India’s hydro-electric potential is estimated to be 84,000 mw. The present generation capacity is about 34,000 mw operating at an average 29 per cent load factor. Most of the untapped potential is in Arunachal Pradesh and it is not clear how much of this can be tapped, given the social problems of rehabilitation. If India can achieve the full potential of 84,000 mw, it will generate about 400 billion kwh — 2 per cent of the total.

The one source of energy India has in abundance is coal. It accounts for 51 per cent of power supply. Coal will certainly continue to dominate India’s energy mix in the near term. However, every kwh of electricity from coal also releases about 1 kilo of carbon dioxide into atmosphere. An emerging option is to capture these emissions.This sequestration technology could double costs.

India’s installed nuclear power is 4,120 mw — less than three per cent of electricity generation. Domestic uranium reserves being limited, India is pursuing the three-phase programme, with the objective of developing breeder reactors using plutonium and later thorium technology. The proposed Indo-US nuclear deal could provide the opportunity to import ‘light water reactors’ with fuel. India could then gain 24,000 mw from this route by 2030. Large-scale deployment of breeder reactors is still years away and depends on the success of the prototype.

Most parts of India receive a good average of solar radiation of 5-6 kwh/m2. Therefore, solar power generation over an area of 20 million ha can generate about 24,000 billion kwh even at a modest 10 per cent efficiency. This is more than India’s expected total energy supply and several times the desired carbon-free energy. Solar energy appears to be a vital component of a long-term solution to the climate problem. Unfortunately, it continues to be prohibitively expensive. Solar thermal power using concentrators is another attractive option for utility-scale power generation. A single stretch of land measuring 20 km x 20 km, say in sun-drenched Ladakh, can generate over 20,000 mw of power contributing 50 billion kwh of energy (eight coal power plants).

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