SUSTA IN ABIL I TY

Coal Trumps Solar in India

Activists hope for a renewable energy future but dirty coal remains cheapest
By Gayathri Vaidyanathan, ClimateWire on October 19, 2015

A failed solar experiment in the village of Dharnai has underscored the challenges of going solar in India.
Photo by Gayathri Vaidyanathan.

DHARNAI,IndiaOneyearago,environmentalistshailedthistinyvillageasthefutureof
cleanenergyinruralIndia.Today,itispoweredbycoal.

Dharnai,acommunityofabout3,200peopleineasternIndiasBiharstate,hadbeen

withoutelectricityforthreedecades.SowhenactivistswithGreenpeacesetupasolar
poweredmicrogridinJulyof2014,theexcitementwaspalpable.But,residentssaid,the
problemsstartedalmostimmediately.

WhentheformerchiefministerofBiharstatevisitedtoinauguratethegrid,villagerslined
uptoprotest,chanting,Wewantrealelectricity,notfakeelectricity!

Byreal,theymeantpowerfromthecentralgrid,generatedmostlyusingcoal.Byfake,
theymeantsolar.

AnalystssaythestoryofDharnaiillustrateshowdifficultitcanbetoprovidereliable,
highqualityelectricitytotheworldspoorwithoutusingthecentralgrid.Thechallengeis
comingintofocusasPrimeMinisterNarendraModimovesforwardonanambitious
pledgetogenerate175gigawattsfromutilityscalesolarandwindenergyby2022and
increasecoalpoweredgeneration.Muchofthatpowerwouldgointothecentralgrid,
ratherthanbeingdisseminatedthroughsmall,decentralizedenergysystems.

VijayKumarDas,alineengineerwithDharnaiselectricitycommittee,comparedthe
villagessolarmicrogridexperimenttopollutedgroundwater.

Ifyoudontfindbottledwatertodrink,youhavetosettleforwaterfromthehandpump,
hesaid.Similarly,whenwedidnothaverealelectricity,wehadtomakedowithsolar
power.

Tryingtoproveasolarpoint
DharnaiisintheheartlandofaguerillacommunistmovementcalledNaxalism.Perhaps
becauseofthispoliticalalliance,thecommunityneverregainedtheelectricalsupplyitlost
in1981.Overtheyears,thecommunityadapted.

Therichsetuprooftopsolarpanelsthatsuppliedasinglelightbulborceilingfan.Poorer
peopleusedkerosenelamps.In2010,thevillagerspooled45,000rupees($680)and
askedthelocalelectricityboardforaconnection,buttheynevergotit.

AchanceencounterlastyearbetweenthevillagechiefandaGreenpeaceactivistonatrain

broughtthegrouptoDharnai.Greenpeacewantedtosetupasolarvillagetoshowthe
governmentthatitispossibletopowerruralcommunitieswithrenewableenergy.

TheprojectwasimportanttoGreenpeacesambition.ThegroupwantsIndiatostopall
newcoalminingandcoalfiredpowerplantsbecausetheresultingcarbonemissions
wouldcontributetoclimatechange.Thehitchisthatabout400millionIndians,mostlyin
ruralBiharandUttarPradesh,remainwithoutpower.Thisismainlybecausepowerlines
havenotreachedeveryvillageandhome.

Greenpeace,likemanyenvironmentalgroups,arguesthatthesepeoplecouldbesupplied
throughdecentralizedsolarandotherrenewableenergies.Theyenvisionafuturewhere
1.3billionpeoplegloballycouldskipfossilfuelfiredpowerplantsandenteraprosperous,
lowemissionsworld.

Thefallacyinthisposition,othersargue,isthatsolarmicrogridsdonotaddressclimate
change.Themicrogridsdonotdisplacecoalusebecausethetargetvillageswerenever
hookedtothecentralgridinthefirstplace.Infact,inpartsofIndia,microgridshave
becomeastopgapsolutionfortheenergypoorwhiletheywaitforthecentralgrid.

Idagree100percentthisisprimarilyadevelopmentsolution,notaclimatesolution,
saidJustinGuay,climateprogramofficerattheDavidandLucilePackardFoundationwho
waspreviouslywiththeSierraClub.

Whenalightbulbisntenough
TheIndiangovernmentplanstoexpandthecentralgridandhaspromisedthatevery
citizenwillhavereliableelectricityby2022.ByJune,theenergyministryestimatedithad
alreadybroughtabout60percentofIndias714,204unwiredvillagesonline.

Tomeettheneedsof1.2billioncitizens,thegovernmentplanstodoublecoalextractionto
1.5billionmetrictonsbytheendofthedecadeandquadrupleitsrenewableenergy
capacity.Atthesametime,officialshavepromisedthatwithinternationalassistanceIndia
willincreasetheshareofnonfossilbasedcapacityinitsenergymixto40percentby
2030,upfrom30percenttoday.Butanalystssaythatboostingthosecleanenergylevels
willnotbeeasy.

RupeshKumar,an11thgraderinDharnai,grewupstudyingbythelightofkerosene
lanterns.HewashopefulwhenGreenpeacerepresentativescametohisfamilystworoom
house,walkingpasttwobuffaloestiedatthefrontporch.

Theypromisedhimalightbulbhecouldstudyby.Hehopestobethefirstinhisfamilyto
gotocollegeandgetajobotherthanfarming.

Overthreemonths,engineerssetup70kilowattsofphotovoltaiccellsontherooftopof
publicbuildingsscatteredthroughoutthevillage.Theyinstalled224batteriestostorethe
energy.Artistspaintedacheerfulmuralofrainbowsandbirdsonthewallofthevillage
chiefsoffice,brandingthevillageDharnaiLive.Thevillagealsohasawebsite.Alltold,
theinstallationcost2.7crorerupees($407,050).

Kumarsfamilyreceivedonecompactfluorescentlightbulbandawalloutlettocharge
theirmobilephone.Thepowerwouldbefreeforsixmonthsandthencost70rupeesper
month.Thatcomestoabout$1,butasteeppricetaginaplacewherepoorpeopleearn,on
average,theequivalentofabout30centsperday.MostofKumarsneighborscouldnot
affordit.

Inthemoreprosperouspartofthevillage,welltodofamiliesalreadyhadrooftopsolar
panels.ButGreenpeacesmicrogridpromisedtobemorereliable,andmanyofthem
signedup,aswell.

Thedaythepowercamewasoneofcelebration.Villagers,richandpooralike,atesweets.
Then,thewealthyfamiliespluggedinenergyinefficienttelevisionsandrefrigerators.With
thepowersuddenlyfacingheavydemand,thebatteriesdrainedwithinhours.When
Kumarwokeupat4a.m.beforehisfarmingdutiestostudy,thelightbulbdidnotwork.

IthinkitswrongthatwhenIstudied,thepowerwouldgetcut,hesaid.

Bringingcoalfiredpowertotown
Themicrogridoperatorsscrambledtofixthemess.Thevillageelectrificationcommittee
decidedtorestrictelectricitysupplytofivehoursatnighttime.Greenpeaceputupposters

tellingpeoplenottouseenergyhungryappliancessuchasricecookers,electricwater
heaters,irons,spaceheatersandaircoolers.

Onemonthaftertherollout,GreenpeaceinvitedBiharsformerchiefminister,Nitish
Kumar,toinauguratethesolarvillage.Aheadofstatevisitingasmallvillageunderthe
glareoftelevisioncamerasisahugedeal,andthecitizensknewitwastheirbestchanceto
getapermanentsolution.

Childrenheldplacardsandtheadultschantedtheirmantraaskingforrealelectricity.

Oneweeklater,trucksrolledinandsetupa100kWtransformerintown,connecting
Dharnaitothegrid.

PowerisnowfreeforKumarandhisneighborswhoarebelowthepovertyline.Otherspay
3rupeesperkilowatthourofelectricity.AsofJuly,villagersweregettingelectricityday
andnight,albeitwithpowercuts.Atsuchtimes,theydusethemicrogridasabackup.

Meanwhile,enrollmentinthesolarprogramhasfallento120households,downfrom380
atthestart,accordingtoRamapatiKumaroftheCentreforEnvironmentandEnergy
Development,whichoperatesthesystemnow.HepreviouslyheadedGreenpeaceIndias
renewableenergyprogram.

Dharnaiisaworkinprogress,andthemicrogridisoperatingasitwasdesigned,hesaid.
Hehopesthatthegeneratedpowerwillgetfedintothecentralgridinthefuture.India,at
present,doesnothaveapolicytohandlesuchinputs.

Atpresent,solarpowerinDharnaicostsatleastthreetimesasmuchasgridpower.Itcan
supportonlyexpensiveenergyefficientappliances,suchasCFLbulbs.ACFLbulbinIndia
costs700rupees($10),whileanincandescentbulbcosts10rupees(15cents).

Usingthepoorasaprocoalargument
M.V.Ramana,aphysicistatPrincetonUniversitywhohasstudiedenergyaccessinIndia,
questionedtheethicsoffoistinganexpensivesolutiononthepoor,whovehistorically
contributedsolittletoglobalwarming.

Istronglyencourage[microgrids]forurban,upperclassesofpeoplewhocanaffordit,he
said.But[Iwould]notdoitonthebacksofpeoplewhoarepoorandwhocantafford
theseexperiments.

Gridpower,whichinIndiascaseismostlycoalbased,generatesenoughelectricityto
powerfactories,agriculturalprocessing,hospitals,schoolsandmalls,allofwhichdrive
humandevelopmentandcreatejobs,saidAlexTrembath,asenioranalystatthe
CaliforniabasedBreakthroughInstitute.

Groupsthatclaimthatmicrogridscanfuelsimilarlevelsofdevelopmentareconducting
cleanenergyandclimatepolicyonthebacksoftheglobalpoor,healsoargued.

GuayofthePackardFoundationstronglydisagreedandsaidthatevenasinglelightbulb
poweredbyamicrogridisvaluabletosomeonewithoutpower.Decentralizedgridsare
solutionsofthefuturewhilethecentralgridislikewhaleoil,hesaid.

Ithaseverythingtodowithprogress,Guaysaid.Idontthinkyouwillseeasingle
personsaythatthepoorshouldcontinuetousewhaleoilinthe21stcenturyandcallthat
ethicalandprogressive.

Onlyasmallnumberofvillagesaretooremotetobehookedtothecentralgridandwould
begoodcandidatesformicrogridonlysolutions,Ramanasaid.Thegovernmenthas
identified12,771suchvillages.Therearealsothousandsofhamletswherefewerthan100
familieslivethatcouldbenefit,otherexpertssaid.

Avillagesgratitudeforcoal
AsthesunsetinDharnaionarecentsummerevening,Greenpeacessolarpoweredstreet
lampsswitchedonandpooledwhitelightalongthethoroughfare.Villagerschattedon
streetsthatwouldhaveoncebeenpitchdark.LifehasimprovedafterGreenpeacecame,
theysaid.

Notbecausethegroupbroughtsolar.Rather,theysaid,theyappreciatethatthegroup
broughtthechiefminister,whobroughtinthegrid.

YetacanopyofwiresandplasticbottlesoverhangingDharnaisstreetsisalsoevidenceof
Indiasproblematiccentralgrid.Thoughthevillagerspreferittosolar,theyacknowledge
thegovernmentssupplyisunreliable.

ThecutsareareminderthatIndiaselectricitydemandfaroutstripssupply.Biharspower
plantsthisyeararegenerating21percentlesselectricitythanneededduringpeakdemand.
Thegovernmenthasnevermulledwhetheritshouldkeepcoalinthegroundforthesake
oftheclimatebecauseitcanuseallofthepoweritcanget,Ramanaexplained.

Towardthatend,Indiahasannouncedanambitiousplantoinstall100GWofsolarby
2022,upfrom3GWtoday.Thetargetwouldbedifficulttoachieveinthenextfew
decades,analystssay.Solarphotovoltaicsarenotcostcompetitivewithcoal.AndIndias
aginggridcannothandlethefluctuationsincapacitythatoccurwhenthewinddiesorthe
sunhidesbehindclouds.

ChristopherField,directoroftheCarnegieInstitutionforSciencesDepartmentofGlobal
EcologyandanactiveparticipantintheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,said
thatrichnationshaveamoralresponsibilitytomakerenewablesmoreaffordableinthe
developingworld.

Untilthathappens,coalplantswillcontinuebeingbuiltinIndiainthenearfuture,Field
saidinaninterviewinAugust.

Rightnow,ifIwerePrimeMinisterModi,Idbesaying,Gee,Icandelivercoalbased
electricitywaycheaperthanIcandeliverrenewables,hesaid.

ReprintedfromClimatewirewithpermissionfromEnvironment&EnergyPublishing,
LLC.www.eenews.net,2026286500

Hyderabad

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