According to the Ministry of Power, Government of India, which is the largest energy source of India? (as of March 2023)

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CHSL Exam 2023 Tier-I Official Paper (Held On: 14 Aug, 2023 Shift 2)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Coal.
Key Points

According to the Ministry of Power, Government of India, the largest energy source of India as of March 2023 is coal.
Coal has been a primary source of energy for India for many decades, and it still accounts for a significant share of the country's energy mix.
Jharkhand is the state that produces the most coal in India, followed by Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
There are over 83.15 billion tonnes of coal reserves in this state.
As per the Ministry of Power, the share of coal in India's power generation capacity was around 70% in 2020.
India has abundant coal reserves, which makes it a reliable and cost-effective energy source for the country.
However, the use of coal has also led to environmental concerns such as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Additional Information

Hydropower:
- India has a large potential for hydroelectric power generation, but the actual utilization of this resource has been limited due to various factors such as high upfront costs, environmental and social impacts, and technical challenges.
- Gujarat is the Indian state that produces the most hydroelectricity as of 2022.
- Gujarat has the largest power-generating capacity (43.6 GW), followed by Maharashtra (42.3 GW) and Tamil Nadu (36.3 GW) according to data as of July 31, 2022.
Tidal energy:
- Tidal energy is a relatively new and underutilized source of renewable energy in India.
- The largest tidal range in Gujarat's Gulf of Kutch is 8 meters, while the average is 5.23 meters.
Solar energy:
- Solar power has been growing rapidly in India in recent years, thanks to supportive government policies and declining costs of solar panels.
- Of all the states in the nation, Rajasthan has the most potential for producing solar power.
- About 17.8 GW of solar energy were produced by Rajasthan's operational solar power facilities as of August 2023.