Amidst all discussions surrounding India and its
economic reforms (those undertaken as well as the once in the pipeline), a thought
that one must dwell upon is – at what cost. One cannot deny the fact that the
true development of a nation can occur only when its core sectors like mining,
power generation, petroleum and infrastructure are developed. This development
lays down the foundation for subsequent development of industries in
manufacturing and services. It is impossible to have a sustainable development
model unless the core sectors are well formulated.
With the increase in consumerism, there has been a
drastic increase in the consumption of electricity. Ever changing lifestyle of
consumers, retail boom and the continuous expansion of the real estate sector
have been the major reason towards the inflated use of electricity. But have we
done enough on the power generation front to take care of this increasing want
of electricity? And the challenge does not lie in generating enough electricity,
but doing so in a cleaner and more environment friendly manner. Global warming
today has graduated from a bandwagon to an issue of serious concern that needs
to be addressed immediately. In India, power generation is one of the major
reasons that contribute to global warming. The fact that most of the power
generation in the country happens through thermal power plants that use coal to
produce electricity, might soon make India the second largest emitter of Greenhouse
Gases (GHG) globally. It’s surely something that we are not looking forward to.
Within the energy sector itself, electricity accounts for 65.4% of the entire greenhouse
gases.
It needs to be understood by individuals that one
can still lead a comfortable live by using just a third of the electricity
consumed today. Much of it is driven by consumers wanting things that they really
don’t need. But such a major issue cannot be address just by addressing individuals
alone. As high as 35% of the electricity generated is lost in transmission and
distribution. One can’t remain impervious to the fact that a lot of damage is
also caused by power theft in our nation. Owing to these issues, the
contribution to global warming cannot be reduced. They have to be dealt with
first.
It’s obvious that one of the solutions lies in generating
power via eco-friendly alternatives. Encouraging projects pertaining to
renewable sources of energy. India was on a positive note in the solar market,
but this massive blackout that crippled
the whole of North and East of India in July 2012, eclipsed this significant
victory of Indian solar market. With energy efficiency measures, the Indian
government can look forward to expand the renewable energy sources, especially
solar and wind power. According to NRDC report, ‘Laying the Foundation for
Bright Future,’ the National Solar Mission has moved ahead with much
proficiency, but with hurdles on its way. Measures like incentivizing off-grid
solar projects in rural areas and supporting cheaper financing from banks can
prove beneficial. Promotion of new and advanced renewable technologies can
bring down the level of dependency on coal plants thus curtailing the infamous
contribution to global warming.
The blackout could act as a catalyst prompting the
government and the corporate giants to invest in renewable sources of energy to
drive the future energy efficiency measures and integration of renewable
energy.
