parity can be seen in two different ways: generator-end grid parity and consumer-end grid parity.
• Generator-end grid parity is limited to the plant boundary and does not include the cost of the grid system.
• To ensure that electricity is always available to consumers on a reliable basis, a grid manager has to contract enough electric supply from generators available on demand at all times.
• In India, the peak demand occurs in the evening, when solar is not available and wind may or may not be blowing.
• Therefore, the capacity of generators capable of despatching electricity on demand, i.e. despatchable sources, connected to the grid should be more than the peak load.
• It has to be more because some generators will be under long-term maintenance and some will not be available for the short term due to technical faults.
• The cost of the grid system is, therefore, more than the cost of towers, wires, and transformers.
• It also includes capital and operating cost of storage capacity when provided for and capacity charge paid by the grid manager to meet the peak load.
• When a grid manager is not able to pay adequate capacity charge, the result is load shedding.

Solar and wind energy sources are suitable for isolated deployment

1. Appropriate ways to deploy solar and wind can be decided by recognising their three characteristics — zero fuelling cost, low capacity factors and intermittency
2. Solar and wind are eminently suitable for isolated deployment such as for powering irrigation pumps
3. An irrigation pump directly connected to a solar panel can be useful for a farmer as he doesn’t have to depend on the grid. In this application, intermittency of solar is of no consequence

The concept of Micro-grid

1. In India, there are still communities that have no access to the central electricity grid, or the supply from the central grid is unreliable
2. A microgrid getting electricity supply from solar and wind, and connected to consumers in an isolated remote community, is helpful in providing electricity for lighting, in charging mobile phones, and small livelihood applications
3. A storage battery is an integral part of such an isolated microgrid and this increases the cost of electricity
4. Experience from such installations indicates that consumers are willing to pay for it in return for reliable electric supply
5. Consumers connected to a community managed microgrid can meet their minimum needs
6. Until the reliability of the central grid can be assured, solar- and wind-powered microgrid is the way forward for rural and remote communities

Recent Circumstances:

• Ongoing research in battery technologies will bring down the cost of electricity storage and improve safety of storage, thereby paving the way for a large deployment of solar and wind.
• One can expect the International Solar Alliance to direct technology development towards the needs of all developing countries.
• Another option for large-scale penetration of solar and wind is to install gas-based power plants which can be ramped up and down fast. This will be possible only if overland or undersea pipes can be commissioned to transport gas from Central Asia and Iran to India.

Conclusion:

• Solar and wind cannot meet even a quarter of India’s projected electricity requirements.
• A major share has to come from large hydro, nuclear and coal.
• Out of these three technologies, one has to prefer low-carbon technologies that is hydro and nuclear.
• Until electricity generation from hydro and nuclear picks up, coal has to continue to meet India’s electricity requirements.
• Along with investment in solar and wind, the government must plan for increased investment in both hydro and nuclear.

Source:TH