DEMAND FOR POWER IN INDIA

          India’s Power generating capacity is 130,000 MWs. By the year 2030, this is expected to cross 625,000 MWs. Experts say that the Power Generating capacity of India has to increase this phenomenally to ensure 8 to10 percent GDP growth.

        According to George Diekun, the Delhi based mission director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), about 500MWs of additional capacity has to be established every week over the next 25 years, to ensure 8 percent GDP growth in India.       

        Conventional sources of energy--- including coal, oil, and gas are unlikely to meet such a demand, for, the costs, both, financial and environmental degradation are very much prohibitive. Hydel Power Generation has its own woes. Nuclear power is never the right option (unless it is through nuclear fusion). 

        India is blessed with a long coast line of 7,500kms and has enormous potential for Ocean Energy. This is the Energy that can ensure the 10 percent or above GDP growth of India. Ocean Energy is for ‘free’. It is only the installation costs. Entire world could be powered with the Ocean Energy. 

        Govt. of India is encouraging Wind Energy and Solar Energy. The following facts should be taken into consideration while considering ocean energy.

         1.  Availability factor for Wind Energy and Solar Energy is just 20 to 30 percent only (However, for wind energy, this factor could be improved 60% to 80% with innovative techniques). 

            Availability factor for Ocean Energy is over 90 percent.     

        2.  Every 1000MWs of Solar Energy gives out 10,000MWs of heat directly into the atmosphere.  

        3. Water moving at 8 knots has the same energy as Wind blowing at 217knots. Water molecules in Ocean Waves, are given momentum of velocity, greater than 8 knots. 

            Wind Turbines are shut down when wind speeds exceed 90 kms per hour. However, Ocean energy turbines can withstand and take all the energy of the ocean waves, ocean tides, and ocean currents.

        4. Winds are intermittent and unpredictable and Off shore winds are just 20 percent stronger than on inlands. 

             On the other hand, Ocean energy is continuous and predictable. Ocean waves, ocean tides and ocean currents collect and carry energy over thousands of kilometers with little loss. 

            Ocean energy varies in intensity, and is available 24hours a day and 365days a year. And this energy can be tapped right on our shores.

        5. At  depths of over 10 meters, Ocean wave energy is three to eight times of what we see near the shore.

         6. Compressibility ratio between sea water and air is 1:832. Water turbine of 4 to 8 meters equals wind turbine of 80 meters.         

        With wind energy, small single generators of up to 3.6MWs only, can be run. 

         With Ocean Energy, large single generators of up to 100MWS or more, can be run, from the energy obtained in a stretch of one kilometer or more, to get continuous power of 60MWs to over 100MWs.