India’s Power Sector Scenario
Power
Installation, Generation and Supply Scenario:
Today,
India’s 275 GW of installed
electricity generating capacity is significantly higher than 140 GW of peak
demand. In fact, India’s coal generation capacity alone is higher than
its peak demand. Despite installed capacity exceeding power demand, some parts
of the country face acute power
shortages.
The
critical reasons are – coal supply
shortages, high level of transmission and distribution losses, and poor
financial health of utilities.
Further,
unlike domestic coal, the price of
imported coal is unregulated; its price can be quite volatile. Imported
coal in the recent past has been significantly more expensive than Indian coal.
Distribution companies (discoms) that buy electricity generated with imported
coal face significant and unpredictable upward pressure on tariffs. Some
utilities have tried to avoid these high costs by simply not buying power, even
when the result is local shortages, rolling blackouts, and increase in fixed
costs.
These
fundamental problems in the power sector are hampering the efficient use of the
existing system to even meet the grid-connected demand.
Health
and environment impact of inaccessibility to grid:
More
than 300 million people in
India are still waiting for access to
electricity. Rampant load-shedding and low-quality electricity supply
forces people to resort to private,
local, costly and dirty solutions such as diesel generators, which pose
both health and environmental concerns.
Future
role expected to be played by RE in India’s Energy Mix:
Estimates
suggest that by 2021-22, India’s
electricity demand will be more than double the level in 2011-12. One
of India’s major advantages today and going forward is that its renewable
energy (RE) potential is vast and largely untapped.
Recent
estimates show that India’s solar
potential is greater than 750 GW and its announced wind potential is 302 GW (actual could be higher
than 1000 GW). India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 show a possibility of
achieving a high of 410 GW of wind and 479 GW of solar PV by 2047.
The
potential of biomass and small hydro
is also significant. Thus, renewable energy has the potential to anchor
the development of India’s electricity sector.
Benefits
that transition to RE entail:
From
a broad public policy perspective, the major benefit of a rapid transition to
RE will be the positive effect on
India’s macroeconomic circumstances.
Tapping
into abundant indigenous renewable resources could avoid revenue outflows for expensive imported fuels. At the
current time – without innovative policy changes – India is facing a rapidly
rising and volatile imported coal bill far into the future.
From
a pure macro-economic perspective, reaching 175 GW RE by 2022 could
dramatically reduce the coal import bill in 2022.
Then
there are environmental benefits
(less pollution), social benefits (local employment opportunities) and
investment inflows, which may need to be monetized to assess the
complete range of benefits.
Steps
needed to harness RE:
To
capture the benefits of RE, India would need to make available the necessary capital, and get
comfortable with managing the variability
and uncertainty of RE generation in conjunction with the existing and
planned fossil fuel-based and large power plants.
The
Planning Commission estimates
had suggested that infrastructure
development under the 12th Five Year Plan would require more than a trillion US Dollars, and the
investment requirements for RE may enhance it further. Therefore, financing is
certain to be a challenge for RE.
Renewable
energy tariffs, of which 70% are financing costs (but no fuel costs for 25-30
years), will reduce if loans are provided at lower interest rates.
XXXXX
Cashless
economy may boost cyber crime
Government has been recommending that people go
cashless and make online payments through e-wallets or plastic money.
But the convenience of digital transactions brings
with it the danger of online deception.
Findings of a study conducted by ASSOCHAM and Ernst
and Young:
Mobile frauds are areas of great concern for companies
as 40-45 % of financial transactions are done via mobile devices and this is
expected grow to 60-65 %.
Break-up of Complaints on Online Security:
46 % were related to credit/debit card fraud;
39% Complaints such as morphed pictures, cyber bullying / stalking;
21% Cheating
through mobile
18% hacking of e-mail
ID
12% abusive/offensive/obscene
calls and SMS
Issues in India’s Cyber Security Architecture:
Scenario of Cyber Security Workforce in India: For an IT power of its size, the strength of official
cyber security workforce is surprisingly inadequate. The number stands at 556 experts when compared to China, which has 125,000 experts
and the US (91,080 experts).
Need to upgrade IT Act: In its current form, the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008,
deals primarily with extraction, retention, communication and destroying of
data. Plus, the Act doesn’t cover majority of the crimes committed through mobiles. It needs to be updated and
its scope widened to include a legal framework for cyber laws.
Handling provocative content on Web: A balance needs to be struck between infringing on
the privacy of citizens and
monitoring of cyber crimes. The recent scrapping of Section 66 A
doesn’t allow intermediaries like internet service providers to block or remove
provocative information that goes viral on social media, sometimes leading to
communal flare-ups.
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