Energy Savings Bluster.

Efforts and Examples.

Agreed, the government isn't doing much. But it isn't also doing nothing at all. The present government has promoted use and generation of energy from renewable sources, especially wind-turbines. Look at Tulsi Tanti, one of the richest people in India, who's built his empire entirely on Windmill-generated energy.

Efforts are on. The reason we like to think that efforts like these won't work in India, is because they haven't in the past. And that demoralizes us. We think that if we install solar panels on traffic lights, as have been done on some major intersections in Delhi, they'll eventually fall out of maintenance, and then be neglected. This sort of thinking is because this neglect has happened in the past, and we've seen it.

However, this lack of attention has been primarily due to the prevailing techno-phobia carried over from the previous generation's mindset. Every previous generation, rather. People said color TVs ruined eyes more than BWs. Or that Microwaves cause you to develop cancer later in life.

Even now, we have the ongoing furore in the world over GM-food.

The coming change

But what we ignore, or are rather unaware of, is that the mindset of people is changing. People are now getting more technology-tolerant, as technology pervades every facet of our lives. That is why every other person in India, no matter hi/her station in life has a mobile phone, over the earlier hullaboo about 'waves' causing cancer and tumours.

Now is the time for us to stirke the iron, for it is now hot. Energy-saving measures like promotion of CFLs have to be propagated throughtout the land. This can be done only if the Government ordains that CFLs will be used to light up every single government building in India. It isn't that big a problem, not even the distribution. All that is lacking is the will.

Once CFLs start to become common-place in government offices, they will come into use in people's homes as well.

Doing away with OPEC-reliance

Another measure is promotion of CNG. This can be successfully promulgated only after sufficient infrastructure is put in place. CNG stations need to be as ubiquitous as Petrol Pumps. The reason we are apprehensive about committing to such a venture is that there will be a huge initial investment on the expenditure incurred in installing the stations, building pipelines to transport the LNG, and conversion kit subsidies.

However, if we look at the effects on the long term scenario, savings can be effected by not having to incur expenditure on recurring transportation charges as is currently incurred by transportation of petrol and other petroleum products by trucks and Rail.

There itself is a huge savings chunk. Next, maintenance os the pipeline, though a minor expense incurred regularly, will be much less than expenses incurred on maintenance of the trucks and railway containers that do current transportation of petrol etc.

Other ideas.

This is just one idea. Others include finally utilizing geothermal andsolar energy. We have lots of deserts. Installing solar furnaces to run thermal power stations, installing tens of sq. kms worth of photo-voltaic cells, etc can be immense sources of renewable energy.

Also, distribution of energy can be more efficient than it is today. We lose about half of the energy (electricity) that is produced to transportation loses. This is clubbed together with electricity theft and loss of quality. If we improve upon our infrastructure, that alone can increase our usable energy by atleast 25-30 %. This translates not only into efficient usage of something that is currently being used poorly, but also means that when we increase our energy genration capacity in the future, the positive effects will not be ameliorated by weak distribution networks.


There is immense scope for improvement in our energy sector. Whether or not privatization will help push us along that way is an open question. As far as I am concerned, it will help to some extent, as it has helped in other sectors. However a strong structure of regulations and procedures has to be laid down to ensure that the private sector doesn't stick only to icreasing profits, but helps attain the government's goals also while earning for itself. This co-existence is possible. It is only up to us to take it forward.