Energy is a key factor in combating climate change, one of the biggest challenges the world is facing today. India has committed to cutting emissions to net zero by 2070 and set ambitious targets for adopting renewable energy. Achieving these targets requires careful planning and an overhaul of our current energy system.
Our work aims at enabling policies that encourage the adoption of rooftop solar, facilitate the development of technology for energy storage, strengthen the grid and transmission infrastructure, advance hydrogen technologies, and promote green mobility. CSTEP's research looks at the various aspects of mainstreaming renewable energy for a cleaner, greener energy sector.
Challenges and opportunities for Solar Tower technology in India
Solar Tower technology has gained considerable momentum over the past decade .Unlike the parabolic trough, Solar Tower has a lot of variants in terms of type of receivers, working fluids, power cycles, size of heliostats, etc .Most of the literature available on this technology does not address in great depths, details of various parameters associated with tower technology.The role and significance of this technology is brought out in the context of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in order to achieve grid-connected solar power.
Reviewing India's National Mission on Electric Vehicles
In 2010, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy proposed a 20% subsidy for electric vehicles through a scheme called the Alternate Fuels for Surface Transportation Programme. This resulted in a big leap in sales of electric vehicles, mostly in the e-bikes segment. However, this initial spurt in sales was followed by a slump. This article analyses why electrical vehicles have not taken off in India, and suggests alternatives.
A novel approach to determine the non-dimensional heliostat field boundary for solar tower plants
A novel approach to determine the non-dimensional heliostat field boundary for solar tower plants.Solar tower technology has gained considerable momentum over the past decade. In a solar tower plant, the power collected by the heliostat field is strongly coupled to the height of the tower and its location with respect to the field. This paper provides a methodology to fix the boundary of the field (non-dimensionalised with respect to the tower height).
An explicit J–V model of a solar cell using equivalent rational function form for simple estimation of maximum power point voltage
An explicit J–V model of a solar cell using equivalent rational function form for simple estimation of maximum power point voltage
Whither Nuclear Power?
India is targeting an ambitious GDP growth rate of 8 per cent and for that the power sector needs to grow in tandem.This paper makes an assessment of the potential for capacity addition from various energy sources such as coal,natural gas, hydro, wind and biomass and concludes that these sources will be found wanting in closing the gap between desired growth and business as usual growth. In this background, the recent India-US declaration on cooperation in nuclear power provides an opportunity for accelerated growth.
Scoping technology options for India's oil security: Part I - ethanol for petrol
Crude oil prices recently crossed US$ 75/bbl, fuelling serious concerns whether India’s rapidly expanding economy can sustain a high and growing level of crude imports There are also serious concerns of global warming from burning of fossil fuels .It may be time for India to explore options which can substitute petrol and diesel and are climate-friendly In a series of two articles, we examine a few such technology and policy options Part I focus on options for substituting petrol by ethanol from sugarcane: molasses, sugarcane juice and cellulose (bagasse) Part II analyses options for diesel
The Global Energy Landscape and Materials Innovation
The Global Energy Landscape and Materials Innovation
Harnessing Waste Heat for Power Generation in Karnataka
The policy note examines the existing status of Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) technology in Karnataka and potential uptake in near future. As the fifth most industrialized Indian state, Karnataka's cement, iron and steel sectors consume 28% of the state's total power (as of 2016) and is expected to be in the same range by 2030 as well.
Design of Solar Field and Performance Estimation of Solar Tower Plants
The study aims to develop a methodology to carry out a technical analysis of a solar tower (ST) technology. The proposed rational approach determines the optimum solar field and the associated tower height for an ST using an external cylindrical receiver, using molten salt as both HTF and storage medium operating with steam Rankine power cycle.
Techno-Economic Feasibility of Grid-Tied Solar Mini-Grids
The cumulative number of households waiting for power supply is close to 4 crore. Majority of electrified villages have huge demand-supply gap and access to power is unreliable or of low quality. In many rural areas, electricity is barely available for economic use and development. Grid-tied renewable powered mini-grids can help improve reliability and augment supply to the central grid effectively.