The Central Pollution Control Board, CPCB has come out with new regulations for stack heights of diesel generator sets in response to mounting environmental concerns and demands for more sustainable environments. These moves are targeted at resolving the damaging environmental impacts of diesel generators mainly within urban and industrial environments. 

This report details what the new guidelines say, their implications, and what these new rules mean for different stakeholders.

Revised Stack Height Requirements

The CPCB has introduced a revised formula for determining the minimum stack height for diesel generators. The formula is designed to ensure that emissions are effectively dispersed and do not contribute excessively to local air pollution. The new formula is:

H=h+0.2×KVA

Where: 

H = Total height of the stack in meters

h = Height of the building where the generator is installed

KVA = Total generator capacity in KVA

Under this formula, the minimum stack height requirements for various generator capacities are categorized as follows:

50 KVA: Height of the building + 1.5 meters

50-100 KVA: Height of the building + 2.0 meters

100-150 KVA: Height of the building + 2.5 meters

150-200 KVA: Height of the building + 3.0 meters

200-250 KVA: Height of the building + 3.5 meters

250-300 KVA: Height of the building + 3.5 meters

These adjustments are expected to significantly reduce the concentration of pollutants in the air by ensuring that emissions are dispersed more effectively.

Relaxation for Non-Metropolitan Areas

Considering the difficulties faced by industries situated outside cities, CPCB has also introduced a relaxation clause. In semi-urban areas where the particular industrial unit primarily uses diesel generators as standby power, the stack height requirement may not increase beyond two and a half times the height of the building.

This relaxation takes into account the fact that power shortages in remote areas often oblige the use of diesel generators and that these units are not in continuous operation. However, this reduced height is allowed only if the State Pollution Control Board finds the plant sufficiently far from urban, residential, or commercial zones.

Comparison with Coal-Fired Boilers

The new standards of the CPCB disclose a horrific mismatch in terms of stack height requirement between diesel generators and coal-fired boilers. In that regard, coal-fired boilers must satisfy more rigorous stack height requirements than the emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. That disparity mirrors the requirement of differentiated regulations based on the type of energy production and their respective environmental effects.

Implications for Stakeholders

Industries and Enterprises

• Compliance Cost: Diesel generator users would need to invest in taller stacks to abide by the new regulations. These could also be cost-intensive, possibly in installation costs as well as in the cost of their future maintenance.
• Adjustment at the Operational Level: In some cases, the existing infrastructure of the enterprises might have to be looked over and upgradation in place to meet the height standards.

Environment Impact

• Improvement in Air Quality: The new standards are expected to contribute to an improvement in local air quality, especially in congested urban areas, as emissions are diluted more effectively.
• Reduction in Pollution: Greater stack heights will reduce the concentration of pollutants at ground level, thus limiting the risks to health and well-being posed by air pollution.

Regulatory Control

• State Pollution Control Boards: These boards will be the key to implementing and monitoring the new policy. They will have to identify which units in the non-metropolitan areas meet the reduced stack height criteria.
• Monitoring of compliance: Inspection and monitoring will be necessary to note that the industries comply with the new standards.

Next Steps and Recommendations

Industries and businesses should examine how the new regulations might impact them specifically regarding their current state of compliance. Diesel generators would consult environmental scientists to determine what stack height upgrade would be required for their operation. 

Furthermore, the stakeholders should be informed about any follow-up updates and clarifications made by the CPCB and the State Pollution Control Boards.