Project assistance completion report : alternative energy resources development project (386-0474)

Indian subprojects (SPs) in the field of alternative energy development. The project was extremely successful, providing the Government of India (GOI) with technologies and increasing awareness of the country's energy problems and of possible solutions to them. It increased the research capacity of participating Indian institutions and facilitated the formation of excellent working relationships between U.S. and Indian institutions. The biomass production component provided TA, training, and equipment to two research centers -- the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Madurai Kamraj University/Bharathidasan University (MKU/BU). Two research SPs were completed: the Production of Woody Biomass on Substandard Soil at NBRI and Development Studies of Woody Biomass Species on Arid Marginal Lands at MKU/BU. In addition, a national workshop on nursery technology was held at Madurai. The coal and biomass conversion component completed 12 SPs aimed at improving the use of the low-quality coal which India has in abundance. These SP's resulted in the development of several energy technology testing facilities, including sophisticated facilities for evaluating the combustion and heat transfer in the freeboard region of a fluidized bed combustor, and for evaluating fuel performance in boilers; both are used extensively by Bharat Heavy Electricals, Ltd. (BHEL). The SP also developed an extensive data base on coal conversion and pollution control, which will be useful to the U.S. private sector in selecting technologies and products for the Indian power sector. One SP, the Advanced Diagnostic Studies for Prediction of Life Expectancy of Existing Power Plants, will promote the use of U.S. technology to extend the life of Indian power plants. Workshops and U.S. study tours facilitated technical exchanges between U.S. and Indian scientists. The energy efficiency component held four in-country workshops that were attended by over 400 Indian participants and established links between Indian and U.S. manufacturers. In addition, a U.S. tour for 20 senior Indian businesspeople promoted discussion of the potential for U.S./India trade in energy conservation technology, while another U.S. study tour for 11 Indian personnel led to the development of a widely circulated action plan to promote cogeneration in India. Cogeneration is expected to be a major concern of the Mission's EMCAT project (3860517), which supported the project component under discussion. The information exchange component established mechanisms for the ongoing exchange of information, and sponsored attendance at U.S. conferences and seminars for 100 participants as well as in-country workshops to disseminate the findings of a study of cogeneration in India. The component also supported 5 SPs, which resulted, inter alia, in the commercialization of polymer film collectors, which have the potential for significantly reducing installation costs; the introduction of Indian scientists to a new approach to solar technology; and development of a National Planning Model for Non-Conventional Energy. Perhaps most importantly, the component developed a Solar Photovoltaic Test Facility, which has the potential to play a major role in the success of photovoltaics in India. The following lessons were learned. (1) The Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center's (PETC) coal projects established strong linkages between the Indian and U.S. coal industries, which, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, should lead to commercial joint ventures in clean coal technologies; the latter represents a key area of follow-on activity, as does power plant life assessment. (2) The opportunity for U.S. joint ventures in the area of environmental monitoring is bright, though U.S. technology will first have to be adapted to Indian conditions. (3) For the first time in India, the power and coal mining sectors have been opened to the private sector; opportunities for U.S. companies in these sectors are growing constantly.