OLIVE EARTH

India is the fifth largest consumer of energy in the world, and it is projected to surpass Japan and Russia to become the world’s third biggest energy consumer by 2030. At the same time, the country is facing an acute energy scarcity which is hampering its industrial growth and economic progress. India has a severe electricity shortage. It needs massive additions in capacity to meet the demand of its rapidly growing economy. The country’s overall power deficit—11 percent in 2009—has risen steadily, from 8.4 percent in 2006. The "Unleashing the Potential of Renewable Energy in India" report by World Bank in 2010 estimated about 17 percent villages(100000) remain unelectrified, and almost 400 million Indians are without electricity coverage. India’s per capita consumption (639 kwH - estimated in 2010 ) is one of the lowest in the world. About 42 percent of rural households in India use kerosene-based lighting, paying 20–30 times more than they would for electricity-based lighting. Supply is not sufficient even in urban areas, where about 6 percent of households use kerosene for lighting. (2010)

India is trying to tackling the energy crisis through a judicious utilization of renewable energy resources, such as biomass energy, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy. India has 150GW of renewable energy potential, about half in the form of small hydropower, biomass, and wind and half in solar, cogeneration, and waste-to-energy. Developing renewable energy can help India increase its energy security, reduce the adverse impacts on the local environment, lower its carbon intensity and contribute to more balanced regional development. India could produce about 62GW—90 percent of technically feasible renewable capacity in wind, biomass, and small hydropower—in an economically feasible manner, if the local and global environmental premiums of coal-based generation are brought into consideration. About 3GW of renewable energy is economically feasible at the avoided cost of coal-based generation of Rs 3.08/kWh, all of it from small hydropower. About 59GW of renewable energy in wind, biomass, and small hydropower is available at an avoided cost of less than Rs 5/kWh. The full capacity of 68GW in these three technologies can be harnessed at a price of less than Rs 6/kWh.

Research by The Pew Charitable Trusts in March reveals that China has solidified its position as the world’s clean energy powerhouse. China attracted a record $54.4 billion in clean energy investments in 2010–a 39 percent increase over 2009 and equal to total global investment in 2004. Germany saw private investments double to $41.2 billion and was second in the G-20, up from third last year.

THe research released in March 2011 mentions India to be ranked in 10th place among the G20 for renewable energy, with 2 per cent of the total investment.  In 2010, India’s clean energy investments rose by 25 per cent to $4bn, 63 per cent of which was funnelled into the wind sector. As of March 2011 India stood the 7th in the world for such capacity with 18.7 gigawatts. India today stands among the top five countries of the world in terms of renewable energy capacity.