Energetica India Magazine: september 2020

2018 report, the paper further points out that lion’s share of the projected growth in energy use for space cooling by 2050 can be expected to come from the emerging economies, with just three countries – India, China and Indonesia – contributing half of global cooling en- ergy demand growth. Gap in Operational Energy needs of buildings and Renewable Energy Based on this brief review of the oper - ational energy requirements in building sector, it seems that the estimated figure of 30% of the total energy being con- sumed by buildings appears to be quite conservative. According to 2011 census, there were 53 cities in India having pop- ulation in excess of 1 million. Consider- ing the rapid urbanization trend in India, the 2021 census is bound to add more numbers in the billion-plus category of cities. It is quite unlikely that these cit- ies will defy the global trend of energy consumption and carbon emissions from buildings. Thus, in absence of any reli- able data, it may not be an exaggeration to assume that current operational en- ergy requirement of buildings in major cities in India may be anywhere in the range of 35 % of the total energy require- ments of these cities. As enshrined in World GBC and LETI’s proposals, it will be a good idea to fulfil the operational energy requirements of buildings entirely from renewable ener- gy. Currently, while the share of renew- able energy in India is 23% at national level, the operational energy requirement is roughly estimated to be of the order of30-35 %. Thus, at the national level, the gap in the energy balance between op- erational energy needs of buildings and renewable energy varies from 7to 12% of the total energy produced in the coun- try. Looking at the current urbanization trends and the slogan of ‘housing for all’, this gap may appear to be conservative. Now, the main question is how do we narrow this gap? Rooftop Solar: Need for a Great Leap Forward One of the undisputable ways to bridge this gap is by installing more number of ground-mounted large solar power plants. However, one need not total- ly depend upon such plants alone. A large gap between the target and actu- al achievement is glaringly visible in the rooftop solar sector, where less than 12% of the target has been achieved. Here, the local community need to take proac- tive initiatives to supplement the efforts of the government. Currently, the rooftop solar power has become more attractive than earlier. This is mainly because of two factors – one, the cost/unit of solar power has reduced sufficiently and second, the net metering facility is also made available to users. Some offices of public sector under - takings, hotels, resorts, malls, schools/ colleges have taken the initiative and installed rooftop solar systems. Inciden- tally, it is recently reported that the Indi- an Railways plan to be a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030through various initia- tives, including electrification of broad gauge, improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable sources. It is re- ported that the Indian Railways are work- ing to harness the potential of 500MW energy through roof top solar panels In- cidentally, the Railways has 51,000 hect- are of land potential for installing 20 GW land-based solar plants. The contribution of residential housing societies seems negligible in rooftop solar installations. Millions of residential housing societies exist in India. It is re- ported that some 50,000 housing soci- eties are registered within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and 20,000 in the Pune region. It is true that all societies may not find it viable to install rooftop solar because of certain technical short- comings. However, a majority of the ex- isting and new residential societies and complexes would certainly find RTS beneficial in the long run. In the case of tall buildings, if sufficient space is not available, rooftop solar may become at- tractive even to take care of the power requirements of common utilities such as lighting pathways and common areas, pumping water, lifts, etc. Lack of right-type of awareness on roof- top solar amongst the members of resi- dential societies is one of the main hur- dles in its widespread use. Secondly, revenue loss may be a concern of pow- er distribution companies; hence some people believe that they may not extend whole-hearted support in net metering installation. Thirdly, since the process of subsidy disbursement has been given to power distribution companies from April 2019, adequate financial subsidies for installing rooftop solar system may not become available. However, many residential housing societies are finan - cially sound and members are capable of making additional investments, if they are convinced of the long-term benefits. Approaching housing societies and pro- moting RTS to them may not be attractive and cost effective for certain companies installing RTS system. Possibly, some NGOs can render useful service in this area. RTS operators can train the NGOs. A network of such NGOs can be created in a city and it will go a long way in pop- ularising RST. Once a large number of existing and new housing societies start installing RTS system, the current short- fall can get reduced drastically. After all, the responsibility of keeping the global temperature rise below 1.50C is not only that of the government, but also of the citizens. Everyone needs to extend help in this endeavour in whatever little way it is possible for him/her. Infact such awareness will go a long way in arresting the climate change phenomenon. Conclusion In a journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions from buildings, the balanc- ing of the operational energy needs of buildings with the renewable energy at national level would be the first important step. The discussion in the above para- graphs reveals that the shortfall between the operational energy needs of build- ings and the renewable energy capacity at the national level ranges from around 7 to 12% of the total energy produced in the country. This is likely to increase further with rapid urbanization. While the shortfall can certainly be overcome by setting up additional land-based solar power plants, the author argues that the RTS system also needs to be given a big impetus. RENEWABLE ENERGY 56 energetica INDIA- September_2020