India is having a civil war of sorts over power. Part of India wants nuclear power, part wants renewable power, primarily CSP trough solar power generators. Both hold great promise, both require substantial amounts of land to generate the required level of power, and both are vying for the same land in India’s heavy populatged interior. This is of course not real war, but it is making for a decion that will need to be made by India, and soon. Nuclear or Renewable.
To see why this is such an issue, take a look at the maps below. In figure A you will see India’s solar map. This is where solar energy hits India and in what level. You will notice the two areas that are darker than the rest of the map.
India Solar Map - Image A
The next map is a population density map showing where they heavily populated areas in India are.
India Pop. Density - Figure B
Notice that the best places for solar also happen to be the heaviest populated. That makes the land that IS open, along the NorthWest border area with Pakistan, prime real estate.
   There are three main contenders in this fight:
Coal - It’s about 4 times cheaper to produce power with coal than it is with nuclear or renewable energy. However with coal being a fossil fuel all the environmental issues that go with fossil fuels are present. Evironmental issues that would be magnified in both effect and overall damage due to the increased concentrated population an overall poor infrastructure. And experts in India for see major issues with procuring enough coal to fuel the expansion India is experiencing through the year 2030.
Nuclear Power - Nuclear power shares the same land issues that solar power does. It requires a lot of land for a solar power plant. Another issues haunting nuclear power in India is the need for Uranium. Many of the nuclear power plants in India currently run at about half power because of the need for Uranium. New Uranium mines are slated to be opened but those efforts have been stalled because of villagers who do not trust the government or agencies involed with the government and are slowing down the progress.
Solar Power - Solar power in India has great potential, but this isnt a fight that can be won by silicon. This is a fight that will be won by salt. Molten salt to be exact, like the kind used in CSP solar trough systems
CSP Solar Trough System (figure C)
The solar energy that hits the ground in India hits best in the most populated areas. In the ares that are relatively low in population density the solar energy isn’t quite as strong. So to make best use of the limited land concentrated solar power systems must be used, and the solar trough configuration has the best output. Photovoltaic panels will not do the job due to price of photovoltaics and their efficiency. However even CSP has its problems. Like nuclear power, there is a substantial amount of land needed for a CSP plant. CSP also requires water to keep the parabolic troughs clean and cool the molten salt for maximum efficiency. In the areas of India where there are lower populations, water is an issue for irrigation of crops and sanitation, not to mention washing solar troughs. The current thought is that with such a big push in the alternative energy sectors that R&D will quickly push new innovations that will overcome the current issues so that CSP can be used to its highest potential in India. For more on the story, check out the Times of India artcle found
here
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