The subsidy to the agricultural sector in Karnataka has seen a whopping increase of 86% - from INR 4,993 crore in FY13 to INR 9,295 crore in FY18 - in just five years. A large portion of this subsidy can be saved by the government by merely mapping the already segregated agricultural feeders with associated distribution transformers and irrigation pump (IP) sets. Mapping will help the distribution company (DISCOM) assess the actual number of active IP sets drawing power, resulting in a better estimate of electricity consumed by them.

In this interview, Dr VS Arunachalam speaks on technology — the great leveller — and how the strategic application of science and technology can help India meet its policy goals.

CSTEP has developed a framework for feeder-wise revenue analysis and monitoring of energy sales (FRAMES) at the 11 kV-feeder level.

We see an urgent need for integrated decision-support systems for now and the future, to address every conceivable emergency. It is time we built such a system in India to deal with our emergencies. With ingenuity and foresight, we can replace fear with hope and confidence.

Think tanks can play the role of a mediator, critic and facilitator, by exploring technology beyond the designer’s tunnel vision to look at the big picture.

This article was originally published in the On Think Tanks Annual Review — 2019–20. You may read the complete review on this link.

The primacy of finding cost-effective solutions for achieving deep cuts in India’s space cooling requirement cannot be overstated. Considering this, it is perhaps time to take more ambitious leaps and curb carbon emissions by slowing down the space cooling demand through Energy-Efficient Building Envelopes, by strategically putting to use existing technology and discovering more effective and efficient ways of doing the same.

CSTEP's Techno-Economic Model for Photovoltaics (CSTEM PV) has been envisioned as a continuing initiative that aims to constructively support and be in line with India’s clean energy aspirations.

COVID-19 is glaringly revealing the vulnerability of the systems we rely on. Paradoxically, factors that increase vulnerability to COVID-19 are also the ones that enhance vulnerability to climate change, such as income inequity, inappropriate and inadequate housing, employment type, age, and existing health conditions. This is a cause of concern, as both the crises impact the most vulnerable — the homeless, migrants, poor, the marginalised — who already have low or no access to food, housing, healthcare, water and sanitation.

GIS can play a significant role in addressing the data gaps in the current energy auditing processes followed by DISCOMs. GIS locates the coordinates of the feeders, transformers and consumers and helps in mapping the entire distribution system. Such a system would help DISCOMs track and manage their assets. Visualising this information will also enable accurate ‘tagging’ of consumers to their respective feeders and transformers — known as consumer indexing.

• Modeling was performed for solar thermal-biomass hybridization for power generation.

• Increment in capacity reduces the solar collector area per MW to 5,000 m2 (20 MW).

• Annual biomass requirement per MW reduced to 1600 tonnes at 20 MW scale.

• Hybrid mode of operation increases the plant capacity utilization from 23% to 47%.

• Cost of electricity by the hybrid plant is INR 6/kWh for plant capacities >5 MW.