Kumar, B and Rao, AR (2013) Environmental impacts (costs) of hydropower generation in India. [Book Chapter]
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Introduction For a developing country like India, energy is the fundamental input for economic growth. The current target of economic growth is 10 per cent and energy demand in various sectors such as agriculture, industry, transport, commercial and domestic is rising rapidly. Electricity is perhaps the most vital form of energy input required for infrastructural development of India�s agriculture and industry, and it also plays a critical role in socio-economic development. The total installed capacity of power generation through various sources (as at February 2010) is about 156.09 Gw (Government of India, Ministry of Power). The thermal power contribution to this generation is around 63 per cent followed by hydropower contributing 25 per cent. India is endowed with rich hydropower potential; it ranks fifth in the world in terms of usable potential. This is distributed across six major river systems; namely, the Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganga, the central Indian river systems, and the east and west flowing river systems of south India. The Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganga together account for nearly 80 per cent of the total potential. The economically exploitable potential from these river systems through medium and major schemes has been assessed at 84, 044 MW at 60 per cent load factor corresponding to an installed capacity of around 150, 000 MW. Considering the large untapped potential and the intrinsic characteristics of hydropower in promoting the country�s energy security and flexibility in system operation, the government is giving a thrust to accelerate hydropower development. When developed in accordance with good environmental and social practices, hydropower plants have the advantage of producing power that is both renewable and clean. Hydropower projects are seen as greenhouse gas reducing; industrialized countries can therefore earn emission credits by investing in such projects in developing countries (WCD 2000). Hydropower stations have an inherent ability for instantaneous starting, stopping, load variations, etc. that can help in improving the reliability of the power system and are the best choice for meeting the peak demand. The generation cost is not only inflation independent but also reduces with time. Hydropower projects have a long useful life, extending over 50 years, and help in conserving scarce fossil fuels. They are also instrumental in opening avenues for the development of remote and backward areas. © 2012 Bimlesh Kumar and Achanta Ramakrishna Rao.
| Item Type: | Book Chapter |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Environmental Scenario in India: Successes and Predicaments |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis |
| Additional Information: | The copyright for this article belongs to Taylor and Francis |
| Department/Centre: | Division of Mechanical Sciences > Civil Engineering |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Feb 2022 12:41 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Feb 2022 12:41 |
| URI: | http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/71218 |
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