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Green Energy Corridor Phase-II

Posted on January 7, 2022 by admin1  672

In News

  • Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the scheme on Green Energy Corridor [GEC] Phase-II for Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS).

About

  • The corridor is being made with the aim to facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of about 20 GW of renewable energy projects in seven states:
    • Gujarat, 
    • Himachal Pradesh, 
    • Karnataka, 
    • Kerala, 
    • Rajasthan,
    •  Tamil Nadu and 
    • Uttar Pradesh
  • The second phase will be implemented during 2021-22 to 2025-26 fiscal years.
  • Bridge connecting to Nepal:
    • The Cabinet has also approved the construction of a bridge over the Mahakali river on the Nepal border. 
    • To be built in the high altitude Dharchula region of Uttarakhand, the bridge is expected to benefit people living on both sides of the river which acts as the international border.
    • Currently, there is an old bridge connecting Dharchula town in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand with the eponymous city in Nepal, on the other side.

Image Courtesy: ET 

Green Energy Corridor (GEC)

  • The Intra – State Transmission System under the Green Energy Corridor (GEC) scheme will provide an additional transmission line with a transformation capacity of 27,500 Megavolt-Amperes (MVA) of the substations. 
  • The scheme will enable grid integration and power evacuation of 20 GW of renewable energy power projects in seven states namely, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. 
  • 33% of the project cost will be funded through Central Financial Assistance which will also help in the offsetting of Intra-State Transmission charges. This will ensure low power costs benefiting the end-users. 
  • The transmission systems will be created within a period of five years from the financial year starting from 2021-22 to 2025-26. 

Significance

  • It will contribute to long-term energy security of the country and promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing the carbon footprint.
  • The CFA will help in offsetting the intra-state transmission charges and keep the power costs down. The government support will ultimately benefit the end users.
  • It will generate large direct and indirect employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled personnel in power and other related sectors.

Way Ahead

  • While the green infrastructure concept has found some acceptance in India, the country must also consider including blue infrastructure in its sustainability transition.
  • It is important to combine and protect hydrological elements of the urban landscape alongside the ecological while planning.

What is Green Energy?

  • Green energy is any energy type that is generated from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind or water. 
  • It often comes from renewable energy sources although there are some differences between renewable and green energy, which we will explore, below.
  • Types:
    • The six most common forms are as follows:
    • Solar Power
      • This common renewable, green energy source is usually produced using photovoltaic cells that capture sunlight and turn it into electricity. 
      • Solar power is also used to heat buildings and for hot water as well as for cooking and lighting. 
      • Solar power has now become affordable enough to be used for domestic purposes including garden lighting, although it is also used on a larger scale to power entire neighbourhoods.
    • Wind Power
      • Particularly suited to offshore and higher altitude sites, wind energy uses the power of the flow of air around the world to push turbines that then generate electricity.
    • Hydropower
      • Also known as hydroelectric power, this type of green energy uses the flow of water in rivers, streams, dams or elsewhere to produce energy. 
      • Hydropower can even work on a small scale using the flow of water through pipes in the home or can come from evaporation, rainfall or the tides in the oceans.
    • Geothermal Energy
      • This type of green power uses thermal energy that has been stored just under the earth’s crust. 
      • While this resource requires drilling to access, thereby calling the environmental impact into question, it is a huge resource once tapped into. 
      • Geothermal energy has been used for bathing in hot springs for thousands of years and this same resource can be used for steam to turn turbines and generate electricity. 
    • Biomass
      • This renewable resource also needs to be carefully managed in order to be truly labelled as a ‘green energy’ source. 
      • Biomass power plants use wood waste, sawdust and combustible organic agricultural waste to create energy. 
      • While the burning of these materials releases greenhouse gas these emissions are still far lower than those from petroleum-based fuels.
    • Biofuels
      • Rather than burning biomass as mentioned above, these organic materials can be transformed into fuel such as ethanol and biodiesel. 
      • Having supplied just 2.7% of the world’s fuel for transport in 2010, the biofuels are estimated to have the capacity to meet over 25% of global transportation fuel demand by 2050.

Source: TH

 
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