Whose land is it anyway? Energy futures & land use in India

Mohan, Aniruddh (2017): Whose land is it anyway? Energy futures & land use in India. Published in: Energy Policy , Vol. 110, : pp. 257-262.

Abstract

Modelling studies which project pathways for the future of energy in India currently have several implicit assumptions with regards to the social, institutional, and political changes necessary for energy transitions. This paper focuses on the specific question of land use change required for realising ambitious clean energy targets. Demand for land is likely to be a critical question in India's energy future given the challenges with land acquisition in the country as a result of high population density and significant rights enjoyed by landowners. Yet, there is a lack of literature relevant to India which makes a quantitative assessment of the land use impacts of different types of low carbon technologies. I calculate and compare the land requirements in India of ground based solar photovoltaic (PV) power, nuclear power, and wind energy. All three types of technologies are expected to grow substantially as a share of India's electricity mix in the coming years. The analysis suggests that land demands of ground based solar PV are likely to be substantial compared to wind energy and nuclear power, and some policy suggestions are provided which may help mitigate that challenge.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Land use; India; Energy futures
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q4 - Energy > Q40 - General

References

Breyer, C., Gulagi, A., Fell, H.-J., 2016. Sustainable and Low-Cost Energy System for India without Nuclear and Coal Base Load. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.27708.64642

DAE, 2015. IAEA Safeguards [WWW Document]. Lok Sabha Unstarred Quest. URL http://dae.nic.in/writereaddata/parl/budget2015/lsus358.pdf (accessed 4.6.17).

DAE, 2014a. Uranium and Thorium Mines [WWW Document]. Lok Sabha Unstarred Quest. URL http://dae.nic.in/writereaddata/lsus620.pdf (accessed 4.5.17).

DAE, 2014b. Nuclear Power Reactors [WWW Document]. Lok Sabha Unstarred Quest. URL http://dae.nic.in/writereaddata/lsus2949.pdf (accessed 4.7.17).

DiPippo, R., 1991. Geothermal energy Electricity generation and environmental impact. Energy Policy 19, 798–807. doi:10.1016/0301-4215(91)90050-X

Engelmeier, T., Rustagi, V., Khurana, J., Goel, P., Chaudri, K.R., Jain, M., 2014. Beehives or elephants? How should India drive its solar transformation.

European Environment Agency, 2009. Europe’s onshore and offshore wind energy potential, EEA Technical report. Copenhagen. doi:10.2800/11373

Finch, W.I., 1998. Uranium, its impact on the national and global energy mix - and its history, distribution, production, nuclear fuel-cycle, future, and relation to the environment. US Geol. Surv. Circ. 24.

Fthenakis, V., Kim, H.C., 2009. Land use and electricity generation: A life-cycle analysis. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2008.09.017

Harinarayana, T., Sri, K., Vasavi, V., 2014. Solar Energy Generation Using Agriculture Cultivated Lands. Smart Grid Renew. Energy 5, 31–42. doi:10.4236/sgre.2014.52004

IAEA, 2011. Status report 105 - Indian 700 MWe PHWR.

IRENA, 2012. Renewable Energy Cost Analysis: Wind Power.

Khare, V., Nema, S., Baredar, P., 2013. Status of solar wind renewable energy in India. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 27, 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.06.018

Lopez, A., Roberts, B., Heimiller, D., Blair, N., Porro, G., 2012. U.S. Renewable Energy Technical Potentials: A GIS-Based Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Document. doi:NREL/TP-6A20-51946

Mark Z, J., 2009. Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security. Energy Environ. Sci 2, 148–173. doi:10.1039/B809990C

McDonald, R.I., Fargione, J., Kiesecker, J., Miller, W.M., Powell, J., 2009. Energy sprawl or energy efficiency: Climate policy impacts on natural habitat for the United States of America. PLoS One 4. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006802

Miller, C. a., Iles, A., Jones, C.F., 2013. The Social Dimensions of Energy Transitions. Sci. Cult. (Lond). 22, 135–148. doi:10.1080/09505431.2013.786989

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, 2015. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission: Guidelines for Development of Solar Parks.

MIT, 2006. The Future of Geothermal Energy The Future of Geothermal Energy, Technology.

Mitavachan, H., Srinivasan, J., 2012. Is land really a constraint for the utilization of solar energy in India?, Current Science.

MOEFCC, 2013. MOEFCC Gorakhpur Environmental Clearance of GHAVP.

Mohan, A. 2016. The Future of Nuclear Energy in India. New Delhi.

National Institute of Solar Energy, 2014. State wise Estimated Solar Power Potential.

National Institute of Wind Energy, 2016. Annual Report 2015-16. Chennai.

NITI Aayog, Shakti Foundation, CII, 2015. Report on India’s Renewable Electricity Roadmap 2030.

Nuclear Energy Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency, 2016. Uranium 2016 : Resources , Production and Demand.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), 2013. Revised Environmental Impact Assessment Report.

Patil, M., 2017. Modi Government’s big solar push could run into land hurdle [WWW Document]. Econ. Times. URL http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/modi-governments-big-solar-push-could-run-into-land-hurdle-read-why/articleshow/57850475.cms (accessed 4.1.17).

Pfenninger, S., 2017. Energy scientists must show their workings. Nature 542, 393–393. doi:10.1038/542393a

Phadke, A., Bharvirkar, R., Khangura, J., 2012. Reassessing Wind Potential Estimates for India : Economic and Policy Implications.

Poinssot, C., Bourg, S., Ouvrier, N., Combernoux, N., Rostaing, C., Vargas-Gonzalez, M., Bruno, J., 2014. Assessment of the environmental footprint of nuclear energy systems. Comparison between closed and open fuel cycles. Energy 69, 199–211. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2014.02.069

Rajaram, R., 2012. “The biggest challenge is acquiring land for wind farms” [WWW Document]. Proj. Monit. . URL http://www.projectsmonitor.com/interviews/the-biggest-challenge-is-acquiring-land-for-wind-farms/ (accessed 8.4.17).

Ramana, M.V., 2009. The Indian Nuclear Industry: Status and Prospects, Nuclear Energy Futures Papers.

Schneider, E., Carlsen, B., Tavrides, E., van der Hoeven, C., Phathanapirom, U., 2013a. A top-down assessment of energy, water and land use in uranium mining, milling, and refining. Energy Econ. 40, 911–926. doi:10.1016/j.eneco.2013.08.006

Schneider, E., Carlsen, B., Tavrides, E., van der Hoeven, C., Phathanapirom, U., 2013b. Measures of the environmental footprint of the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Energy Econ. 40, 898–910. doi:10.1016/j.eneco.2013.01.002

Sharma, B., 2011. Performance of Solar Power Plants in India, October. New Delhi.

Siraj, M.A., 2015. Wind power faces rough weather [WWW Document]. The Hindu. URL http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/wind-power-faces-rough-weather/article7064997.ece (accessed 8.4.17).

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, The Rights and Resources Initiative, 2016. Land Conflicts in India: An Interim Analysis.

TERI, WWF-India, 2013. The Energy Report - India 100% Renewable Energy by 2050.

Weckend, S., Wade, A., Heath, G., 2016. End-of-life management: Solar photovoltaic panels.