Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Monday, 17 April 2017

DIRTY SECRETS OF COAL


Coal   Story  :  Missing   Points

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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 :
Tony Seba stands vindicated ( 16  March  2017 )

How cheap can it get ? ( 14 March 2017 )

      Solar Power at Re 1 per Kwh ? ( 29 Jan 2017 )

      Sun : Our Soul ( 02 Jan 2017 )

      Sun is the Solution  ( 13  Sept  2016  )

     Unlimited Power : and round the clock ? ( 29 July 2016 )

17  April  2017

    


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