Writing in Times of India ( 16 April 2017 / Dark Side of solar success
) , Shri Swaminathan A Aiyar makes
following :
POINTS :
·
The plant load factor ( PLF )
of coal based power plants was 76 % six years ago , but is now just 58 %
·
At today’s PLF of 58 % , many coal based
power plants are in trouble
·
If average PLF falls below 48 % ( as is likely if Solar
capacity soars to 40 GW by 2020 ), then many coal based projects will go bust
·
High interest costs ( on
borrowed capital ) can kill projects when the PLF falls
·
Around 65 GW of NEW thermal power plants are already in pipeline
·
PLF
collapse could bankrupt many projects , hugely burdening lenders.
·
Many banks are already staggering under enormous bad debts and now
face the threat of fresh avalanche
·
The notion that solar power has
become cheaper than
coal-based power is an illusion ( though, hopefully it will become reality if costs keep
falling )
·
Power storage based on
conventional batteries is very expensive. Hopefully new technologies will cut
the cost , but none are in
sight yet
·
Solar costs are falling fast,
The slower we go, the more solar costs will fall. So speed is not a virtue
·
India
must plan to match total power supply with decelerating demand, and aim for a
solar-thermal mix that avoids
huge idle capacities
MISSING POINTS :
·
Coal requires “ auctioning / licensing / mining / washing / transporting / storing “ –
all of which are expensive / time-consuming processes .
Coal prices keep rising whereas sunlight
cost remains ZERO for ever !
·
Sunlight gets delivered
directly on every roof-top Solar panel , FREE of cost and 300 days in a year !
·
Our 196 GW thermal power plants produced
805.4 million tons of CO2 in 2015.
Solar Power produces NIL !
·
Particulate matter emanating from
Coal-based power plants is causing 6 LAKH premature deaths in India, EACH YEAR !
Solar Panels
do NOT produce any particulate matter
·
Thermal power plants consume almost 88 % of the water
consumed by ALL industries put together
Solar Panels need VERY LITTLE water , for occasional washing
·
If our current fleet of 200 MILLION petrol / diesel vehicles were
to get replaced with Electric Vehicles ( government target is 2030 ), that will require a huge
amount of electric power ( for battery charging stations )
If that
power comes from Coal-based plants , CO2 emission levels and particulate matters , will get WORSE ! That power has to come
from Solar !
·
As far as storing of Solar Power ( generated during the day ) is concerned,
TESLA has made
tremendous progress with its POWERPACK
batteries and even offered the Australian Government to install a 100 MW storage facility ,
within 100 days !
Read : Not a Day Too Soon ( 09 March 2017 )
·
Only 2 days back , Japanese Consortium consisting of Suzuki / Toshiba / Denso
announced plans to start manufacture of Li-ion batteries
in India by end of
this year , at an investment of Rs 1200 crore
Read : India, the NEW land of the Rising Sun ? ( 01 April 2017 )
·
Solar PV modules are dropping in
cost at 22 % per year
( it was 26 % in
2016 )
Read :
TonySeba stands vindicated ( 16
March 2017 )
Howcheap can it get ? ( 14 March 2017 )
SolarPower at Re 1 per Kwh ? ( 29 Jan 2017 )
Sun :Our Soul ( 02 Jan 2017 )
Sun is theSolution ( 13 Sept
2016 )
UnlimitedPower : and round the clock ? ( 29 July 2016 )
17 April 2017
www.hemenparekh.in
/ blogs
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