Basics of Power Sector and Energy Sources
This domain tests whether you can describe how electricity travels from fuel to end user, and whether you can compute the planning ratios (load factor, diversity factor, per-capita consumption) that underpin tariffs, generation scheduling and capacity planning.
Who does what in the Indian power sector
The Electricity Act 2003 unbundled generation, transmission, distribution and trading. Generation sits with central PSUs (NTPC, NHPC, NPCIL), state gencos such as HPGCL in Haryana, and private IPPs. Transmission is with the state transmission utility (HVPN in Haryana) and the national grid operated by Grid Controller of India. Distribution is with discoms - Haryana has two, UHBVN and DHBVN - regulated by HERC, which approves tariffs and performance standards.
Classifying energy sources
- Primary (coal, crude oil, sunlight, wind) versus secondary (electricity, petrol, hydrogen).
- Commercial (coal, electricity, diesel) versus non-commercial (firewood, dung, crop residue).
- Conventional (coal, gas, large hydro, nuclear) versus non-conventional/renewable (solar, wind, biomass, small hydro).
India's installed capacity has crossed 450 GW, with non-fossil sources now close to half. Haryana is a power-deficit state that imports heavily despite its own thermal stations at Panipat, Yamunanagar and Hisar.
Worked example: load factor
A town has a maximum demand of 100 MW and consumes 500 million kWh in a year. Average load = 500,000,000 kWh ÷ 8760 h = 57,077 kW. Load factor = average load ÷ maximum demand = 57,077 ÷ 100,000 = 0.571, i.e. 57.1%. A high load factor means the same capacity earns more revenue, which is why utilities push off-peak and night tariffs.
Traps that cost marks
Writing MW when the question asks for energy in kWh; using 8760 hours for a month; forgetting diversity factor is always ≥ 1 while load factor is ≤ 1; confusing HERC (regulator) with HVPN (transmitter) or with HPGCL (generator).