Wake up to a Himalayan opportunity

: Global warming and climate change influence the choice of energy sources throughout the world. There is a growing emphasis on minimising the use of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum oil & gas that emit carbon dioxide?the major cause of global warming?and increasing the use of non-conventional and renewable sources of energy. The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change has identified India as a country likely to be most affected by global warming. Therefore, we need to act with the urgency that the problem deserves.

Fortunately, these concerns have led to increased use of renewable energy such as solar and wind power. India is one of the few nations that have created a ministry of new and renewable energy to encourage the use of non-conventional energy and minimise carbon emissions. The ministry has prepared a plan for the period 2010-13 involving a major increase in the use of renewable energy. The plan envisages setting up small/micro hydel projects, solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants, SPV home lighting systems and solar thermal systems. This plan is expected to bring about aggregate savings of 20 million litres of diesel per annum.

Surprisingly, geothermal energy, which is available throughout the year, is not on the radar of the government of India. Even the recent order of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) directing electricity utilities to purchase green power to the extent of minimum 6% of their installed capacities, lists all renewable sources except geothermal. One can argue that currently, geothermal is not available; but if it is not even listed as an option, it would discourage its development by potential investors.

Geothermal energy is the natural heat freely available from within the earth. It manifests at the earth’s surface close to tectonically active regions, such as those close to the collision areas of tectonic continental plates. The movement of these plates creates subterranean faults and cracks that allow rainwater and snowmelt to seep underground and circulate back to the surface as hot springs and geysers. While these springs occur at natural cracks, technologies are available to harness geothermal energy for space heating and for generation of electric power. The US is the leader and generates about 3,000 MW of electricity from geothermal sources, including by private utilities; and in Iceland, over 53% of the total energy requirement is met by geothermal energy.

In India, more than 350 hot spring areas have been identified by...