Google search trends indicate that the cooling temperatures in Delhi herald not just the approach of the winter season, but also trigger concern over the looming spectre of rising pollution and smog (Figure 1), in turn setting offdebates on policy actions and interventions. A significant contributor to the deteriorating air quality in winters in Delhi is the practice of burning of paddy residues from the kharif crops in the adjoining states. On peak stubbleburning days, it can even account for more than 40% of Delhi’s air pollution!
There are many factors behind these paddy field fires. The cultivation of rice and grain in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh traces back to the Green Revolution, when cultivation of high yielding varieties of these grains was incentivized to alleviate the massive deficit in both grains and the foreign exchange reserves that the country faced in the 1960s. However, the consequent fall in groundwater reserves led the governments of Punjab and Haryana to push farmers to delay the planting of water-intensive paddy from the height of the dry season to mid-June in order to ameliorate the disastrous impact the water-intensive crop had on groundwater resources. The resultant shortened time between harvesting of the kharif crop and the planting of the rabi crop, and the rise in mechanization of harvest saw farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan opting for easy, quick, and unsustainable fires to clear stubble. Low-wind speeds in October – which prevent the smoke from being whisked away – further contribute to the accumulation of the air pollutants.
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Denne historien er fra January - March 2021-utgaven av Energy Future.
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Air Pollution In India: Major Issues And Challenges
As per a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health Journal, in 2019, air pollution ‘caused more than 16.7 lakh deaths in India — over ten times more than the country’s COVID-19 death toll so far’. In this thought-provoking article, Dr Bhola Ram Gurjar foregrounds the challenges India is currently facing to bring the level of air quality to a certain standard and discusses solutions that could be adopted to combat the national crisis.
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
Molten Salt Tower echnology for India
Power generation is the backbone of India’s solar sector. Sheela K Ramasesha highlights the merits of considering the solar molten salt tower technology in the country’s power mix to achieve a quicker and more efficient way of power production.
LPG ADOPTION BY RURAL HOUSEHOLDS: Financial Instrument to Push Refills
One of the major health hazards in India stems from household air pollution. The use of the traditional cooking stove, called chulha, involves burning of biomass, thereby releasing smoke that is a leading cause of illness and death. In this article, Debajit Palit, Martand Shardul, and Deborshi Brahmachari discuss the advantages of replacing biomass stoves with LPG and recommend an innovative financial instrument for increasing the uptake of LPG refills by rural households
JAPAN ENERGY FIRM INPEX SETS 2050 NET-ZERO EMISSION GOAL
Inpex Corp, Japan’s biggest oil and gas producer, said it is targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through the expansion of renewable and hydrogen energy as well as the use of carbon capture technology.
INDIA TO WITNESS FASTEST RISE IN ENERGY DEMAND BY 2040: IEA
In a report titled, ‘The India Energy Outlook 2021’, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said, the rapid expansion of solar power combined with favourable policies is transforming India’s electricity sector, allowing the country to offer clean, affordable, and reliable power to a growing number of households and businesses.
EMISSIONS CONTROL IN THERMAL POWER STATIONS: A Long Road to Cross
In this article, Raghav Pachouri brings out the current situation and the challenges confronting us regarding emissions control in thermal power stations (TPSs) in India. While analysing the impact of the power sector on air pollution levels, he highlights the current status of compliance in India (especially Delhi-NCR and critically polluted areas) till June 2020 after revised emission norms for TPSs came into effect on December 7, 2015. He also dwells on the major roadblocks in the timely compliance of emission norms and also offers a few solutions.
Managing Air pollution From Crop Burning
The perils of crop-residue burning contribute to major environmental degradation. In this article, TCA Avni and Sunil Dhingra discuss how the practice of stubble burning is responsible for poor air quality and loss of agricultural biodiversity. They highlight the importance of managing paddy residue and offer sustainable solutions, incentives, and alternatives to crop burning.
GOVERNMENT EXTENDS TENURE OF CENTRAL ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION CHIEF, MEMBERS TILL NEXT YEAR
The government has issued order for extension of the tenure of former Gujarat cadre bureaucrat Pradeep Kumar Pujari as chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) till mid-next year.
CHINA SET TO ADD 140 GW RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY IN 2021
China is expected to add 140 GW of renewable energy power generation this year as its electricity consumption continues to grow, according to forecasts from the China Electricity Council (CEC).
