Global warming is said to be caused by carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and is believed to be responsible for the severe changes in climate that the world has faced in recent years. The developed countries are the main contributors to carbon emissions. They might reduce emissions by more efficient use of electricity and using alternative non-polluting forms of energy. But they will not be very successful since that requires a change in life styles enabling less consumption of electricity and other forms of energy.
There is growing pressure on India and China to cut carbon emissions since both countries want economic growth, hence need more electricity and mainly burn coal to produce it. The government will not limit growth by limiting coal but for our peoples’ health must reduce carbon emissions.
We must reduce demand growth by efficient energy use, and use all other forms of non-polluting energy. Setting standards for all energy using equipment, monitoring them and imposing penalties for those who exceed the maximum levels can improve energy efficiencies.
Other countries have done this and so can we if we enforce it. Energy efficiency of lighting appliances can improve, inefficient appliances taxed heavily, new rules for buildings and factories to make them more energy efficient, set standards for energy using equipment, for example in our inefficient agricultural pump sets. We can improve the efficiencies of electricity generation and distribution by renovating and modernizing old and small plants , and investments in transmission and distribution.
We should go all out in using our hydroelectric potential. Nuclear power also does not cause climate change. Despite problems of disposal of the nuclear waste and the possibility that terrorists could get hold of enriched uranium and blackmail society, it must be exploited fully. Costs are high and new technology is essential.
Wind power electricity generation fluctuates because of varying wind speeds. It needs support from more base load power from coal, gas or nuclear. Base load power demand is power that is constantly needed. Solar panels and cells are still high cost and useful in remote areas or in household use. Geo-thermal energy is still under experimentation.
Biomass can help in small scale generation and is useful for local village level generation and distribution without using the grid. Cost reduction, and institutions to manage it commercially, must be developed. Agricultural products like ethanol could, adversely affect availability of sugar, food and other commercial crops. Further, all these sources produce more expensive power, and only in limited quantities. There is only one immediate supplement to coal that does not emit carbon, namely gas.
Only coal of which we have large reserves, and gas which is being found in increasing quantities in India, can meet the explosion in our energy demand, even if all other sources are exploited fully.
Indian coal has high ash content and high carbon emissions. The emissions can be reduced with technologies that get more electricity from the same quantity of coal. Available technologies or under development for reducing carbon emissions in generation are gasification of coal, pulverising coal before use, washing coal, sequestering carbon emissions in underground caves or under the oceans, and using more efficient combustion to get more electricity from the same coal. Pulverising coal before use is already in use in India, on which further cost reduction is possible. Coal washing at present adds to costs. Sequestering the carbon emissions is a new technology that is still being tried in some developed countries. It may not offer much benefit to us, but we need to develop expertise in it.
Advanced coal combustion technologies have little Indian research and development, even on cost reduction. We must invest in research and development especially because our coal is of a different quality from that in most of Europe and the US. The new ultra mega power projects are to use supercritical steam cycle technology but it is imported and not indigenously developed or produced. These technologies are high capital cost, leading to higher power tariffs. We must cooperate with Asian energy importing nations on getting better prices and common research programmes.
Gas is the best alternative to coal for electricity. Costs of any imported gas will be substantially higher than coal and result in non-affordable power tariffs. However, the substantial gas discoveries in recent years enable us to greatly increase the use of gas for generating power. But it must be priced at that Indian electricity consumers can afford.
An independent regulator who regulates electricity and gas tariffs will ensure this. Gas fields belong to the nation. Gas producers must get adequate margins to cover exploration and production costs, but not the windfall profits that arise because of the wildly rising international gas prices because of war and cartels. A gas utilization policy from government could deal with all these issues.
