Essay on Frequent Power Cuts in India : The electric energy demand in India is rapidly increasing during the past 20 years. This resulted in frequent power cuts. It has been estimated that between 300000 crore and 400000 crores of rupees investment would be needed in India in the next decade to add new generating capacity for keeping a balance between supply and demand.
Essay on Frequent Power Cuts in India
Introduction- Electric energy is most important among all energies. It finds innumerable use in home, industry, agriculture and even in transport. The fact that it can be transported practically in seconds makes it very attractive. Electric energy is pollution free. Its uses can be controlled very easily. These are the reason why its importance in human life exists.
Electricity demand- The electric energy demand in India is rapidly increasing during the past 20 years. This resulted in frequent power cuts. It has been estimated that between 300000 crore and 400000 crores of rupees investment would be needed in India in the next decade to add new generating capacity for keeping a balance between supply and demand.
Poor supply of power- Indian energy scenario today is dominated by feeling of discomfort and despair regarding the abysmally poor supply of power in most parts of the country. There are several issues which create problem for India's energy program. Though there has been impressive growth in power generation, power shortage still continues in our country. In 1980-81 gap between demand and supply was 12.6 percent. It came down to 6.1 percent in 1984-95 but raise to over 13 percent in 2000. In states like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra the power cuts are very severe. Some of the reasons of power shortage are as under:
- Faulty Planning.
- Sharp increase in demand.
- Delay in construction of power projects.
- Interstate disputes
- Erratic monsoons.
- Plant outages due to poor quality of power plant equipment, improper operation and maintenance.
- Transmission losses
- Shortage of coal
- Poor utilization of generating equipment
We at present are sitting at the threshold of development and for that an uninterrupted power supply is most essential. Energy has been called like fuel of economic progress. In fact now we remember with disbelief, the father electricity Thomas Alva Edison saying "I will make electricity too cheap that only rich can afford a candle."
It is not a distant dream that when electricity will be cheaper if we follow suggestions given below.
- Power thefts should be controlled. A separate department with legal authority should be created for this task.
- The generation system has expanded during the past years but the expansion of transmission and distribution has not kept pace with the expansion of generation system.
- Failure with traditional technology is also responsible for the failure of power supply. We should adopt new technology.
- Significant efforts need to be made to harness growing share of renewable energy resources like wind, sun, biomass along with rapid development of low cost and efficient technological solutions.
Conclusion- Our country does have strong policy towards energy particularly power energy but there should be an integrated policy in which state governments should be included. Well, the ultimate solution of frequent power cuts is the privatization of power sector. However the wrong government policies discourage this process. Besides labor laws, over staffing in first approving, then rejecting and finally re-approving the Enron financed Dhabhol Power Project in Maharashtra, fuelled fresh debates, on our approach to liberalization. There is need to restructure energy supply in such a manner as dependence on imported oil from Gulf countries in minimized.
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