Did you know,
princely states like Hyderabad and Mysore got electricity even before Bombay
(now Mumbai), Delhi and Bangalore (now Bengaluru)? In Hyderabad, electricity
was introduced in 1901.
30 years after
that, electricity transmission systems consisted of six mains carrying currents
of 6,600 volts.
In the next 30
years, 66 substations were introduced. The residents of Hyderabad started using
electricity for household lighting because of the New Power House, which was
installed in 1927. The government encouraged people to apply for electric
connections, and the resulting increase in demand led to a reduced rate per
unit. As a result, many more people began to apply for connections.
In Mysore,
electric supply began in 1902 after the Sivasamudram Project was completed.
This was India's first hydroelectric power station and is located on the
Cauvery River. It was commissioned by the Diwan of Mysore, Sir K Seshadri lyer.
The generated power was used in the Kolar Gold Fields. In 1911, the government
funded an extension of the project. The already existing system produced
11,000kW and with the extension, 14,300kW of power could be produced.
Soon Bombay had
electricity. Failure to implement electric lighting in areas like Crawford
Market led the Bombay Electric Supply and Tramways Company to develop the first
generation station in Bombay in November 1905. It supplied power to tramways
and official and domestic spaces. The capacity of the station was over 4,300kW
and it lasted till 1908. Then, the tramways started expanding, which resulted
in a growing need for electricity and power. In 1912, a factory was set up in
Mazgaon, which was of higher capacity. However, high prices of electricity
resulted in unequal distribution of electricity. To increase supply, hydropower
plants were set up in Khopoli, Bhivpuri and Bhira. The increased use of
electricity in Bombay influenced other parts of Maharashtra like Yeola and Bulsar.
In Bangalore
too, electricity was inaugurated in 1905. Lahore got it in 1911. Punjab had
over 10,000 streetlights, 3,200 fans, 77 motors, 35 pumps and 36 radiators
during 1923-24.
While India was
a colony of the British, most of the power-generating systems were
hydroelectric in nature. They electrified the big ports, cities and offices.
The Electricity Supply Act of 1948 led to the rise of State Electricity Boards
(SEBs), which subsequently resulted in the emergence of Regional Electricity
Boards.
Impact on Agriculture
After
electricity was established in Mysore, places like Anekal, Doddaballapur,
Mulbagal, Hoskote, Chikkaballapur and Vadaganahalli started to get lit up. By
1928, more than 128 villages received electricity. The government encouraged
farmers to invest in electric irrigation pumps and increased rural
electrification. Farmers took advantage of these modern mechanised power tools
instead of performing manual labour. The raiyat (a person who has the right to
hold land), who would bail water from his wells using bullocks, realised that
the benefits of using an electric pump allowed him to pump about 2,000 gallons
per hour. There were 383 irrigation pumps powered by electricity by 1936. Soon,
flour mills and rice mills powered by electricity became popular in the state
of Mysore.
How Lives Changed Because of Electricity
When
electricity came to Calcutta (now Kolkata), there was increased demand for electricity from
Burma, Punjab, Bihar and other provinces. Consequently, the government introduced
the Indian Electricity Act of 1900, which made having an electric inspector
necessary to look into each and every electrical installation. Electric meters
in all premises having electricity and licenses for companies became the norm.
Anyone who tampered with the connections was sentenced to two years of prison.
This marked the start of formal all-India electrification.
At the time
electricity was introduced, it was not a very well-known service among the
locals. Advertisements and pamphlets were used to promote the use of
electricity for lighting and heating. By the 1900s, trams took the place of
carriages and mechanised fans replaced hand-held fans.
When
electricity came to Delhi in 1902, the entire city was to be decorated for the
Durbar. In the following year, the streets were lit up by electric lights and
electric trams were introduced. The civil lines were among the first places to
get electrified. After electrification, a tramcar service was introduced, which
ran in the busiest areas of the city. Indians found the new system convenient,
and trains were soon jam-packed, especially during the festive season and holidays.
Modern India & Renewable Energy
India is
considered to be the world's largest consumer of electricity and the world's
largest renewable energy producer. In 2001, alternate forms of renewable energy
in Indian households included biomass, firewood, crop residue and cow dung.
Since 2014, the adoption of renewable energy for electricity has increased at
the rate of 25% per year.
Simultaneously,
power installation has increased tenfold and solar energy has grown from
nothing to 2,500MW in 2014. More than a million households in 2014 depended on
solar energy exclusively to meet their basic electricity needs.
Renewable
energy production in India began when the Commission for Additional Sources of
Energy was set up in the Department of Science and Technology in 1981. Today,
renewable energy forms a quarter of India's total installed power capacity and
accounts for 13% of the country's electricity generation. The Electricity Act
of 2003 opened up the rural electrification market to decentralised distributed
generation systems. Many states including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
have policies to encourage people to harness solar power from the rooftops of
buildings.
As part of the
Paris Climate Agreement, India has set a target to produce 50% of its
electricity from renewable sources and install 450GW of renewable energy by
2030.
Solar Energy in India
Every year,
about 5,000 trillion kWh of solar energy is incident over India's land area.
Solar photovoltaic cells can easily harness this energy. If harnessed, this has
the ability to generate power on a distributed base and promote rapid capacity
addition with short lead times.
Considering
energy security, solar is the best because it is abundantly available. Millions
of Indian villages use solar energy for their cooking, lighting and other uses.
It has social and economic benefits as it reduces workload among women in rural
areas and girls engaged in gathering wood for fuel from long distances. Cooking
in smoky kitchens powered by fuel has also reduced, reducing the risks
associated with contracting lung and eye ailments.
The National
Institute of Solar Energy works to address sustainable ecological growth while
addressing India's energy security challenges, considering the Government of India
and the states. To encourage the use of solar power in India, the government
has introduced several schemes like Solar Park Scheme, VGF Schemes, CPSU
Scheme, Defense Scheme, Canal Bank & Canal Top Scheme, Bundling Scheme and
Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme.
