Aug 30 2010
The Datamonitor Group, known for providing quality business information, independent data analysis and opinion on a number of consumer energy, finance, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and telecom- technology related issues, has released a report on unexploited geothermal energy in India. The report declares that by utilizing untapped geothermal resources India can easily bridge the shortfall in its demand supply disparity.
Initiatives of the Group
The report quotes that Geological Survey of India, a Government agency, has identified more than 350 hot springs that boasts of exterior temperatures up to 980° C in the lineament zone in Central India and the Himalayan province such as Cambay, Son-Narmada-Tapti that remain unexploited. According to the report the Puga hot spring in Ladakh offers over 240° C in low level depths with a potential to generate up to 30 to 40 MW electric power. It estimates that India sits pretty on its unexploited geothermal potential of nearly 10,600 MW which is nearly five times of its total power produced from other clean energy sources such as biomass, wind and solar energy. The report details how a small 5 kW geothermal plant can make a difference in the living standards of the people living in far off locations such as Ladakh.
The report points out about the continued non-recognition of geothermal energy as a clean energy by the policy makers. It quotes a directive from Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CREC) of India excluding geothermal energy in its order to utilities, to purchase a minimum of 6% electric power from clean energy sources. The report comments on the recent private geothermal initiatives by companies such as LNJ Bhilwara Group with Iceland-based Mannvit, French company Alstom, and TATA Power of India will become successful only on the willingness of the policy makers to accept geothermal energy as a green product and address its development needs.