Skip to main content

Ignorance rules societal economic costs of conventional energy, large sized RE projects

Counterview Desk 

In a representation to the chairperson and viced-chairperson, Niti Aayog, Government of India, Shankar Sharma, well-known power and climate policy analyst, has wondered whether the latest warning by the UN – that the current emissions pledges will lead to catastrophic climate breakdown – will not fall on deaf ears of our leaders, in particular the political leaders and bureaucrats in India.
He notes how enormous societal level economic and ecological costs associated with the diversion of land and water, as also pollution/ contamination of air, water and soil because of conventional technology power sources, as also large size RE projects, and massive and recurring subsidies, “are being conveniently ignored.”

Text:

May I draw your kind attention to the latest alarm sounded by the UN, as in the two newslinks below, in the context of climate change?
Can the people of our country hope that this latest warning by the UN, as in the two news links below, will not fall on deaf ears of our leaders; in particular the political leaders and bureaucrats in India?
If one were to take an objective view of the draft National Electricity Plan (2022-27) by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), as a typical response of the global polluters for the IPCC call to take stringent actions against climate change, it should become obvious that the GHG emissions at the global level will only increase substantially by 2030 rather than decreasing.
Whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by about 45% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels, in order to give the world a chance of staying within 1.5C, India's CO2 emissions from the electric power sector by 2030 is projected to increase considerably as compared to what it was in 2022.
As a percentage compared to what it was at 2010 levels (the global estimates have simply stopped comparing the emissions to 1990 levels, as was being done many years ago), this figure by 2030 for India must be a substantial increase instead of a decrease. The same seems to be more or less the scenario with almost all countries.
The UN report says:
"The NDC synthesis report showed that current NDCs would lead to an increase in emissions of about 10.6% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. This is an improvement over last year’s assessment, which found countries were on a path to increase emissions by 13.7% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by about 45% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels, to give the world a chance of staying within 1.5C."
Despite such glaring suicidal policies from global governments, some people are still confused between "economic costs" and "financial costs" associated with the energy transition needed at the global scale.
For example, many energy experts and economists are saying that the cost of energy transition to RE based scenarios requires trillions of dollars worth investment, and that the distributed REsources such as rooftop SPV systems, are costly as compared to large size solar and wind power parks.
There is a critical need to deploy various REs suitable to our needs in adequate number and capacity
Such people are either ignorant of the societal level economic costs due to conventional technology power sources and the large size RE projects, or may be seen as conveniently hiding the same for their own vested commercial or political interests.
The enormous societal level economic and ecological costs associated with the diversion of land and water, pollution/ contamination of air, water and soil in the case of conventional technology power sources and large size RE projects, and massive and recurring subsidies, are being conveniently ignored in all the associated advocacies. Such people may even term the UN's Secretary's statement, that the continued fossil fuel reliance is 'stupid', itslef as stupid.
Such cynics would do a great service to the global society by recognising the scientific evidence that "the energy loss is the single biggest component of today’s fossil-based electricity system", and that "we don't need solar technology breakthroughs, we just need connections".
RE technologies are already matured to be of true relevance to our needs, and the levelised costs of solar and wind power are already established as cheaper than coal, gas and nuclear power. Also, the distributed type of REs, such as rooftop SPV systems, are the most attractive options to our communities, when we consider all the associated technical, financial, ecological, and social costs from a proper welfare perspective.
The societal/ global level costs of climate change alone are projected to be unimaginable. As compared to such societal level costs, REs, especially the distributed kind of REs, have less societal costs and many more advantages to true relevance to the sustainable lifestyle.
Hence, there is a critical and urgent need to deploy various REs suitable to our needs in adequate number and capacity based on the available technologies, instead of indefinitely waiting for the solar technology breakthroughs.
The true relevance of REs, especially the rooftop SPVs, as per our own experiences, as mentioned in the mail below, should be overwhelmingly obvious to our policy makers.

Comments

TRENDING

'Draconian' Kerala health law follows WHO diktat: Govt readies to take harsh measures

By Dr Maya Valecha*  The Governor of Kerala has signed the Kerala Public Health Bill, which essentially reverses the people’s campaign in healthcare services in Kerala for decentralisation. The campaign had led to relinquishing of state powers in 1996, resulting in improvement of health parameters in Kerala. Instead, now, enforcement of law through the exercise of power, fines, etc., and the implementation of protocol during the pandemic, are considered of prime importance.

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative  Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza*  An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000. 

Work with Rajasthan's camel herders: German scientist wins World Cookbook Award 2023

By Rosamma Thomas*  Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are the only awards for international food culture. This year, German scientist  Ilse Kohler Rollefson , founder of Camel Charisma, the first of India’s camel dairies, in Pali district of Rajasthan, won the award for her work with camel herders in Rajasthan, and for preparing for the UN International Year of Camelids, 2024. 

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco*  Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

'Pro-corporate agenda': Odisha crackdown on tribal slum dwellers fighting for land rights

By Our Representative  The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), even as condemning what it calls “brutal repression” on the Adivasi slum dwellers of Salia Sahi in Bhubaneshwar by the Odisha police, has said that the crackdown was against the tribals struggling for land rights in order to “stop the attempts at land-grab by the government.”

Deplorable, influential sections 'still believe' burning coal is essential indefinitely

By Shankar Sharma*  Some of the recent developments in the power sector, as some  recent news items show, should be of massive relevance/ interest to our policy makers in India. Assuming that our authorities are officially mandated/ committed to maintain a holistic approach to the overall welfare of all sections of our society, including the flora, fauna and general environment, these developments/ experiences from different parts of the globe should be clear pointers to the sustainable energy pathways for our people.

Hazrat Aisha’s age was 16, not 6: 'Weak' Hadith responsible for controversy

Sacred chamber where Prophet and Aisha used to live By Dr Mike Ghouse* Muslims must take the responsibility to end the age-old controversy about Hazrat Aisha’s age at the time of her marriage to the Prophet (pbuh) – it was 16, not 6 (minimum was 16, Max 23 per different calculations). The Hadiths published were in good faith, but no one ever checked their authenticity, and they kept passing on from scholar to scholar and book to book.  Thanks to 9/11, Muslims have started questioning and correcting the Hadiths, Seerah, and mistranslations of the Quran. Now, the Ulema have to issue an opinion, also known as Fatwa, to end it and remove those Hadith entries. Mustafa Akyol, a scholar of Islam, implores Muslims to stop deifying “the received traditions” and critically study their religious past, shedding rigid legalism and close-mindedness. Someone else used the phrase “copycat Muslims” to identify scholars who copied what was given to them and passed it on without researching or questioni