Daily Editorial Analysis for 27th February 2023

Smoke signals from the renewable energy sphere

Context

The formal launch of the Indian Oil Corporation’s patented solar cook-stove at the India Energy Week 2023 by the Prime Minister must be looked at closely from the point of view of India’s national energy story.

What is Surya Nutan?

Surya Nutan is a Stationary, rechargeable, and always kitchen-connected indoor solar cooking. Surya Nutan offers online cooking mode while charging through the Sun which maximize the system efficiency and ensures high utilization of energy from Sun.

Functioning of New Solar Cooking System

While Surya Nutan remains in the kitchen, a cable transports solar energy harvested by a PV screen stored outdoors or on the roof.
It collects solar energy, converts it to heat using a specially designed heating element, saves thermal energy in a scientifically proven thermal battery, and then converts the energy back into electrical energy for use in interior cooking.
The captured energy not only meets the cooking requirements of a family of four during the day, but also their nighttime dinner.
The stove is 80% efficient and is linked to a 750-watt solar panel.

Significance

When using the stove, 3 kg of CO2 emissions are decreased for every kg of LPG conserved.
The stove has a 10-year warranty and requires no upkeep.
It lacks a traditional cell that must be replaced.
The solar screen has a 25-year lifetime.
When the charge is low or on overcast days, an electrical grid can be used as a fallback source.
It can be used for a variety of culinary tasks, including simmering, steaming, frying, and flatbread preparation.
After the experiments are completed, commercial production will commence.
The culinary method was tried in 60 homes and other organisations in Leh, Lakshadweep, Delhi-NCR, and Udaipur prior to its widespread use. This was done to collect customer feedback.

India’s national energy story

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) developed a sun cooker and state-led hydroelectric electricity in the 1950s, but failed to handle agricultural energy usage.
Parallel attempts to enhance the conventional stove, such as the Hyderabad Engineering Research Labs smokeless chulha, were ineffective.
With a 50% funding incentive, the government introduced the enhanced chulhas programme in the 1980s to decrease fuelwood usage and help women’s health and finances. However, the initiative failed due to problems with building, upkeep, and corruption. Despite the risks, women continue to depend on chulha.
Food consumes 80% of the energy consumed by remote Indian households. Despite the popularity of the LPG programme, 668 million people in India use biomass for heating and lighting. Fuel price increases and funding removal compel women to use chulha at their own risk.

India’s Energy Week, 2023

India’’s G20 Presidency: India Energy Week 2023 is being planned during India’s G20 Presidency, under the tagline “Growth, Collaboration, Transition”, from 6-8 February 2023 in Bangalore.
India has an opportunity: It offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to display India as an engine of global economic development as well as a generator of global consumption, backed up by a welcoming and investment-friendly climate and a skilled workforce.
Opportunity for strategic policy making and knowledge sharing: IEW 2023 provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for regional, foreign, and CEO leaders to convene for strategic policy making and technological knowledge sharing.

Mission Solar National (NSM)

The NSM was founded in January 2010 with the aim of making India a worldwide champion in solar energy by creating the regulatory structure for the fastest possible dissemination of solar technology across the country.
The main objective of NSM was to build 20 GW of solar energy by 2022. This was raised to 100 Gbps in early 2015.
The Mission’s numerous support programmes and efforts have raised installed grid-connected solar power capability from 25 MW in 2010-2011 to approximately 36.32 GW by October 31, 2020.
There are currently tenders for the installation of an additional 58.31 GW of solar electricity capability.

Solar Park and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Plant Construction

The initiative “Development of Solar Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Projects” was launched in December 2014 with the goal of making it simpler for solar project developers to set up projects using a plug-and-play paradigm.
This plan called for the construction of at least 25 Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Electricity Projects, with the aim of adding more than 20,000 Megawatts of solar electricity over the span of five years starting in 2014-15.

Rooftop solar (RTS) development

For a total capacity of 40,000 Megawatts of rooftop solar project (RTS) power to be achieved by 2022.
Because the Scheme will be implemented through Power Distribution Companies, domestic consumers who want to receive Central Financial Assistance must approach one of the DISCOMs in their region in order to construct a rooftop solar plant and receive Central Financial Assistance (DISCOMs).

Ujjwala Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is a government scheme under the Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to distribute LPG cylinders to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL). The aim of the Ujjwala Scheme is to provide alternate clean fuel to prevent health issues associated with burning unhealthy fuel.
Under this scheme, 8 crore identified beneficiaries were distributed 50 million LPG gas connections, in the names of adult women of the family. Union Budget for FY 21–22 provided for the release of an extra 1 crore LPG connections under the PMUY programme with a focus on families of migrants.

Conclusion

Surya Nutan has the ability to significantly improve our energy security, as India presently imports 50% of its LPG requirements. It also significantly reduces India’s CO2 emissions and protects our people from the whims of volatile international fossil fuel costs.
India’s energy shift will be crucial in world energy markets. The India Energy Week arrives at a crucial juncture, with the problems of energy security and environmental sustainability influencing long-term energy transition and decarbonization pathways.