rank-math
domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init
action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home2/chandhoc/renewable-india.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Short of the Andaman Islands, Ladakh is one of the remotest territories in India. It resides deep inside the Himalayan range. And is essentially surrounded by Pakistan, Tibet, and China.<\/p>\n
This, combined with the harsh weather conditions makes it quite hard to sustain life. Still, there are thousands of people that live in this region. And they have their own heating and electricity needs that need to be properly addressed.<\/p>\n
This is easier said than done, because at this altitude and remoteness. It is hard to sustain large-scale energy production. Or build reliable infrastructure for energy distribution.<\/p>\n
Not to mention the environmental damage fossil fuel burning would do to this region. Unfortunately, that is still the primary source of power in this region. With natives having to burn millions of liters of diesel each year for basic survival.<\/p>\n
It’s not like Ladakh doesn’t have other options for energy production. It gets at least 300 sunny days in a year and is conducive for solar power generation. There are also rivers that flow through this region. That could be potentially tapped for hydro-power.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, once again it is easier said than done. Mostly due to the hurdles presented by the harsh weather and general topography.<\/p>\n
For example, it would be easy to set up a solar power plant in this region. Due to the vast expanses of unused land available. But solar power can’t sustain people during the night. The time when they need it the most.<\/p>\n
Moreover, energy storage is not a cheap option to consider in this region. Not only because of the high price of battery storage. But also, the fact that any storage capacity being set up. Will require additional infrastructure to help it run in optimal condition.<\/p>\n
That is not something that can be easily built or sustained. Additionally, the transmission and distribution losses will make it further unreliable. Thus, solar energy is not a complete solution for the residents.<\/p>\n
The same can be justifiably said for hydropower as well. Since the rivers in Ladakh stay frozen for up to 8 months out of the year. Even when the rivers aren’t frozen. The volume of water discharged is not enough to sustain hydropower.<\/p>\n
Even if all these factors are somehow accounted for. There are still unexpected natural disasters that can create issues with such systems. Such as floods and landslides, which are often known to lead to water blockages in this region.<\/p>\n
There is one source of renewable energy that could be easily used for energy production. And if you were paying attention to the heading of the article, the answer is pretty obvious.<\/p>\n
We are, of course, talking about geothermal energy. Ladakh has great potential for geothermal energy production. As it lies at the confluence of two continental plates. The very plates that gave the rise to the mighty Himalayas.<\/p>\n
Thus, there are regions in this place that have easy access to geothermal spots. Two such promising locations are the Puga Valley and the Parvati Valley.<\/p>\n
These valleys neighbor each other in the south-eastern part of Ladakh. They reside at an altitude of about 4400m and form a part of the Himalayan geothermal belt.<\/p>\n
This means that they have an abundance of geothermal hotspots. Including but not limited to hot springs, mud pools, and sulfur and borax deposits.<\/p>\n
In fact, Puga Valley alone has more than one hundred hot springs. Whose temperatures vary from 35 to 84 \u00b0C, with the latter being the boiling point of water at these altitudes.<\/p>\n
These hot springs have a discharge of up to 5 L\/s. That is enough potential geothermal energy to sustain a 20MW power plant. Even at the current shallow depth of drilling.<\/p>\n
This alone could match about 40% of the electricity needs of the valley. That is the equivalent of up to 3 million liters of diesel burned every year. This easily translates to yearly savings of approximately $2 million.<\/p>\n
This was even proven by a study conducted by the government in this region. Which was then published as a paper in the Geothermal Energy journal in 2017.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this potential has been largely left untapped. Sure, there have been experiments to see how exactly these systems will work. But not a lot else has been actually done to turn it into a reality.<\/p>\n