Renewable Energy Resource Availability in Uttarakhand  :

Energy  as a common input factor to almost all economic or development activities, is critical to the development of Uttarakhand. As inferences drawn suggest unsuitability of centralized energy options in several areas of Uttarakhand, solar and biomass based decentralized renewable energy systems (DRESs) emerge as appropriate options for improving the access to energy of households in the state.

1. Solar Radiation :

Most of the locations in the state of Uttarakhand receive sufficient solar radiation throughout the year . Based on the latitude and longitude of the districts of Uttarakhand obtained from solar resource data has been obtained from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) databases .

 Solar resource  data indicates that almost all districts of Uttarakhand receive annually averaged daily Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) ≥ 5 kWh/m2 /day. Areas having annual average daily value of solar radiation (GHI/DNI) of 5.00 kWh/m2 /day or more are considered suitable for solar applications. Thus, it can be inferred that all districts of Uttarakhand are suitable for solar energy applications.

2. Wind  :

Although few of the localized pockets in Uttarakhand have significant wind resource at high altitudes, the state generally has minimal wind resource with average wind speeds around typical turbine cut-in speed of 3 m/s .Wind speed data obtained from NASA database also reflects low annual average wind speeds (about 4 m/s) for all districts of Uttarakhand .Thus, wind energy applications may not be suitable for the state of Uttarakhand.

3. Biomass  :

The state of Uttarakhand is rich in vegetation with a forest cover of 34,651 sq.km (approximately 65% of total geographical area) . Sub-sectors of primary sector namely agriculture and allied activities (forestry, logging and fishing) provide livelihood to more than 70 per cent of the population of Uttarakhand .

Households involved in agricultural activities generally rear livestock for agricultural work and milk. In rural Uttarakhand, it is reported that there are 2066 cattles and 734 buffaloes per 1000 households .

Also, as per estimates, Uttarakhand has surplus biomass (agro, forest and wasteland biomass) availability of about 3700 KT/year (CGPL, n.d.). Hence, biomass based applications may be appropriate for the state of Uttarakhand.

4. Hydro :

Uttarakhand has a number of perennial streams that can be tapped through small hydro power projects As per MNRE estimates, small hydro power has a potential of about 1708 MW in the state. Thus, small hydro applications may be utilized to satisfy energy demand in the state of Uttarakhand.

Characteristics of Uttarakhand indicate significant potential for solar and biomass based  in the state. Different types of solar and biomass energy can be used for fulfilling appropriate energy demand. presents resourceDRES-task matrix indicating the tasks that can be fulfilled by DRESs. The types of energy resources that have been disseminated in Uttarakhand include solar water heater, family size biogas plant, solar cooker, solar lantern, solar home system, solar dryer, solar pump and improved cookstove.

Advantages of renewable energy :

Using renewable energy over fossil fuels has a number of advantages. Here are some of the top benefits of going green:

1. Renewable energy won’t run out : Renewable energy technologies use resources straight from the environment to generate power. These energy sources include sunshine, wind, tides, and biomass, to name some of the more popular options. Renewable resources won’t run out, which cannot be said for many types of fossil fuels – as use fossil fuel resources, they will be increasingly difficult to obtain, likely driving up both the cost and environmental impact of extraction.

2. Maintenance requirements are lower : In most cases, renewable energy technologies require less overall maintenance than generators that use traditional fuel sources. This is because generating technology like solar panels and wind turbines either have few or no moving parts and don’t rely on flammable, combustible fuel sources to operate. Fewer maintenance requirements translate to more time and money saved.

3. Renewables save money : Using renewable energy can help save money long term. Not only save on maintenance costs, but on operating costs as well. When using a technology that generates power from the sun, wind, steam, or natural processes. The amount of money  will  be saved  using renewable energy can vary depending on a number of factors, including the technology itself. In most cases, transitioning to renewable energy means anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars in savings.

4. Renewable energy has numerous health and environmental benefits : Renewable energy generation sources emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air. This means a smaller carbon footprint and an overall positive impact on the natural environment. During the combustion process, fossil fuels emit high amounts of greenhouse gases, which have been proven to exacerbate the rise of global temperatures and frequency of extreme weather events.

The use of fossil fuels not only emits greenhouse gases but other harmful pollutants as well that lead to respiratory and cardiac health issues. With renewable energy, decrease the prevalence of these pollutants and contributing to an overall healthier atmosphere.