Briefly explain the distribution of thermal energy in india
Answers
The power sector in India is mainly governed by the Ministry of Power. There are three major pillars of power sector these are Generation, Transmission, and Distribution. As far as generation is concerned it is mainly divided into three sectors these are Central Sector, State Sector, and Private Sector.
Central Sector or Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), constitute 29.78% (62826.63MW) of total installed capacity i.e, 210951.72 MW (as on 31/12/2012) in India. Major PSUs involved in the generation of electricity include NHPC Ltd., NTPC Ltd.,, and Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL).
Besides PSUs, several state-level corporations are there which accounts for about 41.10% of overall generation , such as Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB), Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), in Gujarat (MGVCL, PGVCL, DGVCL, UGVCL four distribution Companies and one controlling body GUVNL, and one generation company GSEC), are also involved in the generation and intra-state distribution of electricity.
Other than PSUs and state level corporations, private sector enterprises also play a major role in generation, transmission and distribution, about 29.11%(61409.24MW) of total installed capacity is generated by private sector.
The PowerGrid Corporation of India is responsible for the inter-state transmission of electricity and the development of national grid.
The Ministry of Power is the apex body responsible for the development of electrical energy in India. This ministry started functioning independently from 2 July 1992; earlier, it was known as the Ministry of Energy. The Union Minister of Power at present is Sushilkumar Shinde and Minister of State for Power is K.C Venugopal.
India is world’s 6th largest energy consumer, accounting for 3.4% of global energy consumption, with Maharashtra as the leading electricity generator among Indian states. Due to India’s economic rise, the demand for energy has grown at an average of 3.6% per annum over the past 30 years. At the end of December 2012, the installed power generation capacity of India stood at 210951.72MW, while the per capita energy consumption stood at 733.54 KWh(2008-09). The Indian government has set an ambitious target to add approximately 78,000 MW of installed generation capacity by 2012. The total demand for electricity in India is expected to cross 950,000 MW by 2030.
India is the sixth largest in terms of power generation. About 65% of the electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants, 22% by hydroelectric power plants, 3% by nuclear power plants and rest by 10% from other alternate sources like solar, wind, biomass etc. 53.7% of India’s commercial energy demand is met through the country’s vast coal reserves. The country has also invested heavily in recent years on renewable sources of energy such as wind energy. As of March 2011, India’s installed wind power generation capacity stood at about 12000 MW. Additionally, India has committed massive amount of funds for the construction of various nuclear reactors which would generate at least 30,000 MW. In July 2009, India unveiled a $19 billion plan to produce 20,000 MW of solar power by 2020 under National Solar Mission.
The per capita power consumption in India is 733.54KWh/yr, which is very minimal as compared to global average of 2340KWh/yr.
Electricity losses in India during transmission and distribution are extremely high, about 28.44%(2008-09). India needs to tide over a peak power shortfall of 13% between 5pm and 11pm by reducing losses due to theft and pilferage.. Due to shortage of electricity, power cuts are common throughout India and this has adversely effected the country’s economic growth. Theft of electricity, common in most parts of urban India, amounts to 1.5% of India’s GDP. The condition of utilities are not good either, cumulative loss of 110 power utilities are estimated as Rs 86,136 crore which is expected to to rise to Rs 1,16,089 crore by 2014-15. Despite an ambitious rural electrification program, some 400 million Indians lose electricity access during blackouts. While 84.9% of Indian villages have at least an electricity line, just 46 percent of rural households have access to electricity.
Answer:
About 65% of the electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants, 22% by hydroelectric power plants, 3% by nuclear power plants and rest by 10% from other alternate sources like solar, wind, biomass etc. 53.7% of India's commercial energy demand is met through the country's vast coal reserves.
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