A Glance at Renewable Energy Sources in India

Solar Energy
Solar power, a clean renewable resource with zero emission, has got tremendous potential of
energy which can be harnessed using a variety of devices. With recent developments, solar
energy systems are easily available for industrial and domestic use with the added advantage of
minimum maintenance. Solar energy could be made financially viable with government tax
incentives and rebates.

An exclusive solar generation system of capacity of 250 to KWh units per month would cost
around Rs. 5 Lacs, with present pricing and taxes. Most of the developed countries are switching
over to solar energy as one of the prime renewable energy source. The current architectural
designs make provision for photovoltaic cells and necessary circuitry while making building
plans.

Wind energy
Wind power is one of the most efficient alternative energy sources. There has been good deal of
development in wind turbine technology over the last decade with many new companies joining
the fray. Wind turbines have become larger, efficiencies and availabilities have improved and
wind farm concept has become popular. It could be combined with solar, especially for a total
self-sustainability project.

The economics of wind energy is already strong, despite the relative immaturity of the industry.
The downward trend in wind energy costs is predicted to continue. As the world market in wind
turbines continues to boom, wind turbine prices will continue to fall. India now ranks as a “wind
superpower” having a net potential of about 45000 MW only from 13 identified states.

Hydro Electric Power

India has a huge hydro power potential, out of which around 20 % has been realized so far. New
hydro projects are facing serious resistance from environmentalists. Resettlement of the
displaced people with their lands becomes major issue.

Biomass Energy
Biomass energy can play a major role in reducing India’s reliance on fossil fuels by making use
of thermo-chemical conversion technologies. In addition, the increased utilization of biomass-
based fuels will be instrumental in safeguarding the environment, creating new job opportunities,
sustainable development and health improvements in rural areas. Biomass energy could also aid
in modernizing the agricultural economy. A large amount of energy is expended in the
cultivation and processing of crops like sugarcane, food grains, vegetables and fruits which can
be recovered by utilizing energy-rich residues for energy production. The integration of biomass-
fuelled gasifies and coal-fired energy generation would be advantageous in terms of improved
flexibility in response to fluctuations in biomass availability with lower investment costs.

Waste-to-energy plants offer two important benefits of environmentally sound waste

management and disposal, as well as the generation of clean electric power. Waste-to-energy
facilities produce clean, renewable energy through thermochemical, biochemical and
physicochemical methods. Moreover, waste-to-energy plants are highly efficient in harnessing
the untapped sources of energy from a variety of wastes.

Decentralized Energy Generation in India

Microgeneration, also called “micropower”, is the generation of zero or low-carbon electrical

power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs. The most
widely-used microgeneration technologies include small wind turbines, solar power photovoltaic
or biomass conversion systems that have been promoted for decades as alternative sources of
renewable energy. Because of technological advances, microgeneration now includes handheld
solar and wind-power recharging devices for personal electronics, as well as advanced
photovoltaic, biomass and wind-turbine systems for domestic and industrial power generation.

Traditional “megapower” production of electricity is insufficient today because of exponential

industrial growth and high living standard. Microgeneration can act as a catalyst for cultural
changes in consumer attitude, and provides evidence of the important impact that
microgeneration has on consumers’ attitude and behavior regarding energy production and use.
Microgeneration is both a serious form of clean energy production and also a cultural movement
that is gathering momentum worldwide. Microgeneration technologies include small wind
turbines, biomass gasifiers, solar power, micro-hydro, or a combination of these technologies.
Prima-facie renewable energy may appear a bit costlier than the conventional source of energy,
but looking at the benefit of continuous power availability and great contribution against global
warming, it is worth.

Industrialized countries, like USA, Australia, Japan, have formulated action plan to foster
sustainable energy to make judicious use of renewable energy resources. For example, USA has
announced massive renewable energy program, to generate large share of total energy
requirement from renewable energy sources by 2025, which will create 5 million new job
opportunities in various areas of Renewable Energy.

Proposed Guidelines for Power Consumers in India

* Explore all possibilities to set-up an independent power plant making use of renewable
resources like solar, wind and biomass.
* Use of government / utility electricity supply, only in case of emergency.
* Energy savings by using low wattage / high luminous lamps (CFL / LED).
* Use of power factor improves.
* Regular maintenance and servicing of electrical equipments.
* Avoidance of inverters and large storage batteries (except emergency).
* Intelligent power factor correctors to minimize energy losses in capacitor at lower load
conditions.
* Frequent energy audits

Proposed Guidelines for Policy Makers in India

* Vigorous promotion of renewable energy by government agencies, corporate, public sector,
academic institutions etc.
* Establishment of national-level body to increase awareness of renewable energy at grass-root
level
* Financial support and sponsorship for research and development in renewable energy
technologies.
* Ambitious goals and targets for power generation non-conventional sources.
* Installation of solar / wind / biomass power generation systems and energy saving in every
government office to encourage and inspire people.
* Restriction on using large battery energy storage systems.
* Compulsory installation of solar water heating systems for all urban residential and
commercial establishments.
* Mandatory renewable energy systems provision for new residential, commercial and industrial
buildings.
* Attractive incentives and subsidies for installation and successful operation of renewable
energy equipment.
* Abolishing duties / taxes on import of small-scale renewable energy generating equipment
* Cultivation of energy crops on marginal and degraded land
* Use of biofuels in vehicles.
* Soft loans for setting up renewable energy enterprises.
* Additional incentives for buyers and manufacturers of renewable energy equipments in rural
areas.

Guidelines for Research Professionals

* Development of comprehensive educational and awareness modules for renewable energy
systems.
* Development of cost-effective, high-efficiency and long-lasting photovoltaic cells.
* Development of high efficiency wind turbines, ranging from 300 W – 10 kW, to generate
energy even at low wind velocity.
* Development of small-scale, low maintenance biomass gasifiers to make use of abundant
biomass resources in rural areas for cogeneration

Conclusion

There is an urgent need for transition from petroleum-based energy systems to one based on
renewable resources to decrease reliance on depleting reserves of fossil fuels and to mitigate
climate change. In addition, renewable energy has the potential to create many employment
opportunities at all levels, especially in rural areas. An emphasis on presenting the real picture of
massive renewable energy potential, it would be possible to attract foreign investments to herald
a Green Energy Revolution in India.

A generalised overview...

ENERGY SCENE IN INDIA

 Anything tangible or intangible, that costs money is evaluated very carefully and used
equally carefully in India. This means expenses are controlled and kept as low as
possible. The scenario in energy consumption in India is no different. It is not surprising
that the per capita energy consumption figures are very low inspite of high rate of
development now taking place. The per capita consumption in India is in the region of
400 KWH per annum.

In the ninth five year plan (1997-2002) energy strategy is divided into short term
strategy, medium strategy and long term strategy.

SHORT TERM STRATEGY

Administered pricing mechanism
Institutional reforms to be consolidated for deregulation
Optimum utilization of existing assets
Production systems to be made efficient, transmission and distribution losses to be
reduced
R&D transfer of technologies to be promoted
Energy efficiency improvement in accordance with national and socio-economic and
environmental priorities
Energy efficiency and emission standards to be promoted
Labelling programmes for products
Adoption of energy efficient technologies in giant industries
 
MEDIUM AND LONG TERM STRATEGIES
Demand management through greater conservation of energy, optimum fuel
mix, increasing reliance on rail for movement of goods and passengers and shift
to emphasis on utilizing mass movement and transport systems for public rather
than private transports
Better urban planning to reduce need for energy in transport sector
Shift and emphasis to solar, wind, biomass energy sources
Emphasis on research and development, transfer and use of energy efficient
technologies and practices in the supply and end-use sectors.

RENEWABLE ENERGY SCENARIO IN INDIA

India is blessed with an abundance of sunlight, water and biomass. Vigorous
efforts during the past two decades are now bearing fruit as people in all walks
of life are more aware of the benefits of renewable energy, especially
decentralized energy where required in villages and in urban or semi-urban
centers. India has the world’s largest programme for renewable energy.

Government created the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources

(DNES) in 1982. In 1992 a full fledged Ministry of Non-conventional Energy
Sources was established under the overall charge of the Prime Minister.

The range of its activities cover

promotion of renewable energy technologies,

create an environement conducive to promote renewable energy technologies,
 create an environment conducive for their commercialization,
renewable energy resource assessment,
research and development,
demonstration,
extension,
production of biogas units, solar thermal devices, solar photovoltaics,
cookstoves, wind energy and small hydropower units.

Wind Power
India now ranks as a "wind superpower" with an installed wind power capacity
of 1167 MW and about 5 billion units of electricity have been fed to the national
grid so far.

In progress are wind resource assessment programme, wind monitoring, wind

mapping, covering 800 stations in 24 states with 193 wind monitoring stations in
operations. Altogether 13 states of India have a net potential of about 45000 MW.

Solar Energy
Solar water heaters have proved the most popular so far and solar photovoltaics
for decentralized power supply are fast becoming popular in rural and remote
areas. More than 700000 PV systems generating 44 MW have been installed all
over India. Under the water pumping programme more than 3000 systems have
been installed so far and the market for solar lighting and solar pumping is far
from saturated. Solar drying is one area which offers very good prospects in
food, agricultural and chemical products drying applications.

SPV Systems
More than 700000 PV systems of capacity over 44MW for different applications
are installed all over India. The market segment and usage is mainly for home
lighting, street lighting, solar lanterns and water pumping for irrigation. Over 17
grid interactive solar photovoltaic generating more than 1400 KW are in
operation in 8 states of India. As the demand for power grows exponentially and
conventional fuel based power generating capacity grows arithmetically, SPV
based power generation can be a source to meet the expected shortfall.
Especially in rural, far-flung where the likelihood of conventional electric lines is
remote, SPV power generation is the best alternative.

Solar Cookers
Government has been promoting box type solar cookers with subsidies since a
long time in the hope of saving fuel and meeting the needs of the rural and urban
populace. There are community cookers and large parabolic reflector based
 systems in operation in some places but solar cookers, as a whole, have not
found the widespread acceptance and popularity as hoped for. A lot of educating
and pushing will have to be put in before solar cookers are made an
indispensable part of each household (at least in rural and semi-urban areas).
Solar cookers using parabolic reflectors or multiple mirrors which result in
faster cooking of food would be more welcome than the single reflector box
design is what some observers and users of the box cookers feel.

Solar Water Heaters

A conservative estimate of solar water heating systems

installed in the country is estimated at over 475000 sq. mtrs
of the conventional flat plate collectors. Noticeable
beneficiaries of the programme of installation of solar water
heaters so far have been cooperative dairies, guest houses,
hotels, charitable institutions, chemical and process units,
hostels, hospitals, textile mills, process houses and
individuals. In fact in India solar water heaters are the most
popular of all renewable energy devices.

So where do we stand and where are we heading to?

information is gleaned from various publications and cannot be assumed to be cent per cent accurate and
should only be taken as guidelines or indications

Renewable Energy Sources

Hydel

India has a total hydro energy potential of about 1.5 lakh MW of which about 20 % is installed.
Small hydro plant potential is about 15000 MW and most of it is in the northern and eastern hilly
regions. The film ‘Swades’ is a perfect example of how power starved villages could realize their
sources in to power.

Wind Energy

The wind power potential of India is about 45,000 MW out of which capacity of 8748 MW has
been installed in India till 31st March 2008. India is one of the leading countries in generating
the power through wind energy. Gujarat, AP, Karnataka, MP and Rajasthan are states having
more than 5000 MW potential each. These potentials could be improved if the technology of
putting turbines in sea is embraced. There are wind farms on sea generating as high as 160 MW
of power.

Biogas / Biomass

Biomass is the oldest means of energy used by humans along with solar energy. As soon as the
fire was discovered, it was used widely among humans mainly for heat and light. Fire was
generated using wood or leaves, which is basically a biomass. Even today there are thousands of
houses using firewood for preparation of food, heating water for bath, etc. The efficiency of such
a process is very low as most of the heat is lost to the surroundings.

Biomass is converted into gas through a gasifier after combustion. The biomass could be used to
generate steam or power or used as a fuel. There are various examples of gasifier power plants in
India. Power is generated using rice husk in Andhra Pradesh, while several bagasse based plants
are there. India has a potential of 3500 MW from bagasse. Other fast growing plants could be
planned over a huge area, so that it provides biomass for generating power.

Bio-fuels

India has more than 50 million Ha of wasteland, which could be utilized for cultivating plants.
Jatropha is one of the options thought of by many minds for producing bio-fuels. It is a kind of
plant which can come up on arid land, albeit with lower yield. There are issues such as low
supply of quality seeds, technical advice, low knowledge of agencies which would buy seeds etc.
But lately such agencies have come up and are offering technical advice as well as buying for
further processing.

Another option is coming up in bio-fuels which will beat Jatropha once the research on it is
successful and scalable. Lot of it is being talked about around the world in the field of bio-fuels
and is so attractive theoretically that anyone could go for it. When the output is compared in
terms of oil in liter per acre, it is better than Jatropha by about 100 times.

This option is Algae.

The input is none other than carbon dioxide – the old foe of clean environment and light – which
is aplenty. Just by using these two things algae grows, and could be used forextracting oil and
then extracting bio-fuel from it. It will also act as a sink for carbon dioxide and seems to be the
most attractive option. In a way it should be called utilization of solar energy!

Solar energy

The oldest source of energy to be used on earth! Even today, this is used to dry tons of material –
mostly in rural areas. India is a tropical countries and has many sunny days. According to
estimates, 35 MW of power could be generated from 1 sq km. With such potential, solar is going
to be the future.The startup cost is the biggest limitation which has led to the low realization of
the potential it has. For solar energy to become one of the front runners, it will require lot of
research, cheap technology and low capital.

There are various technologies coming up around the world, which could be up scaled or
replicated to use solar energy. Cooking, lighting, water heating and open air drying applications
are common now-a-days, using solar energy. There are other applications like solar vehicles,
desalination, agriculture, etc. which are coming up. It will take time to catch up because of the
high cost involved in it. The two main methods of converting solar energy in to power are:
i) Photovoltaic cells
ii) Concentrated solar power and any operating fluid.

Energy from wastes

Tons of wastes are generated daily in Mumbai alone. Such huge quantity of wastesgenerated all
over India, are a huge opportunity to be tapped. Sorting is required to be done for organic and
inorganic and there is a good quantity for energy needs. Some of these are converted into fuel
briquettes and sold.

What will work for India??

Due to the prohibitive price, solar will remain on the back foot in India in the near future.There
are efforts from industries to reduce the cost and make it cheaper than the present situation. Solar
has a great potential and will be utilized by individuals or someinstitutions for their captive
needs. However, large installations will take at least around 5 to 10 years in India to make its
presence felt.

Other forms of renewable energy like biomass, bio-fuel and wastes will also require time in
India. The technologies to convert jatropha, palm oil or algae into bio-fuels are not yet
commercial and will take time to become economical. Algae, if pursued and successful, will be
the answer to the worries of energy. It will not only engulf the huge amounts of carbon dioxide,
but also give higher yields per unit area. Wind energy will be the biggest beneficiary and will
grow from its present position. From over 7500 MW of installations to 45,000 MW potential,
there is a long way to go. In a short span i.e. around next five years it will be wind energy which
will grow.

Conclusion

In the short term (up to five years), wind energy will rule the roost. It is poised to grow due to the
mature technology and easy installation. However, after ten to fifteen years, it will be solar and
bio-fuels which will be major front runners for renewable energy usage. These technologies will
be more mature and economically viable by then and the global warming phenomenon will force
us to embrace those technologies.

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Read more on sustainable living in India
Wind Energy as Renewable Resource of Energy
Wind power is resultant from uneven heating of the Earth`s surface from the
Sun and the warm centre. Most modern wind power is generated in the form of
electricity by converting
the rotation of turbine
blades into electrical
current through an
electrical generator.
Windmills is a much
older technology that
generated wind energy
and is used to turn
mechanical machinery to
do physical work, like
crushing grain or
pumping water. The
wind energy potential of India is about 45,000 MW out of which power of 8748
MW has been installed in India till 31st March 2008. India is one of the most
important countries in generating the power through wind energy.

Wind Power in India has made a significant role in the domain of energy
resources. India now ranks as a "wind superpower" with an installed wind
power capacity of almost
1167 MW and about 5
billion units of electricity
have been supplied to the
national grid till date. The
wind resource assessment
programme includes wind
monitoring and wind
mapping that covers 800
stations in 24 states with
193 wind-monitoring
stations in operations.
Altogether 13 states of
India acquire a net
potential of about 45000
MW wind energy. The
development of wind
power in India began in the 1990s, and has significantly increased in the last
few years.

Hydropower as Renewable Resource of Energy

Hydropower is another form of renewable resources of energy in India obtained
from the movement of water in rivers and oceans (or other energy sources).
Water can likewise be used to generate electricity using turbines, or can be used
mechanically to do useful work. It is a very common resource of energy in
India. India has a whole hydro energy prospective of about 1.5 lakh MW of
which about 20 percent is installed. Small hydro plant potential is about 15000
MW and most of it is in the northern and eastern hilly regions.

India is gifted with economically exploitable and feasible hydro potential

assessed to be about 84,000 MW at 60 percent load factor. In addition, 6780
MW in terms of installed capacity from Small, Mini and Micro Hydel schemes
have been assessed in India. Some of the advantages of Hydro Power include
saving scarce fuel reserves, cost of generation, operation and maintenance is far
lower than the other sources of energy, ability to start and stop quickly and
immediate load acceptance makes it suitable to meet peak demand and for
enhancing system reliability and stability, has higher efficiency (over 90
percent) compared to thermal (35 percent) and gas (around 50 percent) and so
on.

Solar Energy as Renewable Resource of Energy

Solar water heaters have proved the most popular so far and solar photovoltaic
for decentralised power supply is fast becoming popular all across the rural and
remote areas. More than 700000 PV systems generating 44 MW have been
installed all over the Indian states. Under the water pumping programme more
than 3000 systems have been installed so far and the market for solar lighting
and solar pumping is far from getting saturated. Solar drying is one area, which
offers very good scenario in food, agricultural and chemical products drying
applications.

More than 700000 PV systems of capacity over 44MW for different solar
applications are installed all over India. The market segment and usage is
mainly for home lighting, street lighting, solar lanterns and water pumping for
irrigation. As the demand for power grows in the nation, traditional fuel based
power-generating capacity also grows, SPV based power generation is believed
to be a source to cater to the expected deficits. Especially in rural areas, where
the likelihood of conventional electric lines is remote, SPV power generation
has become best choice.

Geothermal power as Renewable Resource of Energy

Indian
geothermal
power is another
active renewable
resources of
energy in India
that have the
capacity to
produce 10,600
MW of power- a
 figure which is five time greater than the combined power being produced from
non-conventional energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass. With
escalating environmental problems with coal based projects, India has to
depend on clean, cheap, rural based and eco-friendly geothermal power in
future. Nuclear power is the fourth-largest source of electricity in India after
thermal, hydro and renewable sources of electricity in India. As of 2008, India
has 17 nuclear power plants in operation, generating almost 4,120 MW while 6
other are under construction and are expected to generate an additional of 3,160
MW approximately.

Geothermal power directly exploits the natural flow of heat from the ground.
The accessible energy from natural decay of radioactive elements in the earths,
crust, and mantle is roughly equal to that of incoming solar energy, particularly
during the day. Oils from plants and seeds are often used as a replacement for
non-renewable diesel. Methane is also considered as a renewable source of
energy used in some Indian factories. Nuclear power or a breeder reactor is
often used as renewable resources of energy.

India is blessed with abundance of water, sunlight, and biomass. Dynamic

efforts during the past two decades are now bearing fruit as people in all walks
of life have become more aware of the benefits of renewable energy. India has
the world`s largest programme for renewable energy. Government created the
Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES) in 1982. A complete
Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources was established in 1992 and the
Prime Minister controls the activities of this ministry. The activities of this
department promote renewable energy technologies, an environment conducive
to promote renewable energy technologies and renewable energy resource
assessment. Creating an environment conducive for their commercialisation,
research, development, and production of biogas units, solar thermal devices,
solar photovoltaics, cook stoves, wind energy and small hydropower units are
also some more responsibilities of the ministry.

As of 2009 survey, India stands 9th in the world in regards to number of

operational nuclear power reactors. India stands at a promising position to
acquire one of the most prestigious rankings as a supreme nation using
renewable resources of energy at its best.

Fossil fuels
Main article: Fossil fuel

The twentieth century saw a rapid twentyfold increase in the use of fossil fuels. Between 1980
and 2006, the worldwide annual growth rate was 2%.[1] According to the US Energy Information
Administration's 2006 estimate, the estimated 471.8 EJ total consumption in 2004 was divided as
follows, with fossil fuels supplying 86% of the world's energy:
Coal fueled the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th century. With the advent of the
automobile, airplanes and the spreading use of electricity, oil became the dominant fuel during
the twentieth century. The growth of oil as the largest fossil fuel was further enabled by steadily
dropping prices from 1920 until 1973. After the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979, during which the
price of oil increased from 5 to 45 US dollars per barrel, there was a shift away from oil.[14] Coal,
natural gas, and nuclear became the fuels of choice for electricity generation and conservation
measures increased energy efficiency. In the U.S. the average car more than doubled the number
of miles per gallon. Japan, which bore the brunt of the oil shocks, made spectacular
improvements and now has the highest energy efficiency in the world.[15] From 1965 to 2008, the
use of fossil fuels has continued to grow and their share of the energy supply has increased. From
2003 to 2008, coal, which is one of the dirtiest sources of energy,[16] was the fastest growing
fossil fuel.[17].

[edit] Nuclear power

As of December 2009, the world had 436 reactors.[18] Since commercial nuclear energy began in
the mid 1950s, 2008 was the first year that no new nuclear power plant was connected to the
grid, although two were connected in 2009.[18][19]

Annual generation of nuclear power has been on a slight downward trend since 2007, decreasing
1.8% in 2009 to 2558 TWh with nuclear power meeting 13–14% of the world's electricity
demand.[20]

[edit] Renewable energy

Main article: Renewable energy

In 2008, renewable energy supplied around 19% of the world's energy consumption.[21] The
renewables sector has been growing significantly since the last years of the 20th century, and in
2009 the total new investment was estimated to have been 150 billion US dollars.[22] This
resulted in an additional 80 GW of capacity during the year.[23]

[edit] Hydropower
Main article: hydropower

Worldwide hydroelectricity installed capacity reached 816 GW in 2005, consisting of 750 GW of

large plants, and 66 GW of small hydro installations. Large hydro capacity totaling 10.9 GW was
added by China, Brazil and India during the year, but there was a much faster growth (8%) small
hydro, with 5 GW added, mostly in China where some 58% of the world's small hydro plants are
now located. China is the largest hydro power producer in the world, and continues to add
capacity. In the Western world, although Canada is the largest producer of hydroelectricity in the
world, the construction of large hydro plants has stagnated due to environmental concerns.[24] The
trend in both Canada and the United States has been to micro hydro because it has negligible
environmental impacts and opens up many more locations for power generation. In British
Columbia alone the estimates are that micro hydro will be able to more than double electricity
production in the province.
[edit] Biomass and biofuels
Main articles: biomass and biofuel

Until the beginning of the nineteenth century biomass was the predominant fuel, today it has
only a small share of the overall energy supply. Electricity produced from biomass sources was
estimated at 44 GW for 2005. Biomass electricity generation increased by over 100% in
Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. A further 220 GW was used for heating
(in 2004), bringing the total energy consumed from biomass to around 264 GW. The use of
biomass fires for cooking is excluded.[3]

World production of bioethanol increased by 8% in 2005 to reach 33 billion litres (8.72 billion
US gallons), with most of the increase in the United States, bringing it level to the levels of
consumption in Brazil.[3] Biodiesel increased by 85% to 3.9 billion litres (1.03 billion US
gallons), making it the fastest growing renewable energy source in 2005. Over 50% is produced
in Germany.[3]

[edit] Wind power

Wind power: worldwide installed capacity 1996-2008

Main article: Wind power

At the end of 2009, worldwide wind farm capacity was 157,900 MW, representing an increase of
31 percent during the year,[25] and wind power supplied some 1.3% of global electricity
consumption.[26] Wind power accounts for approximately 19% of electricity use in Denmark, 9%
in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland.[27] The United States is
an important growth area and installed U.S. wind power capacity reached 25,170 MW at the end
of 2008.[28]

[edit] Solar power

Main article: Solar energy

The available solar energy resources are 3.8 YJ/yr (120,000 TW). Less than 0.02% of available
resources are sufficient to entirely replace fossil fuels and nuclear power as an energy source.
Assuming that our rate of usage in 2005 remains constant, we will run out of conventional oil in
2045, and coal in 2159. In practice, neither will actually run out as natural constraints will force
production to decline as the remaining reserves dwindle.[29][30][31] The rate at which demand
increases and reserves dwindle has been increasing dramatically because the rate of consumption
is not constant. For example, if demand for oil doubled, reserves would not last as long. In
addition, the cost of fossil fuels continues to rise as solar power becomes more economically
viable.

In 2007 grid-connected photovoltaic electricity was the fastest growing energy source, with
installations of all photovoltaics increasing by 83% in 2009 to bring the total installed capacity to
15 GW. Nearly half of the increase was in Germany, which is now the world's largest consumer
of photovoltaic electricity (followed by Japan). Solar cell production increased by 50% in 2007,
to 3,800 megawatts, and has been doubling every two years.[32]

The consumption of solar hot water and solar space heating was estimated at 88 GWt (gigawatts
of thermal power) in 2004. The heating of water for unglazed swimming pools is excluded.[3]

[edit] Geothermal
Main article: Geothermal power

Geothermal energy is used commercially in over 70 countries.[33] In the year 2004, 200 PJ (57
TWh) of electricity was generated from geothermal resources, and an additional 270 PJ of
geothermal energy was used directly, mostly for space heating. In 2007, the world had a global
capacity for 10 GW of electricity generation and an additional 28 GW of direct heating,
including extraction by geothermal heat pumps.[3][34] Heat pumps are small and widely
distributed, so estimates of their total capacity are uncertain and range up to 100 GW.[33]

[edit] By country

See also: Energy by country and List of countries by energy consumption per capita

Energy consumption is loosely correlated with gross national product and climate, but there is a
large difference even between the most highly developed countries, such as Japan and Germany
with 6 kW per person and United States with 11.4 kW per person. In developing countries
particularly those which are sub-tropical or tropical such as India the per person energy use is
closer to 0.7 kW. Bangladesh has the lowest consumption with 0.2 kW per person.

The US consumes 25% of the world's energy with a share of global GDP at 22% and a share of
the world population at 4.5%[citation needed]. The most significant growth of energy consumption is
currently taking place in China, which has been growing at 5.5% per year over the last 25 years.
Its population of 1.3 billion people (20% of the world population) is consuming energy at a rate
of 1.6 kW per person.

One metric of efficiency is energy intensity. This is a measure of the amount of energy it takes a
country to produce a dollar of gross domestic product.

[edit] By sector

Industrial users (agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and construction) consume about 37% of
the total 15 TW. Personal and commercial transportation consumes 20%; residential heating,
lighting, and appliances use 11%; and commercial uses (lighting, heating and cooling of
commercial buildings, and provision of water and sewer services) amount to 5% of the total. [35]

The other 27% of the world's energy is lost in energy transmission and generation. In 2005,
global electricity consumption averaged 2 TW. The energy rate used to generate 2 TW of
electricity is approximately 5 TW, as the efficiency of a typical existing power plant is around
38%.[36] The new generation of gas-fired plants reaches a substantially higher efficiency of 55%.
Coal is the most common fuel for the world's electricity plants.[37]