Power challenges

India has set itself, ambition to bring 24x7 power to all by 2020, the scale of the challenge seems formidable[for-mi-du-bul(doubtable,विकट)].

One of India’s biggest power challenges at present is the state of its grid; in other words, in the distribution set-up. In the coming years, the country will not only need to generate more electricity, but also expand and upgrade the transmission and distribution network to maximise efficiency, reliability and power security.
On the national level, the integration of the five regional grids into a national grid is a step in the right direction, but their interconnections need to be reinforced[,ree-in'forst(strengthened,मजबूत)].

Power plants are increasingly located close to fuel sources, necessitating efficient and reliable transportation to consumers.For a country of India’s size, high- and ultra high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) power transmission is a well suited technology to facilitate such long-distance transmission. The most recent example of this application is the UHVDC ‘superhighway’ that will carry 6,000 megawatts of electricity over more than 1,700 km from the northeast to Agra. The first phase of this North-East Agra link was energised in September this year.

HVDC can support the development of large-scale renewables projects, for instance, by allowing solar power where prices are approaching grid parity to be delivered from sunnier[sú-nee(shiny,cheerful,खुशहाल)] parts of the country, or hydro power from the mountainous north to be brought to central parts of the country.

Another technology being considered for electrifying remote communities and securing reliable power supplies at critical industrial and remote sites is microgrids. These are modular energy systems located at or near the place where energy is used, that can either be connected to the main power grid or operate as stand-alone grids.

Microgrids, often powered by renewable energy, such as a local wind turbine or a small-scale solar farm, could bring reliable electricity supplies to thousands of India’s villages.

The challenges facing India’s energy sector are not to be underestimated. One of the key hurdles facing microgrid deployment. It is also imperative that the policies of the Centre and State governments and regulators are in sync. Correspondingly, to create a consumer driven electricity system that is accountable and sustainable, the onus[ow-nus(responsible,दायित्व)] would be to create transparent polices that augment[og'ment(increase,बढ़ाना)] technology adoption. It would also require cognisance[kóg-ni-zun(t)s(awareness,जागरूकता)] among end-users or consumers to take microgrid to the next level of wide scale implementation.

With about 200 firms already engaged in this field in India, However, these companies often lack a robust[row'búst(strong,सुदृढ़)] revenue model and struggle to attract the necessary capital to expand operations at a faster rate. One solution would be to place microgrids close to mobile towers.

Mobile-phone technology has given Indians access to communications much faster and at a much lower cost than the roll-out of traditional land-lines could have done.

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