The World’s Most Populous Nation Has Put Solar Power to Good Use. Should Other Countries Follow – Watts Up With That?
By Vijay Jayaraj
In a debate with former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden declared:“The only existential threat to humanity is climate change.” What if I said that it is not climate change but climate policies that are the real existential threat to billions of people on our planet?
The allure of an ideal green world masks the harsh realities of providing affordable and reliable electricity. Americans could soon wake up to a dark future if the proposal Net Zero Emissions And Build back better Initiatives — all aimed at preventing the proliferation of unreliable renewable energy sources and limiting the use of reliable fossil fuels — are being rolled out.
Nowhere is this better reflected than in remote parts of India, where solar panels – supposed to provide clean, green energy – are finally being used to building livestock barns.
The The Transformation of Dharnai in the state of Bihar into a “solar village” marked by enthusiasm and high expectations. Villagers were told that solar microgrids would provide reliable electricity for agriculture, social activities, and daily life. The promise created a naive faith in a technology that has failed many times around the world.
This news Greenpeace Initiative quickly went viral as international media reported it as a success story of “renewable” energy in a third world country. CNN International’s “Connecting the World” speak Dharnai’s microgrid provides uninterruptible power supplyTo the uninformed viewer sitting in rural Kentucky, solar power appears to be making great strides as a reliable source of energy.
But the Dharnai system will be among a long list of major projects. solar power failure.
“As soon as we got the solar connection, we also received warnings not to use high-power electrical appliances like TVs, refrigerators, motors and other devices,” a villager said. “These conditions do not exist if you use thermal energy. So what is the use of such energy? The price of solar electricity is also higher than that of thermal electricity.”
ONE the village vendor said: “But after three years, the battery died and it was never repaired. … No one uses solar here anymore.” Hopefully, the solar panels will last longer as a cow shelter.
Finally, the village has been connected into the main grid, providing completely reliable coal-fired electricity at a third of the price of solar.
Dharnai is not an isolated case. Several other large-scale solar projects in rural India have faced a similar fate. Writing for Mongabay, Mainsh Kumar said: “Once (grid) electricity reaches villages that are not yet electrified, the infrastructure and capital invested in setting up such off-grid plants may be in vain.”
While green nonprofits and the liberal mainstream media are shamed by a much-hyped solar project being converted into a cattle shed, conventional energy sources like coal continue to power India’s more than 1.3 billion people and the industries their economy depends on.
India has seen record electricity demand this year, driven in part by increased use of air conditioners and other electrical appliances as more people gain the financial means to buy them. Coal often becomes a lifeline during power shortages. India allows coal-fired power plants to build up coal reserves and import more fuel without restrictions.
India will add more than 15 gigawatts in the year ending March 2025 (most in nine years) and aims to increase total coal-fired power capacity to 90 gigawatts by 2032.
The reality is that energy is inevitable in a growing economy like India, and only sources like coal, oil and natural gas can meet the demand. Fossil fuels can be relied upon to provide the energy needed for modern life, whereas “green” sources cannot.
India’s stance is to put economic growth ahead of any climate agenda to reduce fossil fuel use, a stance reaffirmed when it refused to set an earlier target for its net zero emissions commitment, delaying it to 2070.
The story of Dharnai is a cautionary tale for the deployment of renewable energy projects in rural India, where pragmatism is the official choice over rhetoric.
This commentary was first published at Daily Caller on July 10, 2024.
Vijay Jayaraj is a research associate at CO2 AllianceArlington, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, UK and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, UK.
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