Methanol Blending
Relevance:
Demo-run of inland water vessel (SB Gangadhar) powered by methanol blended diesel (MD15) in Guwahati, Assam was held in run-up to India Energy Week 2023 (IEW 2023).
About India Energy Week:
- IEW 2023, first major event under India’s G20 Presidency, follows PM’s pledge at COP26 to cut India’s emissions to net-zero by 2070.
- Patronage Ministry – Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
- It is the only and all-encompassing international energy event supported at the highest level of Indian government.
- Supported by – Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI)
Methanol (CH3OH):
- Other Name – Wood alcohol
- It is a low carbon hydrogen carrier fuel produced from high ash coal, agricultural residue, CO2 from thermal power plants and natural gas.
- It is slightly lower in energy content than petrol and diesel.
- Methanol as replacement in the following –
- Transport sector (road, rail and marine)
- Energy sector (comprising DG sets, boilers, process heating modules, tractors, and commercial vehicles)
- Retail cooking (replacing LPG [partially], kerosene and wood charcoal).
- It has properties similar to ethanol.
- It is used in various products, including plastics, paints, cosmetics etc.
Methanol economy for India:
- Blending of 15% methanol in gasoline can result in at least 15% reduction in import of gasoline/crude oil.
- Would bring down GHG emissions by 20% in terms of particulate matter, NOx, and SOx.
- Cost to convert vessels to run on methanol is significantly less than other alternative fuel conversions.
- Would create close to 5 million jobs.
- Government initiatives –
- NITI Aayog’s road map for Methanol Economy
- Bureau of Indian Standards has notified 20% DME (Di-methyl Ether, a derivative of methanol) in LPG
- In 2018, Assam Petrochemicals launched Asia’s 1st canister-based methanol cooking fuel programme
- BHEL, Thermax, and IIT Delhi to set up coal-to-methanol plants in the country
With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called ‘coalbed methane’ and ‘shale gas’ consider the following statements: (2014)
- Coalbed methane is the pure methane gas extracted from coal seams, while shale gas is a mixture of propane and butane only that can be extracted from fine-grained sedimentary rocks.
- In India, abundant coalbed methane sources exist, but so far no shale gas sources have been found.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Reference: PIB
Geothermal energy in India
Relevance:
ONGC plans to map the geothermal energy sources of India in search of clean energy as India has set an ambitious target of 500 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and net zero carbon emission by 2070.
Key Findings:
- As per preliminary investigations undertaken by Geological Survey of India, there are around 300 geothermal hot springs in India.
- Puga and Chumathang in eastern Ladakh are the most promising geothermal sites.
- Other sites include –
- Cambay in Gujarat
- Tattapani in Chattisgarh
- Khammam in Telangana
- Ratnagiri in Maharasthra
- Efforts are under way to utilize geothermal energy from oil and gas wells in Gandhar oil field of ONGC’s Ankleshwar asset in Gujarat.
- Total geothermal power potential is estimated to be 10 gigawatt (GW).
- Benefits – Carbon-free, renewable, provides a continuous, uninterrupted supply etc.
- Disadvantages – Location-specific energy source, associated with other emissions like sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, causes mini tremors in area of operation, high initial cost etc.
ONGC’s Energy Strategy 2040 Targets:
- To double oil and gas output from its domestic and overseas fields and expand its refining capacity three-fold alongside diversification into renewables.
- Three times revenue distributed across exploration and production, refining, marketing and other businesses
- Four times current profit-after-tax (PAT), with 10 per cent contribution from non-oil and gas business
- 5-6 times current market capitalization
Geothermal energy:
- It is an energy source that is stored in the form of heat beneath earth’s surface and is considered to be clean, renewable and carbon-free.
- Magma in inner layer of earth heats nearby rocks and underground aquifers, as a result hot water is released through geysers, hotsprings, steam vents, underwater hydrothermal vents, and mud pots.
- Hot water and steam can be piped up through underground wells and used to generate electricity in a power plant.
With reference to solar power production in India, consider the following statements: (2018)
- India is the third largest in the world in the manufacture of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units.
- The solar power tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Reference: Live mint
Taxing farmers’ income in India
Relevance:
Economic experts have opined that income tax must be paid if one’s income is above a threshold, irrespective of whether one is a farmer.
News Summary:
- Income tax is a direct tax that a government levies on income of its citizens.
- Section 10 (1) of Income Tax Act (1961) exempts agricultural income from tax.
- Agriculture is a state subject and State Governments can charge agricultural tax (Entry 46 in State List).
- Anomalies due to exemption –
- Laundering of non-agricultural income as agricultural income by individuals and corporate sector.
- Violation of Horizontal and Vertical Equity Principles in Taxation which ensures tax fairness.
- Lack of credibility about the way states issue farmer certificates.
- Committees recommended taxation of agricultural income –
- Report of the Taxation Enquiry Commission (1953–54)
- Raj Committee on Taxation of Agricultural Wealth and Income (1972)
- Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969–74)
- Report of Fifth Finance Commission (1969)
- Tax Reforms Committee (1991)
- Kelkar Task Force on Direct Taxes (2002)
- White Paper on Black Money (2012)
- Tax Administration Reform Commission (2014)
- Taxing of farmers can help in –
- Increasing number of taxpayers and share of direct taxes to total taxes.
- Reducing tax evasions with better record-keeping from farmers.
- Formalization of loans with a unified taxation across states.
- Challenges to taxation –
- Politically sensitive issue
- Extra burden on farmers (mostly small and marginal)
- Lack of clarity on land titles
- High crop output fluctuations etc.
Which one of the following is not a feature of “Value Added Tax”? (2011)
- It is a multi-point destination-based system of taxation.
- It is a tax levied on value addition at each stage of transaction in the production-distribution chain.
- It is a tax on the final consumption of goods or services and must ultimately be borne by the consumer.
- It is basically a subject of the Central Government and the State Governments are only a facilitator for its successful implementation.
Reference: New Indian Express
Skyglow
Relevance:
Recently, a new study has found that non-natural light had increased the brightness of Skyglow, by 9.2-10% every year between 2011 and 2022 with significant ecological, health and cultural implications.
Skyglow:
- It is an omnipresent sheet of light across the night sky in and around cities that can block all but the very brightest stars from view.
- The brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas because of streetlights, security floodlights and outdoor ornamental lights cause the Skyglow.
- This light floods directly into the eyes of Nocturnal animals (active at night) and also into the skies and misleads their path.
- ‘Skyglow’ is one of the components of light pollution.
- Global Scenario –
- Skyglow had brightened around 6.5% over Europe, 10.4% over North America, and 7.7% over the rest of the world which disagrees with satellite-based data (2% per year).
- The discrepancy is probably the result of the satellites being unable to ‘sense’ blue light emitted by LEDs and to study light that is emitted parallel to the ground.
- Indian Scenario –
- 19.5% of India’s population experiences a level of skyglow that would at least keep the Milky Way galaxy out of sight and at most render “dark adaptation for human eyes” impossible.
- India’s lit area increased by 1.07-1.09% and the average radiance of “stably lit areas” – e.g., excluding wildfires – increased by 1.05-1.07%.
- Impacts –
- Wastes Energy and Money
- Lit beaches deter sea turtles from coming ashore to nest.
- Skyglow keeps trees from sensing seasonal variations.
- Clownfish eggs don’t hatch when exposed to artificial light at night, killing the offspring.
- Artificial light at night can disrupt Circadian Rhythm (our biological clock — a sleep-wake pattern governed by the day-night cycle).
Reference: The Hindu
