17 OCTOBER 2022 – MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS:
Q1. What is DART Mission? Also explain its purpose and significance.
· Paper & Topic: GS III à Science and Technology related issues
· Model Answer:
· DART Mission’s purpose is:
· In November 2021, NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary defence mission.
· It was launched on a Falcon rocket from the Californian Vandenberg Space Launch Complex.
· The focus of this investigation is the binary asteroid system, which consists of two asteroids orbiting the sun concurrently. The expedition’s specific goal is Dimorphos, a 160 m diameter asteroid that orbits the larger Didymos. They are located 11.2 million kilometres from Earth.
· Purpose:
· The “kinetic impactor technique,” commonly referred to as the “kick method,” tries to divert asteroids and alter their trajectory before they actually strike Earth.
· The two expedition goals and Earth are expected to be 6.4 million kilometres apart at their closest. The DART mission, however, was developed to assess how well the approach performed when used to analyse asteroids with similar compositions.
· The DART’s mass of 600 kg is exceedingly insignificant when compared to Dimorphos’ mass of 5 billion kg. In the event that the two objects collided, it was expected that DART’s 23,760 kph speed would be sufficient to reduce Dimorphos’ angular momentum.
· The smaller asteroid would then accelerate and veer off course to reach the larger one. These modifications would speed up Dimorphos’ orbit around Didymos. The asteroid system’s trajectory would alter.
· Significance:
· The Chicxulub impact crater is located in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
· When a 10-kilometer-diameter asteroid impacted with the Earth 66 million years ago, it formed.
· It also brought about tsunamis, sun-blocking clouds, and volcanic eruptions.
· By destroying 75% of all plant and animal life on Earth, it astounded experts. In this regard, dinosaurs are comparable to other creatures.
· Even though it’s uncommon, a large asteroid might nonetheless strike Earth. Even if the asteroid were only 100 metres broad, it might completely devastate a region the size of Chennai. By a similar impact, the entire human civilization might be obliterated.
Q2. What do you understand by the concept of ‘Centralized Electricity Market’? Discuss.
· Paper & Topic: GS IIà Government Policies and Interventions related issues
· Model Answer:
· About:
· The Market-based Economic Dispatch (MBED) scheme put forth by the Union Power Ministry advocates for the central dispatching of the 1,400 trillion units of power used yearly.
· This schedule applies to both intrastate and interstate dispatches.
· The Constitution states that the issue of power is still open. Depending on each state, State Load Dispatch Centers divide electrical networks into distinct control zones. These SLDCs are under the control of the regional and national load dispatch centres.
· Under the current architecture, each control area must manage its demands with generation resources in real time.
· Why is it employed in this way?
· The Union Electricity Ministry is in favour of this idea in order to support the “One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency, One Price” programme and broaden India’s power markets.
· The strategy might enable the distribution of the least expensive, most easily accessible electricity across the nation in order to meet all demand.
· In this case, there would be a “universal clearing price.” The clearing price, market clearing price, or equilibrium price is the price at which supply and demand are equal.
· The theory behind it is that the market clearing price would be established as a result of sellers and buyers submitting their market bids the day before. Energy users will thus save a lot of money.
· What exactly is causing the states concern?
· Over time, the role of the energy industry as a source of conflict between center-states has increased. Most of the current tensions can be attributed to the distribution sector, which is the weakest link in the electricity network.
· The central government has been creating a number of programmes to improve the operational and financial conditions of the state discoms. Despite repeated efforts, the financial status of the discoms is precarious, and increasing losses pose a threat to the economies of the provincial and federal governments.
· According to the RBI, maintaining the discoms in 18 states could end up costing those states’ GDP by 2.3%.
· How do we go about it?
· Caution is necessary since the suggested MBED approach dramatically alters participant infrastructure and activities throughout the entire system.
· Worldwide research is being done on this paradigm. For instance, the current gas crisis in Europe has revealed flaws in the market where marginal electricity costs are linked to the pricing of the lowest cost producers (usually a gas plant). One drawback is that when gas prices rise, nuclear power plants must make up for a 5X increase in input costs. Therefore, using the MBED model right away is not a good idea.
· Conclusion:
· The grave financial circumstances of the discoms and the entire electricity industry were addressed by the development of the MBED proposal.
