From Poverty to Moon Landing: How Low-Cost Coal Propelled a Thriving Indian Economy
By Vijay Jayaraj
On August 23, India landed a craft near the Moon’s South Pole – an historic feat matched only by three other countries and made possible by the subcontinent’s largely uninhibited use of abundant, low-cost fossil fuels.
The acceleration of coal usage between 2000 and 2020 played a pivotal role in bringing electricity to billions throughout the world, and ushering in a new era of rapid economic growth and improved living standards. So much so, that a nation that once did not even have enough food for its population now has the scientists and engineers and money for space missions.
Abundant, Low-Cost Fossil Fuels and the Rise of Low-Cost Electricity Access in India
India is a country with a long history of energy poverty -- a term that encapsulates the struggle of millions to access basic electricity services. In 1995, only about 50% of the people had access to electricity.
Vast segments of the population suffered stunted economic development and substandard education, healthcare and overall quality of life.
Rural homes were shrouded in darkness after sunset, hindering productivity and limiting opportunities.
The situation began to change in the early 2000s as the Indian government committed to expand electricity access. One of the key drivers was the use of abundant, low-cost fossil fuels, especially coal.
Coal is a cheap and abundant source of energy and well-suited for large-scale power generation. Efficiently harnessing its abundant coal reserves, India embarked on a journey to alleviate energy poverty, ignite industrial growth and improve the lives of millions.
By 2020, the number of Indians with access to electricity had reached 99%.
Yes, abundant, low-cost fossil fuels improved the lives of billions.
Electric lighting has replaced kerosene lamps, improving indoor air quality and reducing health hazards. Electric ovens have replaced outdoor cooking using dung from cows
Electricity has increased educational opportunities by enabling students to study after sunset.
Daily routines have been transformed, because households can engage in activities once limited to daylight hours.
Electrical appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines made lives more comfortable and convenient. Women liberated from the drudgery of handwashing clothes and cooking over smoky fires, are better positioned for educational and occupational opportunities.
Industries ranging from manufacturing, to agriculture to information technology have thrived with a low-cost, reliable electricity supply.
As a result, Indian technological employment has grown at a rapid pace in the past two decades.
India's progress in eradicating poverty and improving education, gender equality and sanitation, is in accordance with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
During the fiscal year ending March 2022, abundant, low-cost, coal-generated electricity accounted for 72% of all electricity consumed by the country’s 1.3 billion people.
In 2022-2023, this rose to 73%.
Ultra-super-critical, highly efficient, low-cost coal plants, with the latest air pollution control systems are expected to be a primary source of producing low-cost electricity for many decades to power India's economy.
A famous social media influencer once said, “Facts don’t care about feelings.”
India, taking pride in its space exploration accomplishments and enjoying economic improvements, are not concerned about the obsessive hostility of EU/US leaders toward abundant, low-cost fossil fuels that have made India's future brighter.
Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK.
Comment
BATTERY SYSTEM CAPITAL COSTS, OPERATING COSTS, ENERGY LOSSES, AND AGING
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/battery-system-capital...
Grid-scale Battery System Owning and Operating Cost for Solar Bulge Control
Battery systems perform various functions during a day, including absorbing the heavily subsidized, midday solar output bulge, and discharging about 81% of it during the peak hours of late-afternoon/early-evening; the other 19% are system losses. See Part 4
Assume, in the morning, the batteries are charge at about 20% full, so they can absorb the bulge to about 80% full.
On many days, there is enough bulge to charge the batteries
In New England, panels are often covered with snow and ice in winter.
On days, with little or no bulge, the batteries are charged with low-cost, night-time electricity
Assumptions for Analysis
- Bank loan 50%; Owner stake 50%.
State governments require investors to have a 50% stake in projects, i.e., “have skin in the game”
- Li-ion systems at $500/kWh for 2023. See Part 1
- Capacity factor of 0.6
- Bank loan, 6%/y for 15 years
- Owner's return on investment, 9%/y for 15 years
- Cost of government subsidies at 50% of total costs
- System loss at 19%, HV AC to HV AC basis. See Parts 2 and 3
- System aging at 1.5%/y is ignored. See Part 7
The 0.30 c/kWh of throughput is significantly understated, because it is based on a very high CF = 0.6, and excludes the cost of system aging
All project costs are paid by ratepayers, taxpayers, and added to government debts.
http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/cost-shifting-is-the-na...
NOTE: Utilities of grid-scale battery systems have the real owning/operating numbers, which they do not make public, because they are “proprietary”
.
Capacity, 1.0 MW/4.0 MWh |
2022 pricing |
||
2022 li-ion pricing, $/kWh |
500 |
||
Capital cost, excludes aging, $ |
2000000 |
Rating, kWh |
4000 |
Subsidies |
50% |
Cycles/d |
365 |
Owner financing at 9%/y for 15 y |
50% |
CF |
0.6 |
Bank financing at 6%/y for 15 y |
50% |
From HV grid, kWh/y as AC |
1081481 |
Return to Owner, $/y |
121712 |
In battery, kWh/y as DC |
973333 |
Payment to Bank, $/y |
101263 |
To HV grid, kWh/y as AC |
876000 |
Total payments, $/y |
222975 |
System losses, kWh/y |
205481 |
Other costs; O&M, insurance, etc, $/y |
40000 |
Total costs, $/y |
262975 |
Total costs, $/y |
262975 |
Cost, c/kWh of throughput |
0.300 |
Paid to Owner by: | c/kWh | ||
Government, as subsidies, $/y |
131488 |
0.150 |
|
Utility rate payers, $/y |
131488 |
0.150 |
|
Total, $/y |
262295 |
0.300 |
U.S. Sen Angus King
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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