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Energy/Environment/Clean Technology
used in a standard diesel engine, while the waste can be processed into biomass. Unlike corn or
sugar used in the ethanol manufacturing process, jatropha is highly poisonous in its untreated
form, so its use in fuel does not remove a potential food crop from the market.
Indian Railways runs locomotives between Delhi and Mumbai on a blend of jatropha and
standard diesel fuel. Reliance Industries is growing 200 acres of jatropha in Andhra Pradesh for
fuel production. Chhattisgarh State plans to be a biofuel self-reliant state by 2015 and is in the
process of converting its vehicle fleet to run on a jatropha-diesel blend. In September 2007,
Hindustan Petroleum partnered with the Maharashtra State Farming Corp. on a jatropha
biodiesel project with 500 acres planted.
Reflecting its growing interest in a range of renewable energy sources, in August 2009 the Indian
government announced its intention to launch a venture fund to promote renewable technology
research. Decisions regarding the size and financing of the fund will be made by the National
Mission of Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC).
Electric Power Generation
India has an installed electric power generation capacity of about 129,000 megawatts across five
regional grids that serve neighboring states, with limited interconnections among the grids. Under
the 2003 Electricity Act, India modernized its regulatory framework to establish distinct generation,
transmission, distribution, and trading entities; to provide for purchases from independent producers
to displace less efficient clean power generated by conventional plants; to rationalize tariffs and
create a transparent subsidy policy; and to encourage efficiency and conservation.
Public utilities deliver 88% of India’s power, with states owning most of the plant capacity.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is charged with system planning; the Central Electricity
Regulatory Commission (CERC) and the various State Electricity Regulatory Commissions
(SERCs) set and enforce regulations.
The remaining 12% of power-generating capacity is privately owned. But this number does not
count the large volume of off-grid distributed generation installed by businesses and households
to ensure reliable power. As already noted (in the Architecture/Urban Planning/Infrastructure section
of this chapter), grid unreliability and blackouts of 15 hours or more a day in rural areas and several
hours a day in major towns and cities require nearly all large commercial and industrial facilities
to invest in their own backup power.
Energy Shortfalls Persist
The government reports just under 19,000 megawatts of industrial electricity capacity, but unofficial
sources put the total closer to 27,000 megawatts. And when households, small businesses,
and medium and large commercial enterprises are added in, the off-grid total could approach
75,000–100,000 megawatts.
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