The spot light is on Indian power sector. The reasons are obvious. Without power, the wheels of Indian economy wouldn’t move. With expectation from every quarter rising—both national and international, the economy has to run faster. The news of India’s potential growth in the decade has attracted many multinational giants to set up their manufacturing units across the country. Each such unit requires electricity as a major input to run their machines efficiently.
The high expectation is a challenge as well as an opportunity. “Those companies engaged in the manufacture of power equipments, production and distribution of electricity with a vision and strategy could become global giants by the end of the decade,” says Yogesh Garg, CEO, Infraline Energy Research & Information Services. A number of power consultants feel that the small companies through creating technologies or innovative business models could disrupt the existing standards in the market. There’s a chance for incremental growth as well as disruptive for them.
India has a natural advantage of sunshine almost nine months in a year. Some of the Indian states are suitable for wind energy. On the top of it, there are thermal power plants powered by coal and hydro-electricity by efficient use of country’s rivers. However, the natural resources can’t be exploited beyond a point, as it may cause irreversible damage to the environment.
Is there a way to raise the available pool of electricity without setting up new thermal or hydro power units? Possibly yes. If we improve the existing processes, the wastage would come down naturally in India’s power sector. Two pain points are the huge distribution loss and high consumption of electricity by the equipments that generate electricity.
The amount of electricity lost during the course of distribution from the centre of production is significant. It is as high as 40 per cent. A reduction in this sphere would improve the supply of electricity. The equipments used in power generation too consume electricity. Improving the quality of such equipments would also raise the share of available electricity.
Our one-size-fit-for-all approach is an outdated strategy. We have to get away from the linear thinking that all the electricity to run our home or business should come from a centralized source called grid. We need to adopt hybrid mode of access to electricity, something similar to a city dweller traveling some distance by personal vehicle and the rest by a public transport. Many power consultants have helped big hotels and manufacturing companies to use solar as well as electricity from the grid to meet their requirement, without causing any damage to the environment.
The high expectation is a challenge as well as an opportunity. “Those companies engaged in the manufacture of power equipments, production and distribution of electricity with a vision and strategy could become global giants by the end of the decade,” says Yogesh Garg, CEO, Infraline Energy Research & Information Services. A number of power consultants feel that the small companies through creating technologies or innovative business models could disrupt the existing standards in the market. There’s a chance for incremental growth as well as disruptive for them.
India has a natural advantage of sunshine almost nine months in a year. Some of the Indian states are suitable for wind energy. On the top of it, there are thermal power plants powered by coal and hydro-electricity by efficient use of country’s rivers. However, the natural resources can’t be exploited beyond a point, as it may cause irreversible damage to the environment.
Is there a way to raise the available pool of electricity without setting up new thermal or hydro power units? Possibly yes. If we improve the existing processes, the wastage would come down naturally in India’s power sector. Two pain points are the huge distribution loss and high consumption of electricity by the equipments that generate electricity.
The amount of electricity lost during the course of distribution from the centre of production is significant. It is as high as 40 per cent. A reduction in this sphere would improve the supply of electricity. The equipments used in power generation too consume electricity. Improving the quality of such equipments would also raise the share of available electricity.
Our one-size-fit-for-all approach is an outdated strategy. We have to get away from the linear thinking that all the electricity to run our home or business should come from a centralized source called grid. We need to adopt hybrid mode of access to electricity, something similar to a city dweller traveling some distance by personal vehicle and the rest by a public transport. Many power consultants have helped big hotels and manufacturing companies to use solar as well as electricity from the grid to meet their requirement, without causing any damage to the environment.
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