India today is facing a unique problem in regards to its energy production and distribution. It is trapped between statuses as a developed and developing country, with limited infrastructure but a huge energy demand. While the grid is extensive, it lacks reliability or stability to further expand production of India’s dire demand for energy. As an expanding economy and population take greater precedence on the world stage, India needs to develop its energy policies that will bring power to all of its people, and do so in a way which may be sustained in the long run. India should focus its development on establishing multipurpose power plants and transfer stations that allow the country to develop green-energies instead of stagnating in a fixed infrastructure that would require extensive retrofitting to make compatible with the energy trends of the future.
In America, we have such a well-developed energy infrastructure that it makes transition extremely difficult. The cost of converting all of our home to run of electricity or geothermal energy would be so extensive that it could bankrupt our entire country. India is not facing this problem, because the grid the country runs on now already requires replacing and updating. India is a blank slate; if they choose to follow the American model, they may find themselves without power in a hundred years when fossil fuels are no longer viable. Instead, India should utilize its natural potential for wind, hydroelectric, and solar power (1). Currently, India gets 22% of its electricity from hydro-power, twice as much as the United States (1). Also, due to geography and land utilization, India has the potential to generate 20% of its electricity by wind-power (2). If India could combine these large scale projects with government subsidizes domestic solar panels (to be placed on roofs, etc) they could be producing more than half on their energy needs with renewable energy. By becoming more energy independent (India currently imports 2/3 of its petroleum, (2)), India could harness its current economic growth and propel itself to the top of the global economy.
While it has the resources and potential to become a great leader in green technology, India faces many domestic challenges to developing its energy potential. The challenges of establishing these energy systems lie in India’s current energy grid. It is essentially a patchwork of wires and power plants across India from which so many people steal that it cannot be properly paid for to implement new systems or make large changes. Also, the grid is very unstable, especially during times of peak use (2). Green energies largely produce clean electricity, but this needs a large system to hold the energy in batteries or utilize it immediately. If the grid were to go down, then all the electricity produced during that time period would be lost. India needs to better record and regulate its energy distribution, as well as hold users accountable for their use. With an increase in revenue, power companies would be better able to maintain their grids and make improvements. With a more efficient system, this would bring energy prices down in the long term.
Investing in energies which produce less of an environmental impact will be essential to solving some of India’s most pressing social problems (1). Currently, land degradation and pollution (from coal mines, etc.) are pushing huge populations into city slums. The health and social impacts that arise from these communities puts huge stress on the entire urban area, as well as providing and insufficient quality of life for the urban poor. By better preserving the air, land, and water quality of the rural areas (destroyed by unsustainable energy production) India could alleviate many of the socio-economic pressures which are increasing impacting health and well being in rural and urban areas.
All fossil fuels are reaching (or have reached) their peaks in production. Non-renewables are no longer an option for long term planning, and a country like India which expanding rapidly, both economically and demographically, cannot afford to bank its future on the old systems of the 20th century. The country has the geographic potential to become a leader in sustainable energy production; now it needs to commit to the project. Doing so would alleviate energy pressures, decrease the severity of urban slums, and ensure an independent India.
References
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1) Arora, D. (2010). Indian Renewable Energy Status Report Background Report for DIREC 2010. Indian Renewable Energy Status Report, _. Retrieved October 4, 2011, from http://courses.furman.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=107596
2) South Asia. (2007). Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status in India. ICLEI South Asia, _. Retrieved October 4, 2011, from http://www.mnes.nic/
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