Clean Energy, Solar Power - GS questions based on daily current affairs

ANSWER: Provide uninterrupted electricity supply

Explanation:

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has signed an MoU with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a policy research institution, to launch a new ‘Initiative on Solar for Healthcare’.
• The collaboration will focus on providing effective health care delivery at the last mile by reducing uncertainty in critical infrastructure, particularly electricity supply via cost effective solar-based solutions.
• Under this collaboration, on a pilot basis, ICMR will install solar systems at select PHCs in partnership with three state governments and evaluate its impact on healthcare delivery and health outcomes.
• The aim of the collaboration is to create resilient health systems in rural India, benefitting primarily women and children.
• In the absence of electricity, services catered by health institutions such as institutional deliveries, paediatric emergencies, and administering of vaccines get severely affected. Electricity access in health centres is also imperative as a means to facilitate communication services, tele-health applications and to retain skilled health workers.

ANSWER: Council on Environment and Water

Explanation:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has signed an MoU with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a policy research institution, to launch a new ‘Initiative on Solar for Healthcare’.

• The collaboration will focus on providing effective health care delivery at the last mile by reducing uncertainty in critical infrastructure, particularly electricity supply via cost effective solar-based solutions.
• As of 2015, nearly 35 million citizens in rural India rely on un-electrified PHCs for primary health services.
• The synergy between health and energy are the two specific goals of this initiative, and the efforts within this collaboration advances on both fronts.

ANSWER: Dera Baba Jaimal

Explanation:
World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity was inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab.

• Spread at a single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised earlier this year.
• In addition to single largest rooftop solar power plant, seven rooftop solar power plants of 8Mw capacity were also inaugurated in Beas Dera campus making this place the highest single campus generating solar power of 19.5 Mw at multiple rooftops in the country.

ANSWER: Punjab

Explanation:

• World's largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity has been inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab.
• Spread at a single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised earlier this year.
• The project would generate clean and green energy sufficient to power approximately 8000 homes.

ANSWER: Gujarat Energy Development Agency

Explanation:
In an attempt to scale up the present solar power generation in Gujarat, the state government is now all set to launch its much awaited project of grid-connected rooftop solar power units, wherein residential property owners will be encouraged to install this new system.

• The Solar Rooftop project was initiated by Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA), which is the state nodal agency to promote renewable energy.
• In the current fiscal of 2016-17, GEDA has set a target of generating 50 megawatt (MW) of electricity by installing such rooftop solar photovoltaic (SPV) units across Gujarat.
• This rooftop solar project is for residential consumers only

ANSWER: Rajasthan > Gujarat > Madhya Pradesh > Maharashtra

Explanation:
The installed capacity of solar power in India crossed the milestone of 5,000 MW. The cumulative installed capacity has reached to 5,130 MW. The state of Rajasthan stands 1st in the country with 1264 MW, followed by Gujarat (1024MW), Madhya Pradesh (679 MW), Tamil Nadu (419 MW), Maharashtra (379 MW) and Andhra Pradesh (357 MW). The Government has set the ambitious target of generating 100 GW of solar power by the year 2021-22 under the National Solar Mission.

ANSWER: Both

Explanation:
- The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was launched on the 11th January, 2010 by the Prime Minister.
- The Mission has set the ambitious target of deploying 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022 is aimed at reducing the cost of solar power generation in the country through (i) long term policy; (ii) large scale deployment goals; (iii) aggressive R&D; and (iv) domestic production of critical raw materials, components and products, as a result to achieve grid tariff parity by 2022.
- Mission will create an enabling policy framework to achieve this objective and make India a global leader in solar energy.

ANSWER: Transparent

Explanation:
Stanford engineers Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering, research associate Aaswath P Raman and doctoral candidate Linxiao Zhu at Stanford University in US, have found a solution which is based on a thin, patterned silica material laid on top of a traditional solar cell to boost its efficiency and cool the solar cells. As the heat of the solar cells increases, they become less efficient at covering photons in light into electricity with can be used. Material of the coating is transparent to the visible sunlight powering solar cells, yet captures and emits thermal radiation or heat from infrared rays. In 2014, the same researchers developed an ultrathin material radiating infrared heat directly back toward space without atmospheric warming. For a typical crystalline silicon solar cell with an efficiency of 20 per cent, minus 5 degrees Celsius of cooling would improve absolute cell efficiency by over 1 per cent, a figure that represents a significant gain in energy production. The transparent thermal overlay works best in dry environments.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature difference between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters to run a heat engine and produce useful work, usually in the form of electricity. However, since the temperature differential is small, the efficiency is low, decreasing the economic feasibility of ocean thermal energy for electricity generation. It needs a working fluid with low boiling point and hence refrigerants like ammonia or R-134a are used. In some cases vapor given out by seawater itself is used. Currently the world’s only operating OTEC plant is in Japan, overseen by Saga University. In 2002, India tested a 1 MW floating OTEC pilot plant near Tamil Nadu. The plant was ultimately unsuccessful due to a failure of the deep sea cold water pipe.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
LPG has mostly propane and butane. LNG has mostly methane. LPG is suitable for large and heavy diesel vehicles like trucks and buses. LPG, LNG and CNG are cleaner than petrol and diesel.