© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Ghoom, West Bengal, INDIA
While much of the press at COP15 were focused on the leaked draft, disarray climate talks that threatens international unity to fight global warming and speculations on India and China’s move, in tandem with ‘analysis’ (opinion pieces really) of both nations, the reality on the ground is quite different… or so it seems in Ghoom, West Bengal.
Per capita energy consumption levels in India are multiple times lower than even the world average (let alone Western Europe). Almost half of rural households and 10% of urban households still lack access of electricity. At this juncture, India is a country in energy transition and it need space to grow its energy consumption.
Set against this backdrop, one of India’s key goal is to increase supply of modern energy services to its population (some 40% +/- of homes lack electricity). Analysis conducted suggest that to give a small supply of electricity to every home in India, India will require only 10 GW of capacity – a figure that would drop further if India chooses to use distributed or renewable generation. Given that the ‘growth rate’ of electrification of hundreds of GW in India will be spread across the coming decades, the number becomes very small. This means its goal of universal electrification can be met with modest carbon impacts, which level can be mitigated through efficiency and other means such as the quoted ambitious national solar mission.
Mission aside, “green” energy is not yet cost-effective; not in the scale that India needs. The fact remains that at every income level, Indians derive a large fraction of their total energy needs from liquid and grid sources compared to other developing nations in the world. Continued dependence on inefficient solid fuels, which contributes to over 85% of rural household energy needs, remains very high.
Playing catch-up in a globally responsible manner is one thing. Re-thinking its energy development strategy is imperative. Key driver for transition will remain income, energy prices, energy access and local fuel availability… right to the grass root levels.
However, being a late comer is not all that bleak amidst talks for real commitments on carbon emission cutbacks – India can pick and chose technologies at a fair price.
.
.