Plunging crisis

A 10 percent of the global population was plunged into a powerless state with the collapse of the northern grid that affected 670 million in northern parts of India. As trains and traffic signals ground to a halt, it was chaos everywhere. Hospitals and crematoria faced problems most unprepared for. Miners trapped below ground were rescued using generators. As the power corporation rushed to address the crisis, and a ‘power shuffle’ in the ministry sent ripples, big questions remained.

Why did it happen? Was it due to poor infrastructure? Or due to over drawing of power by states? Power consumption in India vastly exceeded available supply, due in part to high temperatures and drought. Many see the root of India’s electricity problem as due to a wobbly infrastructure combined with too little generation. Some blame it on “the non-availability of coal.” However, the quality of India’s domestic coal is largely too poor for recent-generation coal plants. More than half of India’s power-generation capacity of 205 gigawatts is coal-based, and Coal India Ltd., the world’s biggest coal producer, is unable to produce enough.

Free electricity to farmers who have been overdrawing owing to sinking water table and a reluctance among politicians to raise power tariffs have drained cash reserves of the utilities, leaving them incapable to address the infrastructure needs. The Central Electricity Authority has reported power deficits of more than 8% in recent months. As the demand surges, it remains doubtful if supply can catch up.

Meanwhile, solar capacity in the country has crossed 1000 MW mark, though mostly in Gujarat. There is also an additional 85 MW of off-grid PV solar. Gujarat Solar Park currently has scores of solar installations totaling about 600 MW, and it is planned to soon expand that capacity to about 1,000 MW. For the current fiscal year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has set goals of adding another 800 MW of solar and 2,500 of wind. Off-grid solar might swell to 1,000 MW installed per year by 2016. From big to small, from centralised to localised, from one (energy source) to many -- only such a combined move will help ease the situation which is sure to get worser every day.