Tuesday 10 September 2013

POWER SHORTAGE: Its Impact & Preferable Solutions





It’s the very first time when I am writing a blog & it is on such a critical issue which comes to our mind every time when there is a power cut & it goes off as quickly as the power comes back so the point I am trying to make here is that it surely is a matter of concern for all of us but what do we do? Nothing, for sure!!
Undoubtedly, there is a Immense need of Power & we are clearly aware of that fact.
Before I start, I want that we should all sit, give it a thought & realize that if we don’t do anything about this then we are going to suffer from “too little, too late” in near time so instead of blaming & criticizing others we should do something to improve this condition. we can at least try & do our bit as it is for our own benefit also.

This blog doesn’t only talks about Issues related to Power & its effects in our lives but Being an engineering student, I have also tried to analyze the situation in India & suggested few things which can probably help us to come out of the situation which is leading to scarcity of Electricity & also to take few initiatives to save energy for us & for our future generations.
A power outage (also power cut, blackout, or power failure) is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.
There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network. Examples of these causes include faults at power stations, damage to electric transmission lines, substations or other parts of the distribution system, a short circuit, or the overloading of electricity mains.
Power failures are particularly critical at sites where the environment and public safety are at risk. Institutions such as hospitals, sewage treatment plants, mines, and the like will usually have backup power sources such as standby generators, which will automatically start up when electrical power is lost. Other critical systems, such as telecommunications, are also required to have emergency power. Telephone exchange rooms usually have arrays of lead-acid batteries for backup and also a socket for connecting a generator during extended periods of outage.
According to a Reuters article 40% of India’s population, which is approximately 500 million people, are without energy. Those with access to electricity cannot count on having it 24 hours a day, reported the NY Times. Furthermore, according to Reuters, “India, which has a total installed power generation capacity of 164 giga watts (GW), however it has managed to raise it to 187 GW in the end of March 2012. Even this target is modest, given a 12 percent peak-hour power shortfall that crimps the country's near 9 percent economic growth.” Therefore, the rush to make up for the shortfall of energy, namely through nuclear energy, is at the forefront of the Indian’s government agenda. The Japanese nuclear crisis, however, is halting such a process.
A study by the South Asia Program at CSIS highlights that India’s nuclear energy goals are “ambitious, especially in an industry that has generally run behind the government’s planning targets." It further points out that, “a significant increase in nuclear power is a long-term, not a short-term, option.” The study goes on to point to a number of energy options available to India:
Clean Coal: Coal is the main source of energy in India, most of which is abundant domestically and inexpensive. Coal which is not clean has “severe health, environmental and economic effects,” however, clean coal offers a “clean” solution. Whereas in case of nuclear energy, clean coal is a long-term alternative as it “will take decades” to develop technologies and “billions of dollars to develop” and “therefore should not be seen as an immediate and reliable solution.” It is however, “a sector worth investment and research.”
Sun and Wind: “A resource with greater potential in the short-term is solar energy. India is endowed with abundant sunlight and solar radiation.” “Potential amount of energy to be reaped is staggering – an estimated 13,000 MW based on existing infrastructure alone.” The Indian government in 2009 launched its “National Solar Mission” which has a nine year plan. “Even if the plan does not fully adhere to this timetable, increased solar energy should be an important addition to India’s total energy output.” Wind is another low cost short-term goal option. India’s current wind industry produces 5,240 MW and “recently overtook Denmark to become the fourth-largest wind energy market in the world.”
Natural Gas: “India’s use of natural gas is growing faster than its use of other fossil fuels, at an average of almost 10 percent per year over the past six years. India imports small amounts of natural gas, which makes up 9 percent of its commercial energy.” India recently found a gas field in the Krishna-Godavari basin which would “double the enter annual gas production of India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.” “In the medium term, expanding the use of natural gas is a good solution to coal usage.”
The study also points out that the key to expanding India’s energy production is through investing in efficiency. Currently, “as much as 30 to 50 percent of the electricity generated in India may be lost along the delivery chain. Better maintenance and modernizing of cooling systems could significantly reduce the amount of energy needed to generate power.”
As the anniversary of Chernobyl approaches, coupled with the continuing Japanese nuclear disaster, the Indian negative reaction to nuclear energy is unlikely to settle. While, a large amount of focus has been put on nuclear energy being the answer to India’s energy shortage, its effects will only be seen in the long-term and other forms of energy cannot be ignored, especially those which offer viable solutions for the short-term.

By Vikas Choudhary, Roll No. 51

Monday 15 July 2013

Power Shortage in India !!

Power Shortage seems to be a very small topic to write on but once you start writing, there are no limits to write about it.It can go up to continents & countries,causes & effects,sources & techniques & a lot more,each one of these categories have a huge world under it.
So,if we have to move around all those areas,why not to start from our home ?? Lets check out the condition of  Power Shortage in India.
So what is the condition of power in India ? See this-

I don't think i have to say much over this now. As you can see in those pics, the condition of power in India is Pathetic !
According to Government of India, India faced a shortage of 17,000 MW just in the summers of 2012 & the number is much huge for 2013.Economic Survey 2013 showed,"During the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), nearly 55,000 MW of new generation capacity was created. Yet there continues to be a peak shortage of 
9 per cent," .
Yes, we have to admit that the population in our country is very large & so as the requirements but why have we been unable to make the arrangements to meet that demand yet ? 
I remember the power cuts which used to happen when i was a kid,we used to get happy while powers cuts in night because that used to make our hide & seek game much more interesting.And now i am old enough to decide to be happy or sad ! But still the situation is ... Not the same , even worst.
The question comes who is suffering  ? we- the common man ? or the small school going kids ? or that small businessman who can't even afford an emergency light ? or the whole country ?
Regular power cuts usually halt the work on the routine basis. The households can bear the cuts, but when power goes off frequently then things becomes frustrating.  The small-scale business owners suffers even more because they have to  spend money for the power backup. The reason they suffer is cost. Entrepreneurs operating from their homes prefer inverters, to keep running the domestic appliances, but inverters are not the solution because they do not provide backup for long hours. Moreover, the amount of power they generate is not enough to run the machines, which have motor of high watts.
So what can we say ? Entrepreneurs are suffering the most ? BIG NO... It's the economy which suffers at the end. 
Let's watch an informative video (click to watch).
This clearly shows how much are we lacking behind & what all we are losing from it. The point here is how can we reach the demand ? What can be done to stop all this and lead towards a better economy.
Well i would talk about the most easiest way to do that. That is by stopping this- 
Stealing electricity - Yes, the problem of electricity shortage can be partly solved by preventing this. You won't be shocked i know, but India is one of the top countries where this practice is followed the most. If you are not aware, many of the colonies get electricity by stealing. If this can be prevented,some problem would be solved and we would be able to be at least in the state of taking further actions.
This may not be the best way but this is the easiest way which can give rise to best results.

OMG !! How could i be so careless...I knew it would happen but didn't charge my laptop. Well...It's again a power cut... we would meet again to discuss some more about this shortage problem in the world. Hope we all can think something good & try to change the future :)

-Vishnu Channon , MBA Student - FIIB,Delhi








Monday 1 July 2013

Power Shortage

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Here comes the time when I am actually writing my own 1st blog post and like every such individual I am too feeling conscious and skeptic about every statement that I want to add in this article.
Well, without much ado I would start….
It was raining outside I was sitting in the balcony attached to my room & there was no power at that time and while enjoying the weather  some thoughts crossed my mind.
We said we “need” more power… How real is it?
Why can’t we shorten the work hours to reduce the power usage?
Is the whole world efficiently using the “power” or most of it goes into waste?
If we take an example of India,  the per capita average annual domestic electricity consumption in India in 2009 was 96 kWh in rural areas and 288 kWh in urban areas for those with access to electricity, in contrast to the worldwide per capita annual average of 2600 kWh and 6200 kWh in the European union. India currently suffers from a major shortage of electricity generation capacity, even though it is the world's fourth largest energy consumer after United States, China and Russia. So the demand of energy is more than its supply.
And Where would this energy come from ? Obviously there is a huge amount of energy generation as well but its not only the suppliers who are going to provide the same but the government on the other hand has a significant role in managing the distribution & not just working on generation part.
Also the fact that Electricity problems are not just confined to the developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, India but it  has now become a worldwide problem where we all need to look at and do something about it.
News related to electricity issues like
*NIGERIA: 2000 COMMUNITIES HAVE NO ELECTRICITY- SAYS NNAJI

* SOUTH KOREA THREATENED BY WORST POWER SHORTAGES THIS SUMMER.

*PAKISTAN POWER SHORTAGE PROBLEM IS THE COUNTRY'S BIGGEST THREAT.

News like above are the evidences to the fact that there has been a increase in issues related to “Power crises” & very less effort has been put into resolve them.
In recent years, there is substantial increase seen in the population & industrial growth therefore it has lead to rise in global demand of energy as well.
So In the 21st century, with more of the world's population living in metropolitan agglomerates requires electric power, without which it cannot function, electricity has become our new bread.
Thus We all together need to contribute our bit to make efficient use of energy and not to waste it when not in use. Also there is a major role of government to take initiatives and active part in managing these resources properly & making power available in all the sectors of the economy wisely.
regards sonal