This book analyzes the current approaches to energy management in India that is based on a carbon-intensive pathway, which if continued, may have serious implications for climate change mitigation with severe consequences for human health and survival. India, being a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions; however, the country’s dilemmas are whether to prioritize environment over economy or vice versa and also whether economic growth can be sustained by relying on carbon-intensive development. Those are explored in this book.
The Indian economy is poised for a big leap in the near future, and the topmost priority of the government is to ensure energy security, accessibility, and affordability for nearly 1.5 billion people. Currently, 70% of India’s electricity generation comes from coal- and oil-based thermal power plants, and only 12–15% of energy is generated from renewable sources. Experts are of the view that the demand for coal and gas power generation will continue to rise and is expected to reach the equivalent of nearly 2 billion t of oil by 2030. The annual consumption of natural gas is expected to increase fourfold to 200 billion m3 a year in the near future, and its share in the primary energy basket of coal, oil, and gas will rise from 6.5% to 15% by 2030. This will not only cause a significant drain on foreign reserves but will also pose an enormous challenge to policymakers and scientists. This book serves as a useful guide in shaping India’s future energy policy.
Author(s): Asheem Srivastav
Series: Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 194
City: Cham
Contents
1 Energy Security and Sustainability: An Overview
1.1 Understanding Various Terms and Conversion Factors
1.2 Energy Indicators
1.3 The Paradox of Energy Security and Sustainability
1.4 Energy Security and Access in India
References
2 Energy Sector Progression in India
2.1 Energy as a Commercial Entity
2.2 Part I (The Initial Phase—Coal, Oil, and Water)
2.2.1 The First and Second Five-Year Plans (1951–1956 and 1956–1961)
2.3 Part II—The Nuclear Energy Phase
2.3.1 The Third (1961–1966), Fourth (1969–1974), and Fifth (1974–1978) Five-Year Plans
2.4 Part III (Emergence of Renewable Sources)
2.4.1 The Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–1985)
2.4.2 The Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985–1990)
2.4.3 The Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992–1997)
2.4.4 The Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002)
2.5 The Complexities of Renewable Energy
2.5.1 The Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–2007)
2.5.2 The Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–2012)
2.5.3 The Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012–2017)
References
3 The Challenges of Energy Supply
3.1 The Understanding and Perception
3.2 Carbon-Intensive Energy Sector
3.3 Inconsistent Power Generation by States
3.4 The Fallacies of Household and Rural Electrification
3.5 Impediments to Electricity Generation
3.5.1 Hydropower
3.5.2 Nuclear
3.5.3 Thermal
3.5.4 Gas
3.5.5 Coal
3.5.6 Oil
3.5.7 Renewables
3.6 Biomass Fuels: A Threat to India’s Forests, Soil, and Human Health
3.7 Overcoming Impediments to Sustained Energy Supply
3.8 India’s Domestic Energy Balance in 2040
References
4 Climate Mitigation and India’s Commitment to Global Community
4.1 Multilateral Environmental Affairs
4.2 India’s Initial Submission to UNFCCC in 2004
4.3 Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry
4.4 First Biennial Report by India—2015
4.5 Commitment
4.6 Second Biennial Report by India—2018
4.7 Climate Vulnerability
4.8 Initiatives by Government
References
5 Fourth Industrial Revolution and India
5.1 The Fourth Industrial Revolution
5.2 Readiness for Low/Zero Carbon Growth
5.3 Carbon-Based Economies Will Eventually Prove Cataclysmic
5.4 Renewable Energy Assessment—India
5.5 The Predicament of Biomass-Based Fuel
5.6 Every Little Step Will Be a Great Leap for India
5.7 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Global Energy Prospects
5.8 Great Hope for Future—Fusion Power and Fuel Cell
References
