Publications

Power generation from Thermal Power Plants (TPP) in India forms the backbone of the power system. In this study, the dispersion of particulate matter and sulphur dioxide from a TPP with a 275 m-high stack are studied under different atmospheric conditions up to a distance of 30 km from the stack. Based on the results, policy changes that need to be implemented are suggested.

The NIAS Transition plan for India’s power sector involving the progressive retirement of 36 GW of capacity in 211 obsolete Thermal Power Plants (TPP)s based on key performance parameters and shifting their load to upcoming modern TPPs and Nuclear Power Plants. Implementation of the NIAS Transition Plan will enable the National Grid to meet the peak demand up to March 2030 with lower Capex and tariffs while reducing coal consumption, water requirement, air pollution, and CO2 emissions.

This study is conducted in a biodiversity hotspot in southern India to examine the knowledge level of rural school children regarding the mammalian species in their region. The results of the study showed that school children were able to recognize regional mammalian species that are publicized by media sources, but had little knowledge about their conservation status or more significant information about them.

The authors propose a “Sustainable Coal Mining (SCM) Bill” to constitute a unified authority named “Coal Mines Environment Authority” to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of the environmental regulation of coal mines. Besides the draft SCM Bill, the authors also explain the enabling amendments required in the existing environment, forest, and mining Laws to enact the SCM Bill.

The research report focuses on the Spatio-temporal trends in air quality, vegetation, and water quality before, during, and after the closure of opencast coal mines in India. Besides, Aerosol Optical Depth and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index have also been extracted to study the long-term trends in Particulate Matter concentrations and vegetation cover, respectively. The report concludes with policy recommendations to improve the sustainability of the coal sector.

This paper discusses mental health ecologies in different registers: subjectivity being environmental, its scale being relational rather than binary, enmeshed in the dynamics of other-than-human life, and involving conversations between medical and vernacular practices rather than hierarchies of knowledge.

The dynamic performance of a hybrid power plant configuration comprising of a ground heat exchanger and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for power generation at the load end is studied. The simulation of dynamic characteristics demonstrates that the proposed geothermal-ORC hybrid system is capable of producing a steady power output of approximately 86.3 kWt. The exergy efficiency of U-shaped BHE without insulation is found to be the maximum.

This report describes the research conducted by NIAS to develop an optimal transition plan for India’s power sector and concludes with policy recommendations for an orderly transition to a more environment-friendly generation mix for South India by 2030.