Renewables to be over 60% of India’s generation capacity: Power Minister Piyush Goyal

[Varun]

Enthused by drop in renewable energy tariff, Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said India’s 60-65% of installed power generation capacity will be green energy.

“Going by prices we have discovered, I am inspired to say that 60-65% of India’s installed capacity base will be green energy,” Goyal said at Take Pride event organised by CII.

He further said, “India’s renewable energy programme is a great example of how you can do big by thinking big.”

Earlier this month, Goyal had predicted that India’s solar power generation capacity will cross 20,000 MW in the next 15 months, from the current 10,000 MW, and said drastic reduction in costs of solar power is proof of maturity of the sector.

Lower capital expenditure and cheaper credit have pulled down solar tariff to a new low of Rs 2.97 per unit in an auction conducted for 750 MW capacity in Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh last month.

The auction was conducted by a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh government and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

The wind power tariff has too dropped to a record low of Rs 3.46 per unit in an auction of 1,000 MW capacity conducted by the SECI.

At present, out of 315 GW of total power generation installed capacity, around 50 GW is from renewable sources while large hydro projects (above 25 MW) constitute 44 GW.

As much as 14,000 MW (or 14 gigawatt) of solar projects are currently under development and about 6 GW is to be auctioned soon. In 2016, about 4 GW of solar capacity was added, the fastest pace till date.

According to power ministry estimate, another 8.8 GW capacity is likely to be added in 2017, including about 1.1 GW of rooftop solar installations.

The government is targeting 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind energy capacity by 2022. Total renewable energy generation capacity is envisaged at 175 GW by 2022.

Commending the government’s initiative on Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said: “Nearly seven constitutional laws have been passed in the last two and a half years by this government without a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Our finance minister is the best finance minister.”

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/busin...iyush-goyal/story-qPV4Jb5h1sasZ3yBOPzHsN.html

 

[Abdullah719]

Indian minister posts double-speed footage of new fast train

India’s railways minister has been mocked for sharing a video of the country’s first locally built fast train – using footage that had been sped up to twice its normal speed.

Piyush Goyal posted the video of the Vande Bharat Express on his official Twitter and Facebook accounts on Sunday.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s a bird...It’s a plane...Watch India’s first semi-high speed train built under ‘Make in India’ initiative, Vande Bharat Express zooming past at lightening speed. <a href="https://t.co/KbbaojAdjO">pic.twitter.com/KbbaojAdjO</a></p>— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/1094496373410615296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But the video was doctored, according to an investigation by AltNews.in, an Indian website that has made a speciality of debunking false news stories and social media rumours.


<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/316395038" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/316395038">Comparison: Video posted by Piyush Goyal vs Original</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/altnewsvideos">Alt News</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
A member of a “train spotters” Facebook page wrote under Goyal’s post that the video appeared to be footage he had taken in December, with its speed doubled.

The Vande Bharat Express, India’s fastest train, will make its maiden voyage with passengers on Friday. It travels from Delhi to the holy city of Varanasi.

Before it was revealed to have been altered, Goyal’s post had been retweeted by prominent members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and was reported as a news by Republic, a generally pro-government news channel.

Goyal is regarded as one of prime minister Narendra Modi’s highest performing ministers and oversaw the first phase of the government’s ambitious plans to generate 227 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020.

But he has been less impressive at posting on social media. In August 2017, he shared a picture of a highway lit up by a row of LED streetlights, boasting of the government’s success in illuminating Indian roads. The picture was of a Russian street, it soon emerged.

“Thanks to many who pointed issues with earlier image,” he wrote at the time. “While we illuminate streets, social media helps illuminate facts, helping us improve.”

In June of the same year, he posted a picture of a coal mine alongside a message promoting the government’s scaling down of foreign coal imports. But the image was taken from an Amnesty International report condemning the government’s mining policy – research Goyal had criticised as “completely baseless”. He deleted the tweet.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-posts-double-speed-footage-of-new-fast-train

 

[Napa]

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/busin...iyush-goyal/story-qPV4Jb5h1sasZ3yBOPzHsN.html

Good job by the Indian government. With a switch from internal combustion engines to electric motors for cars, I expect India will not have to import any more oil in 10 years. Cutting off financing for the Mideast dictators would be wonderful. Those countries would then either reform or end up like sub-Saharan Africa.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Good job by the Indian government. With a switch from internal combustion engines to electric motors for cars, I expect India will not have to import any more oil in 10 years. Cutting off financing for the Mideast dictators would be wonderful. Those countries would then either reform or end up like sub-Saharan Africa.

Mungerilal ke haseen sapne )

 

[Bhaijaan]

This comes from a BJP chaddi chaap chor minister? Can't be trusted at all.

The other day he tweeted an edited version of a video footage that belonged to some Youtuber and claimed it as India's latest superfast train. )

The BJP has no shame.

 

[Syed1]

Mungerilal ke haseen sapne )

The Saudis are running from pillar to post trying to figure out what they will do when superpower India stops buying their oil ) ) )

 

[Dios]

The Saudis are running from pillar to post trying to figure out what they will do when superpower India stops buying their oil ) ) )

India accounted for 12% of Saudi crude oil exports in 2017 (The US accounted for 15% to put things into perspective). India is the fastest growing big economy in the world and one of the drivers of growing demand for energy. Any threat of reduced demand from a market like India would be a matter of concern for not just Saudi Arabia but for any energy exporting country. I fail to see what's funny.

 

[cricketjoshila]

The Saudis are running from pillar to post trying to figure out what they will do when superpower India stops buying their oil ) ) )

India is second largest importer of Saudi oil and 3rd largest crude consumer in the world.

So any reduction in demand from Indian market will affect the world market.

Not every country is looking at Saudi handouts you see.

 

[Napa]

Mungerilal ke haseen sapne )

A "sapna" is something not based on real world facts. Read up about the Levelized Cost of Electricity for different sources like oil and solar before you post on this subject.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_electricity_by_source

The Saudis are running from pillar to post trying to figure out what they will do when superpower India stops buying their oil ) ) )

SA's foreign exchange reserves have fallen by over 30% over the last 5 years. You have to be exceptionally dense not to understand which way they are headed.

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/saudi-arabia/foreign-exchange-reserves

India accounted for 12% of Saudi crude oil exports in 2017 (The US accounted for 15% to put things into perspective). India is the fastest growing big economy in the world and one of the drivers of growing demand for energy. Any threat of reduced demand from a market like India would be a matter of concern for not just Saudi Arabia but for any energy exporting country. I fail to see what's funny.

People living in denial find the real world funny

 

[ahmedzee]

Good job by the Indian government. With a switch from internal combustion engines to electric motors for cars, I expect India will not have to import any more oil in 10 years. Cutting off financing for the Mideast dictators would be wonderful. Those countries would then either reform or end up like sub-Saharan Africa.

Just a fact on Electric Vehicle. It is a big misconception that it is "good" for the environment. The CO2 emissions in just the production of this car is equivalent to driving a gasoline car for 15 years. It is a very carbon intensive process to mine lithium that goes in those massive batteries. Also, one thing to consider is, where does the electricity comes from as well.

Electric cars are not the future if you want to reduce green house gases.

 

[Syed1]

India is second largest importer of Saudi oil and 3rd largest crude consumer in the world.

So any reduction in demand from Indian market will affect the world market.

Not every country is looking at Saudi handouts you see.

Yeah you are right... India just has a small amount for $500b in foreign debt.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ing-and-nri-deposits/articleshow/64797461.cms

 

[Napa]

Just a fact on Electric Vehicle. It is a big misconception that it is "good" for the environment. The CO2 emissions in just the production of this car is equivalent to driving a gasoline car for 15 years. It is a very carbon intensive process to mine lithium that goes in those massive batteries.

Very likely true, but you have to compare CO2 emissions in production of an electric car to the production of an internal combustion engine car. The question is, what is the difference?

One thing to note is that the lithium once mined will be available almost forever, as old lithium batteries will get recycled. So carbon emissions from mining lithium are a one-time cost, in comparison to using a internal combustion engine which is a recurring cost.

Also, one thing to consider is, where does the electricity comes from as well.

Electric cars are not the future if you want to reduce green house gases.

You are right again, if the electricity for powering an electric car is generated by burning oil then there is no reduction in carbon emissions. However if the electricity is generated by solar, then there is a reduction.

Technology is driving solar to dominance over oil. The following is a summary of a report by Lazard (2018).

In November, 2018, Lazard found that not only are utility-scale solar and wind cheaper than fossil fuels, "n some scenarios, alternative energy costs have decreased to the point that they are now at or below the marginal cost of conventional generation." Overall, Lazard found "The low end levelized cost of onshore wind-generated energy is $29/MWh, compared to an average illustrative marginal cost of $36/MWh for coal. The levelized cost of utility-scale solar is nearly identical to the illustrative marginal cost of coal, at $36/MWh. This comparison is accentuated when subsidizing onshore wind and solar, which results in levelized costs of energy of $14/MWh and $32/MWh, respectively. ... The mean levelized cost of energy of utility-scale PV technologies is down approximately 13% from last year and the mean levelized cost of energy of onshore wind has declined almost 7%."

Note that the report says "alternative energy costs have decreased to the point that they are now at or below the marginal cost of conventional generation". This means alternative energy costs are below costs of conventional generation even if you put a zero cost on the stranded assets (power plants). This is from 2018. Ten more years prices for solar (which is already less than oil) should be down by 50% more (Swanson's Law).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swanson's_law

 

[Bhaijaan]

Yeah you are right... India just has a small amount for $500b in foreign debt.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ing-and-nri-deposits/articleshow/64797461.cms

Since when did Debt become a bad thing though? The biggest economies in the world have the biggest debt. Check figures for China and USA.

 

[Napa]

Since when did Debt become a bad thing though? The biggest economies in the world have the biggest debt. Check figures for China and USA.

Debt is okay if the country is able to service it. The credit rating of India is "investment grade", so we are being able manage our debt.

https://countryeconomy.com/ratings

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

Good job by the Indian government. With a switch from internal combustion engines to electric motors for cars, I expect India will not have to import any more oil in 10 years. Cutting off financing for the Mideast dictators would be wonderful. Those countries would then either reform or end up like sub-Saharan Africa.

Agree, great job by indian Govt to penniless Middl East but it will take time. Why dont you call back the millions of indian cheap labours on immediate basis to harm their ecenomy? I am sure Saudis wont afford expensive labours.

 

[Napa]

Agree, great job by indian Govt to penniless Middl East but it will take time. Why dont you call back the millions of indian cheap labours on immediate basis to harm their ecenomy? I am sure Saudis wont afford expensive labours.

What?

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

What?

Ok let me elaborate it. You are saying that by shuffeling of energy sources india will harm the saudis financially so I am saying that if you have this ego then your countrymen shouldnt be there at first for cheap jobs.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Debt is okay if the country is able to service it. The credit rating of India is "investment grade", so we are being able manage our debt.

https://countryeconomy.com/ratings

Exactly.

I am looking at the forex reserves and they are steady at just over $400 billion. China has reserves worth $3 trillion. India should be targeting to get to a trillion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-exchange_reserves



Who's data doesn't look good though?
Pakistan. Reserves of merely $ 8 billion and debt is touching $ 100 billion. Imran has his work cut out to lift this economy.

 

[Napa]

Ok let me elaborate it. You are saying that by shuffeling of energy sources india will harm the saudis financially so I am saying that if you have this ego then your countrymen shouldnt be there at first for cheap jobs.

India pays the Saudis about $50 billion a year for oil, and Indian expats in SA earn about half of that. There is no charity here.

There is no need for India to keep buying oil from the Saudis who are the biggest promoters of terrorism in the world, if there are alternatives to oil. Solar is increasingly becoming the cheaper alternative.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Italy has debt of $2.5 trillion and their economy shrunk by 0.2 - 0.3%

USA has debt of $16 trillion.

These are numbers that should matter.

The europeans and americans have lived lavishly for far too long. They simply cannot match up to the pace with which China and India are growing.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

India pays the Saudis about $50 billion a year for oil, and Indian expats in SA earn about half of that. There is no charity here.

There is no need for India to keep buying oil from the Saudis who are the biggest promoters of terrorism in the world, if there are alternatives to oil. Solar is increasingly becoming the cheaper alternative.

You pays $ 50 billion/year for which you get the oil of this money. Its not charity either. Why so arrogance?

 

[cricketjoshila]

Yeah you are right... India just has a small amount for $500b in foreign debt.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ing-and-nri-deposits/articleshow/64797461.cms

Indian GDP is $2.5tn in size growing at 7.5% with forex reserves of $400bn. Thats a comfortable situation regarding the debt.

US,UK Germany etc have debt more than 100% of their gdp. But they have the means to service that debt.

 

[cricketjoshila]

You pays $ 50 billion/year for which you get the oil of this money. Its not charity either. Why so arrogance?

There are other oil exporters as well. Saudis hiring Indians and Indians buying Saudi oil is a symbiotic relationship.

 

[Napa]

You pays $ 50 billion/year for which you get the oil of this money. Its not charity either. Why so arrogance?

I don't understand why you think moving to an alternative source of energy that is cheaper is arrogance?

Maybe you are saying that speaking ill of the Saudis is arrogance. Not only is the Saudi royal family dictators, but they also treat their own people badly. The royals who lost out in the power struggle are now held in captivity. The less said about the Shia minority in SA the better.

India needs oil, and Saudis need labor because they are lazy and do not want to do the work themselves.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Successive Indian governments have done well when it's come to renewables - $20b a year is now invested in that sector. Sure that figure could be higher but it's a good start. And if you include large hydro projects then the figure is even higher.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

There are other oil exporters as well. Saudis hiring Indians and Indians buying Saudi oil is a symbiotic relationship.

I am not sure it is the case bcz Saudis needs cheap labour and India is the biggest exporter of the cheap labours. It is nothing to do with your oil imports in fact this cheap labour is the biggest contributor of indian forex reserves.
Once again you ignored my point, bhai if Saudis are this evil and you want to teach them a life lesson then call back all the labours & do the 50 billion oil with other country & give the saudis a big financial setback.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Just curious what is the fastest speed train in India compare with foreign built with Indian built - how long is its tracks.

 

[Napa]

I am not sure it is the case bcz Saudis needs cheap labour and India is the biggest exporter of the cheap labours. <b>It is nothing to do with your oil imports in fact this cheap labour is the biggest contributor of indian forex reserves. </b>

You have many misconceptions about the world. India's software exports ($111 billion) are more than 3 times remittances from the Mideast ($35 billion).

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...-usd-111-billion-esc/articleshow/62651131.cms

https://www.fairobserver.com/region...iddle-east-gulf-india-labor-force-news-43199/

Once again you ignored my point, bhai if Saudis are this evil and you want to teach them a life lesson then call back all the labours & do the 50 billion oil with other country & give the saudis a big financial setback.

In the real world one has to do business with people they don't like all the time. Personally I would never work in a country ruled by a Mideast dictator, but most Indians do not have the luxury of the options that I have.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

You have many misconceptions about the world. India's software exports ($111 billion) are more than 3 times remittances from the Mideast ($35 billion).

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...-usd-111-billion-esc/articleshow/62651131.cms

https://www.fairobserver.com/region...iddle-east-gulf-india-labor-force-news-43199/



In the real world one has to do business with people they don't like all the time. Personally I would never work in a country ruled by a Mideast dictator, but most Indians do not have the luxury of the options that I have.

Actually this is what I want you to say. Almost 10 millions are working in arab countries. Back in india 60 -70 million peoples are living a better life. Good chunk of your country forex comes from there and then at the same time you want to teach those countries a lesson.
Tell me one thing if any hinduvta country exist in the arab region and following the same arabs practices then will you teach them lesson as well?

 

[Banter]

Ok let me elaborate it. You are saying that by shuffeling of energy sources india will harm the saudis financially so I am saying that if you have this ego then your countrymen shouldnt be there at first for cheap jobs.

With 1.3 billion people, its logical that you will find Indians all over the entire planet in search of the best compensated employment they can find. If you claim to know a bit about employment in the middle-east for sub-continental desis, you should also know how things stand regarding the pecking order in terms of national origin.

 

[Napa]

Actually this is what I want you to say. Almost 10 millions are working in arab countries. Back in india 60 -70 million peoples are living a better life. Good chunk of your country forex comes from there and then at the same time you want to teach those countries a lesson.
Tell me one thing if any hinduvta country exist in the arab region and following the same arabs practices then will you teach them lesson as well?

It is not about what religion they follow, it is about their behavior. Here is a clip of a Saudi employer beating a Bangladeshi Muslim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-2HbL6K6h4

Saudi employers take the expats passport when they arrive in the country. Essentially they are saying "you are our slaves now".

If Hindus were doing this, I would also oppose them. In Indian rural places there are many landlords who mistreat bonded labor, and if I could I would also like to "teach them a lesson".

Once India stops paying $70 billion a year (current consumption is 4 mbpd) then the Indian labor which goes to Saudi Arabia to build roads and buildings can instead come home and build those in India instead. India will be losing $35 billion in expat remittances, but gaining $70 billion in oil savings. This is something for Indians to celebrate and not "teaching SA a lesson".

 

[ahmedzee]

Very likely true, but you have to compare CO2 emissions in production of an electric car to the production of an internal combustion engine car. The question is, what is the difference?

One thing to note is that the lithium once mined will be available almost forever, as old lithium batteries will get recycled. So carbon emissions from mining lithium are a one-time cost, in comparison to using a internal combustion engine which is a recurring cost.



You are right again, if the electricity for powering an electric car is generated by burning oil then there is no reduction in carbon emissions. However if the electricity is generated by solar, then there is a reduction.

Technology is driving solar to dominance over oil. The following is a summary of a report by Lazard (2018).



Note that the report says "alternative energy costs have decreased to the point that they are now at or below the marginal cost of conventional generation". This means alternative energy costs are below costs of conventional generation even if you put a zero cost on the stranded assets (power plants). This is from 2018. Ten more years prices for solar (which is already less than oil) should be down by 50% more (Swanson's Law).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swanson's_law

Thing about Lithium is, it is not as effective recycled. One main indication is your battery charge goes weaker and weaker as you use it. It is just an energy storage medium, and not an energy medium. Besides, don't forget, only 2 countries in the world mine lithium, and it is a rare element. That's why i think electric car is not the future and will never replace an internal combustion engine.

To your question on if the emission is less in electric once it is produced, answer is a definite yes. However, don't forget, in some countries (like the US), electricity is produced through Coal power plants which is a notorious carbon emitter. atleast 40-60% electrical produced in the world is also Fuel gas, which has carbon emission, but definitely not as much. So all in all, Electric cars does have zero carbon emissions.

We have to go back to stone age to have minimal carbon emission. So if we say Electric cars will replace ICE cars is not true. Don't forget, the whole reason for rise in greenhouse gases are not these industries but the ~8B population. Also not to forget, almost everything in this world now is a byproduct of Crude oil (including the roads where electric cars drive one).

China has a solution for this though, and I think that could be a path forward. They have these CO2 to O2 generators in Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities that has drastically reduced smog and CO2 emissions in the city.

I work for an energy company and my project currently is exactly that, to find any other source and execute it, making sure economics makes sense as well. We couldn't find any proper source other than Oil & Gas at the moment.

For Electricity generation, there are a lot of options though.

 

[Napa]

Thing about Lithium is, it is not as effective recycled. One main indication is your battery charge goes weaker and weaker as you use it. It is just an energy storage medium, and not an energy medium. Besides, don't forget, only 2 countries in the world mine lithium, and it is a rare element. That's why i think electric car is not the future and will never replace an internal combustion engine.

To your question on if the emission is less in electric once it is produced, answer is a definite yes. However, don't forget, in some countries (like the US), electricity is produced through Coal power plants which is a notorious carbon emitter. atleast 40-60% electrical produced in the world is also Fuel gas, which has carbon emission, but definitely not as much. So all in all, Electric cars does have zero carbon emissions.

We have to go back to stone age to have minimal carbon emission. So if we say Electric cars will replace ICE cars is not true. Don't forget, the whole reason for rise in greenhouse gases are not these industries but the ~8B population. Also not to forget, almost everything in this world now is a byproduct of Crude oil (including the roads where electric cars drive one).

China has a solution for this though, and I think that could be a path forward. They have these CO2 to O2 generators in Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities that has drastically reduced smog and CO2 emissions in the city.

I work for an energy company and my project currently is exactly that, to find any other source and execute it, making sure economics makes sense as well. We couldn't find any proper source other than Oil & Gas at the moment.

For Electricity generation, there are a lot of options though.

I agree that the technology for replacing ICEs with electric motors is still not quite there, and as you say, you haven't found alternatives, but I believe alternatives are very close. Maybe it will take ten more years for a significant shift to occur.

GM sells $145 billions of cars every year, and Tesla sells only $12 billions. However their market capitalization are both the same at around $53 billion. The market is signaling that Tesla is going to grow much faster than GM.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GM/financials?p=GM
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/tsla/financials?p=tsla

I agree that increasing population is a major cause of rise of greenhouse gases.

I also agree that if electric cars are indirectly fueled by oil (by burning oil to produce electricity) then there is no carbon emission benefit. However, my point is that solar is now cheaper than oil per unit of energy, and will keep getting cheaper as the years go by. The combo of electricity produced by solar and electric cars will reduce carbon emissions.

As for lithium, as the number of electric cars rise, the demand for lithium will also rise. This will lead to a search for more lithium, or better recycling (the lithium atom remains unchanged in an old battery) or an alternative to lithium.

 

[ahmedzee]

I agree that the technology for replacing ICEs with electric motors is still not quite there, and as you say, you haven't found alternatives, but I believe alternatives are very close. Maybe it will take ten more years for a significant shift to occur.

GM sells $145 billions of cars every year, and Tesla sells only $12 billions. However their market capitalization are both the same at around $53 billion. The market is signaling that Tesla is going to grow much faster than GM.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GM/financials?p=GM
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/tsla/financials?p=tsla

I agree that increasing population is a major cause of rise of greenhouse gases.

I also agree that if electric cars are indirectly fueled by oil (by burning oil to produce electricity) then there is no carbon emission benefit. However, my point is that solar is now cheaper than oil per unit of energy, and will keep getting cheaper as the years go by. The combo of electricity produced by solar and electric cars will reduce carbon emissions.

As for lithium, as the number of electric cars rise, the demand for lithium will also rise. This will lead to a search for more lithium, or better recycling (the lithium atom remains unchanged in an old battery) or an alternative to lithium.

Take it with a pinch of salt when comparing GM with Tesla. Tesla is obviously more expensive and still there is no comparison in # of electric cars sold vs ICE.

In regards to alternative, Bio-fuel is one of that alternative that is economically viable. However, that comes at an expensive of human food production. So mankind (or womankind) need to decide whether to go with Bio-fuel or whether to fuel themselves in future. This is purely based on two factors, efficiency and economics. So if there is something that comes close to Oil & Gas, it is bio-fuel.

In regards to alternative when it comes to Electricity. Yes, solar is a great option, but the biggest drawback is inefficiency of the system. It can definitely work in morocco or the middleeast due to sunshine days, but in places like europe or NA (specially towards the north), where it snows and rains, and has less daylight hours, its usability goes less and less.

Also in regards to Tesla and other electric cars, this month in Canada, where we are going through cold weather, a typical tesla car (that in ideal condition can go for 200 km) was going for less than 80 km. That's the problem with such cars, usability and charging problems. That's why I kept suggesting that electric cars isn't the future. The world will realize that soon once people stop raving about electric cars, just like how people do that with iphone.

Btw, great discussion with you appreciate all the questions...

 

[Varun]

The Saudis are running from pillar to post trying to figure out what they will do when superpower India stops buying their oil ) ) )

To be fair, they will have a hard time finding an alternate buyer even if they will get one eventually. The 3.1 MBPD that India exports from KSA is no joke, and a lot more comes in to be refined and sent back to the Persian Gulf, among other places. For a country with scant oil reserves, there are so many refining companies and one of them - Reliance - owns the Jamnagar refinery which has a capacity bigger than all of KSA's refineries put together. These facilities are thirsty for (Saudi) oil.

Of course, nothing will happen. India and KSA will continue to enjoy the current relationship.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Indian minister posts double-speed footage of new fast train

India’s railways minister has been mocked for sharing a video of the country’s first locally built fast train – using footage that had been sped up to twice its normal speed.

Piyush Goyal posted the video of the Vande Bharat Express on his official Twitter and Facebook accounts on Sunday.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s a bird...It’s a plane...Watch India’s first semi-high speed train built under ‘Make in India’ initiative, Vande Bharat Express zooming past at lightening speed. <a href="https://t.co/KbbaojAdjO">pic.twitter.com/KbbaojAdjO</a></p>— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/1094496373410615296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But the video was doctored, according to an investigation by AltNews.in, an Indian website that has made a speciality of debunking false news stories and social media rumours.


<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/316395038" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/316395038">Comparison: Video posted by Piyush Goyal vs Original</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/altnewsvideos">Alt News</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
A member of a “train spotters” Facebook page wrote under Goyal’s post that the video appeared to be footage he had taken in December, with its speed doubled.

The Vande Bharat Express, India’s fastest train, will make its maiden voyage with passengers on Friday. It travels from Delhi to the holy city of Varanasi.

Before it was revealed to have been altered, Goyal’s post had been retweeted by prominent members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and was reported as a news by Republic, a generally pro-government news channel.

Goyal is regarded as one of prime minister Narendra Modi’s highest performing ministers and oversaw the first phase of the government’s ambitious plans to generate 227 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020.

But he has been less impressive at posting on social media. In August 2017, he shared a picture of a highway lit up by a row of LED streetlights, boasting of the government’s success in illuminating Indian roads. The picture was of a Russian street, it soon emerged.

“Thanks to many who pointed issues with earlier image,” he wrote at the time. “While we illuminate streets, social media helps illuminate facts, helping us improve.”

In June of the same year, he posted a picture of a coal mine alongside a message promoting the government’s scaling down of foreign coal imports. But the image was taken from an Amnesty International report condemning the government’s mining policy – research Goyal had criticised as “completely baseless”. He deleted the tweet.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-posts-double-speed-footage-of-new-fast-train

And it's broken down.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">India high speed train breaks down on first trip &#55357;&#56883;<a href="https://t.co/hOitimNmqj">https://t.co/hOitimNmqj</a></p>— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1096722475373731840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">16 February 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Asim_khan]

Allegedly from hitting a cow.

I'll be disappointed if the train isn't lynched. Dragged off the tracks via chains.

Great metaphor for India under Modi btw

 

[Napa]

Take it with a pinch of salt when comparing GM with Tesla. Tesla is obviously more expensive and still there is no comparison in # of electric cars sold vs ICE.

In regards to alternative, Bio-fuel is one of that alternative that is economically viable. However, that comes at an expensive of human food production. So mankind (or womankind) need to decide whether to go with Bio-fuel or whether to fuel themselves in future. This is purely based on two factors, efficiency and economics. So if there is something that comes close to Oil & Gas, it is bio-fuel.

In regards to alternative when it comes to Electricity. Yes, solar is a great option, but the biggest drawback is inefficiency of the system. It can definitely work in morocco or the middleeast due to sunshine days, but in places like europe or NA (specially towards the north), where it snows and rains, and has less daylight hours, its usability goes less and less.

Also in regards to Tesla and other electric cars, this month in Canada, where we are going through cold weather, a typical tesla car (that in ideal condition can go for 200 km) was going for less than 80 km. That's the problem with such cars, usability and charging problems. That's why I kept suggesting that electric cars isn't the future. The world will realize that soon once people stop raving about electric cars, just like how people do that with iphone.

Btw, great discussion with you appreciate all the questions...

I met a senior manager of AES Corporation (a Fortune 500 energy company) at a conference yesterday and his view was that solar is definitely a threat to oil as it is currently cheaper. As the price of solar is still falling, I think the situation will become a lot clearer in 5 to 10 years.

Great discussion, much appreciated.

 

[ahmedzee]

I met a senior manager of AES Corporation (a Fortune 500 energy company) at a conference yesterday and his view was that solar is definitely a threat to oil as it is currently cheaper. As the price of solar is still falling, I think the situation will become a lot clearer in 5 to 10 years.

Great discussion, much appreciated.

True, but again solar can’t replace oil. Solar is a replacement of coal And nuclear power plants, specially in areas with high sunlight, mostly close to equator or in a desert.

 

[JaDed]

Allegedly from hitting a cow.

I'll be disappointed if the train isn't lynched. Dragged off the tracks via chains.

Great metaphor for India under Modi btw

Lol )

 

[Adijazz1706]

Allegedly from hitting a cow.

I'll be disappointed if the train isn't lynched. Dragged off the tracks via chains.

Great metaphor for India under Modi btw

You couldn't make it up )

 

[Varun]

Allegedly from hitting a cow.

I'll be disappointed if the train isn't lynched. Dragged off the tracks via chains.

Great metaphor for India under Modi btw