Moving away from 'Black Diamond'

(Amid all the din that we are surrounded with now a days, this recent development is a harbinger of some very good news for our country and the planet. Also it rings some personal bells too.  CAUTION - long read)


Among the most important challenges facing us today as a species, global warming and ensuing climate change with it's potential to affect lives of each and every living species is up there in the first tier.

Energy is the basis of modern civilisation and our reliance on non renewable sources for procuring it is the chief contributor to global rising temperatures. Coal has been an integral part of this two hundred year long story since the advent of Industrial age.

Add to that the needs of developing countries who are in nascent stages of providing for their citizens with substantial reserves of their own and on course of following the same path towards supposed prosperity and we witness that even after a globally coordinated effort in the form of Paris climate accord humans are set to overshoot the temperature target of 2C.

If the world has to come anywhere near that goal the mantle for change will have to be taken up by the major polluters in US, China, EU and India.

India has showed remarkable sincerity in this arena since the ratification of the climate deal in October 2016. Here is a snapshot.

In the last ONE month alone India has cancelled 14 GW of coal powered plants in U.P. (3.8 GW), Gujarat (4 GW & 2 GW), Odisha (2.3 GW, 2.4 GW & 2 GW) along with the possibility of curtailment of production at other currently running plants due to unviability concerns with as much as 94 percent of the plants projected to be sitting idle by 2022.

And what has been driving factor to make these unviable ? It is the collapsing cost of Solar electricity.



It has been some free fall too. In January 2016 the auction price for Bhalda Solar Park-II in Rajasthan was Rs. 4.34/kWh, which itself was 25% less than the previous record. This year the prices that have been quoted are Rs. 2.97kWh, then Rs. 2.62/kWh and the current record holder at Rs. 2.44/kWh, an amazing 44 percent less than that of the previous year.

Add to that the global inflow of investments in the renewable energy sector from across the world and our own energy companies such as NTPC as well as private players transitioning rapidly and we see the foundation upon which the pleasantly ambitious 10 year draft National Electricity Plan is based on.


It plans to install 275 GW from renewables as well as 97 GW from zero emission sources (such as hydro and nuclear) out of total 650 GW thus achieving a target of whopping 57 percent by 2027 against our INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution) target of 40 percent by 2030. By some estimates we are already three and a half years AHEAD of schedule. If achieved this will be a major achievement by our country that we can all be proud of.

To be sure there is much left to be done with almost 24 crore people still without electricity and the strengthening and modernisation of the national grid is required to carry electricity from different sources but at least we are on the right path.

Additionally these developments bode well for the needs of resource rich energy hungry Africa in transitioning towards cheaper as well as clean source of energy where the potential for solar energy is as good if not better. These actions seem all the more important in the context of the hare brained policies coming out of Trump's White House with respect to climate change.

India along with China can truly turn out to be a 'Vishwaguru' (World teacher) in tackling global warming.

Would love to have reader's comments and thoughts :-)

P.S. - Having lived in the coal belt region of our country for most of my life and bearing witness to the effect it had on the health of my own grandmother and many others sharing this news with you my friends gives me immense pleasure :-)

Images courtesy :
1. Cochin Airport : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/shifting-gears/1548781d1472549154-cochin-airport-worlds-first-100-solar-powered-airport-3.jpg

2. Indian's electricity capacity : http://ieefa.org/ieefa-report-state-owned-utility-ntpc-takes-lead-role-indias-electricity-transition/

For those who would like to read further :

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