The Industrial Revolution reinvented the wheels of progress. It began in the United Kingdom in the 18th century and slowly spread to other parts of the world. The world’s per capita income in the next two centuries went up by 10 times and the global population by six times. Nobel laureate Robert E. Lucas, Jr. had remarked “For the first time in history, the living standards of the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth.”
The production of goods through machines made goods more affordable. It killed manual production, but raised human productivity. Consequently, the consumption of energy too went up. Even in those heydays of the revolution, English poet and painter William Blake had cautioned through his poem dark satanic mills that the fumes coming out of the machines would destroy the environment. Blake’s observation is prophetic.
The progress initiated by the Industrial Revolution has completed its circle. The threat on the earth is real. But throwing the baby with the bathwater is not a solution. Thankfully, the human mind too has evolved with fresh thinking and new impetus. One of the finest developments has been the reward to pollute less. Emitting toxins less into the air is an incentive, a revenue stream, to improve the overall profitability of the venture. It has challenged the mind to develop new technologies that are more efficient than those existed before.
Saving the environment too is no longer a fad, but a serious business. As the lifeline of any business is funds, a number of funds have come up that support companies which are reducing their emissions that causes global warming. The arrival of Green Mutual Funds (GMF) is a reflection of the maturity of the financial markets. Like a conventional mutual fund, the GMF is a managed collective investment scheme, which pools money from many investors to invest in short-term and long-term instruments in various environmental markets—carbon, markets, renewable energy, market and energy efficiency markets.
Boston-based Winslow Green Mutual Funds are excellent global examples of green mutual funds. The Winslow Green Growth Fund is a growth equity fund. Though it invests in companies of any size capitalisation, the fund’s focus is to invest a significant portion of its assets in domestic small capitalisation companies with a market capitalisation of below $2 billion. It targets companies with clean and efficient business practices that seek to minimise their environmental impact and those enterprises, whose products or services offer solutions to environmental problems. Though the fund is industry agnostic, it prefers sectors such as clean energy, water management, resource efficiency, sustainable living, environmental services, green transportation and green building products.
GMF engage integration of financial and environmental analysis in existing and emerging markets’ trends and policies and, identify the prospects for development of a comprehensive investment portfolio. Investing in green funds, however, does not necessarily bring higher or lower returns than the average mutual fund. In fact, these funds may not be suitable for short-term returns, as they are prone to price fluctuations throughout the trading period. The inherent volatility in the carbon prices makes these funds unsuitable for buy and hold strategy. “For risk-averse investors, GMF would prove beneficial under long-term investment objective,” says a report from an energy consulting firm.
Since the investments required are large, the GMF may be suitable for high net worth clients like large corporations, industries, foundations, endowments, and insurance and pension funds. The retail customers may find it difficult to invest in GMF, at least in the short to mid-term, owing to the large investment needs of the GMF and tertiary role of individuals in the green or carbon markets. But the good thing is, a journey has been made. The interests of business and environment have converged. It augurs well for the society.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
The Benign Power of Water
Small is beautiful. But small could also be effective. Time is ripe to focus on small hydro power units to bridge the gap in the country’s demand-supply of energy. It is prudent as the domestic gas availability from the once glorified Krishna-Godavari basin diminishes and price of imported coal rises from Australia to Indonesia. The benefits of using micro hydro power plant in India are many. It is economical, non-polluting and environmentally benign. They have the potential to provide energy in remote and hilly areas, where extension of grid system is not commercially viable. On the top of it, the gestation period for such installations is very short and cost maintenance is minimal.
The history of micro hydro power units is not only fascinating, but offer insight even today. Since 100 BC, analysts observe, the water wheels existed to grind wheat into flour. They were slowly replaced by water turbine by the end of 19th century as Industrial revolution progressed across the world. The basics are simple. The electricity is produced when water falls on the turbine and the blade rotates. However, what varies is the amount of electricity generated. “The quantity of electricity that a hydropower setup produces depends on the amount of water that passes through the turbine, or, the height from which the water falls. The greater the flow and higher the height; the more electricity is produced,” says a report on Indian power sector analysis.
Micro hydro power plant in India existed since the beginning of 20th century. The first installation, a 130 kW plant, was set up at Darjeeling in 1897, some 15 years after the world’s first micro hydro power plant was started at Appleton in the US. The success of Darjeeling led to the set up of a two-MW plant in 1902 at Shivasundaram in Mysore. It was followed by a three-MW unit in 1907 at Galgoi in Mussoorie, a 1.75-MW in 1914 at Chaba and a 50-kW at Jubbal in 1930 near Shimla. Analysts observe that between 1930 and 1950, such units came up on a number of canals on the Ganga. However, the major hindrance in those days was the lack of development of high voltage transmission lines. It resulted in heavy losses during transmission of electricity over long distances. But times have changed and technology has evolved to ferry electricity across places with minimum losses.
As a comparison with China is the flavour of the season, let me delve a bit on China’s record in this sphere. China has built a total of 43,000 small hydro projects with an installed capacity of over 35,000 MW supplying electricity to over 300 millions residing in China’s mountainous areas. It has not exhausted all its water resources, but has utilized only about 29 percent.
India’s geography favours use of hydropower. The small hydro power projects also complement other renewables such as solar, wind, tidal and biomass. Together they can do more than a few coal-based mega-projects. Though the government has taken initiatives in the past decade, time has come for a big push for small hydro projects. How else it is going to add 100,000 Mw to India’s power-generation capacity during the 12th Plan (2012-2017)?
The history of micro hydro power units is not only fascinating, but offer insight even today. Since 100 BC, analysts observe, the water wheels existed to grind wheat into flour. They were slowly replaced by water turbine by the end of 19th century as Industrial revolution progressed across the world. The basics are simple. The electricity is produced when water falls on the turbine and the blade rotates. However, what varies is the amount of electricity generated. “The quantity of electricity that a hydropower setup produces depends on the amount of water that passes through the turbine, or, the height from which the water falls. The greater the flow and higher the height; the more electricity is produced,” says a report on Indian power sector analysis.
Micro hydro power plant in India existed since the beginning of 20th century. The first installation, a 130 kW plant, was set up at Darjeeling in 1897, some 15 years after the world’s first micro hydro power plant was started at Appleton in the US. The success of Darjeeling led to the set up of a two-MW plant in 1902 at Shivasundaram in Mysore. It was followed by a three-MW unit in 1907 at Galgoi in Mussoorie, a 1.75-MW in 1914 at Chaba and a 50-kW at Jubbal in 1930 near Shimla. Analysts observe that between 1930 and 1950, such units came up on a number of canals on the Ganga. However, the major hindrance in those days was the lack of development of high voltage transmission lines. It resulted in heavy losses during transmission of electricity over long distances. But times have changed and technology has evolved to ferry electricity across places with minimum losses.
As a comparison with China is the flavour of the season, let me delve a bit on China’s record in this sphere. China has built a total of 43,000 small hydro projects with an installed capacity of over 35,000 MW supplying electricity to over 300 millions residing in China’s mountainous areas. It has not exhausted all its water resources, but has utilized only about 29 percent.
India’s geography favours use of hydropower. The small hydro power projects also complement other renewables such as solar, wind, tidal and biomass. Together they can do more than a few coal-based mega-projects. Though the government has taken initiatives in the past decade, time has come for a big push for small hydro projects. How else it is going to add 100,000 Mw to India’s power-generation capacity during the 12th Plan (2012-2017)?
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Old Source, Old Trick, But new Fervour
Hope invariably comes from fresh thoughts. Twenty summers ago, India had no choice other than to reform its economic policies. What began as a crisis, it eventually created new opportunities almost in every sector of India’s economy and raised the aspiration of people. Driven by renewed hope, the economy graduated to a new orbit of growth leaving behind its past—pathetic GDP growth rate of 3.5 percent forever.
The effervescence of new energy reflected in the variety of products that swarmed the market. It satisfied the new generation of consumers and thereby created new segments of market. However, with the rise in population and increase in production of goods, the consumption of energy too went up. The threat of global warming and its consequence—climate change loomed large on the horizon.
While the economy continued to grow, paradoxically, the existing systems of energy production, primarily from coal and gas, showed the inevitable—the law of diminishing returns. Exploring new reserves of coal became a hurdle, as the mining of coal cannot be at the cost of the environment. Importing of coal from Australia and Indonesia would not be viable for long, as these countries would raise the price of coal for export. Like all good things in life, the party can’t go on forever.
But the rising demand-supply gap of energy that the country faces could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The alternative could be exploring and seeding green power. “The old wisdom of generating power from water with minimum annoyance to the surrounding areas is all set to be back,” says an enthusiastic analyst working with an energy consulting services company.
A report on Indian power sector analysis suggests that India is rated as one of the top three countries for renewable energy investment. Apart from Solar, Wind and Biomass, the writing on the wall is in favour of Hydro power. The reasons are obvious. It is clean, which means it has the potential to reduce carbon foot print. On the top of it, hydro power is cheap, requires minimum maintenance and would give the much needed comfort of energy security. In Canada, there are examples of hydro power which have been running for more than 70 years.
There are two votaries of hydro power: one in favour of big dams, which play a multi-purpose role and the other, is run-of-the-mills projects. Despite the shining example of Bhakra Nangal in Punjab, which play multi-purpose role from storing water, generating power and irrigation, the big dams are notorious in submerging huge tracts of land, displacing large local population and disrupting fragile ecosystem endangering rare species of flora and fauna. The track record of rehabilitation of the displaced is equally bad.
The flavour, therefore, has shifted to the no-frills, which in essence are single purpose projects. Called run-of-the-mill projects, they would only generate electricity and are carried out in regions with a lot of slopes. Water from a stream running through a mountain is made to fall on a turbine and the water is put back into the river. As a result, the original flow of water is maintained and the surroundings are not disturbed. The displacement of population is significantly less. “Not more than 100 families are displaced in this kind of projects,” says an analyst working with an energy consulting services company. A typical run-of-the-mill mini hydro power plant could be anything between 90MW and 100MW. But it could also be as low as two to three MW and go up to as high as India’s largest plant currently under construction at Teesta, which is expected to generate 1,200MW. What’s interesting, the run-of-the-mill is an old thought in a new era, which would help the economy to grow without driving the displaced population to penury and damaging the ecosystem.
The history of micro hydro power plant in India is more than a century old. The first hydropower station was a small hydro power station of 130 KW commissioned in 1897 at Sidrapong near Darjeeling in West Bengal. The old wisdom is back—with a new hope and fervour.
The effervescence of new energy reflected in the variety of products that swarmed the market. It satisfied the new generation of consumers and thereby created new segments of market. However, with the rise in population and increase in production of goods, the consumption of energy too went up. The threat of global warming and its consequence—climate change loomed large on the horizon.
While the economy continued to grow, paradoxically, the existing systems of energy production, primarily from coal and gas, showed the inevitable—the law of diminishing returns. Exploring new reserves of coal became a hurdle, as the mining of coal cannot be at the cost of the environment. Importing of coal from Australia and Indonesia would not be viable for long, as these countries would raise the price of coal for export. Like all good things in life, the party can’t go on forever.
But the rising demand-supply gap of energy that the country faces could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The alternative could be exploring and seeding green power. “The old wisdom of generating power from water with minimum annoyance to the surrounding areas is all set to be back,” says an enthusiastic analyst working with an energy consulting services company.
A report on Indian power sector analysis suggests that India is rated as one of the top three countries for renewable energy investment. Apart from Solar, Wind and Biomass, the writing on the wall is in favour of Hydro power. The reasons are obvious. It is clean, which means it has the potential to reduce carbon foot print. On the top of it, hydro power is cheap, requires minimum maintenance and would give the much needed comfort of energy security. In Canada, there are examples of hydro power which have been running for more than 70 years.
There are two votaries of hydro power: one in favour of big dams, which play a multi-purpose role and the other, is run-of-the-mills projects. Despite the shining example of Bhakra Nangal in Punjab, which play multi-purpose role from storing water, generating power and irrigation, the big dams are notorious in submerging huge tracts of land, displacing large local population and disrupting fragile ecosystem endangering rare species of flora and fauna. The track record of rehabilitation of the displaced is equally bad.
The flavour, therefore, has shifted to the no-frills, which in essence are single purpose projects. Called run-of-the-mill projects, they would only generate electricity and are carried out in regions with a lot of slopes. Water from a stream running through a mountain is made to fall on a turbine and the water is put back into the river. As a result, the original flow of water is maintained and the surroundings are not disturbed. The displacement of population is significantly less. “Not more than 100 families are displaced in this kind of projects,” says an analyst working with an energy consulting services company. A typical run-of-the-mill mini hydro power plant could be anything between 90MW and 100MW. But it could also be as low as two to three MW and go up to as high as India’s largest plant currently under construction at Teesta, which is expected to generate 1,200MW. What’s interesting, the run-of-the-mill is an old thought in a new era, which would help the economy to grow without driving the displaced population to penury and damaging the ecosystem.
The history of micro hydro power plant in India is more than a century old. The first hydropower station was a small hydro power station of 130 KW commissioned in 1897 at Sidrapong near Darjeeling in West Bengal. The old wisdom is back—with a new hope and fervour.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Renewable Hope for Power
Necessity, as they say, is the mother of all inventions. A silent revolution is brewing up to find new energy solutions. The use of renewable energy is no more confined to cookers, geysers and lanterns—or, lighting a house by fixing solar panels on the building’s roof top.
The human mind has explored the unthinkable and pushed the renewable energy research to the next orbit. Bertrand Piccard has demonstrated that the solar energy could be used to power a plane, which has four 10 HP electric engines similar to a scooter and weighing not more than 1600 kg like a small sports car. The solar plane’s founder says that the idea came after his first non-stop round-the-world trip in a balloon some ten years ago, when he was shocked by the large amounts of fossil fuel it consumed. What he learnt in the process of developing a solar plane is equally profound. “We are not trying to create an aviation revolution but a change in the mindset of the way people think about clean energy solutions and how it can be used in society," he added. The plane is made of composite materials and has over 11,000 silicon cells covering the wing.
Italian Renaissance’s master Leonardo da Vinci’s stroke of ingenuity is also visible in some pockets of excellence. Like Vinci, who observed nature to create master pieces from paintings to design of a helicopter, Daniel Nocera, a professor of chemistry and energy, and his team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology has observed the process of photosynthesis in plants for years—how the plants breathe and produce power. They are now trying to replicate that model artificially to produce enough electricity from a bottle-and-half of water, however dirty, to power a small home. Tata Group has signed with Nocera to market the technology, when it would be ready. The initiative, if it succeeds, could reinvent rural electricity supply and provide a viable energy solution to about three billion people worldwide who don’t have it—and yet generate enough profit to sustain it.
The humble biomass may not be in that league of sophistication, but many are harnessing the rustic natural resource to generate green electricity—marrying profit with saving the environment. A lot action is happening in biomass, as the Energy consulting firm InfralineEnergy’s comprehensive report “Evaluating the Attractiveness of Business Opportunity in Biomass Power in India”, says “The opportunity could be gauged from the fact that India is a country blessed with abundant natural resources. The biomass among them is the most promising resource which does not have the inherited precincts as the solar energy—dependent on light days; and wind energy, which has site specific restrictions.”
Apart from showcasing the opportunities and best practices in the sector on the basis of economic analysis and forecasting, the report from the energy consulting firm predicts, “the total biomass power installed capacity by the end of 2013 is expected to be 2395 MW. By 2015 under the BAU, total installed capacity expected to be 4643 MW and in optimistic scenario, 5584 MW. Total bagasse cogeneration power generation capacity by the end of 2013 is expected to be 4576 MW. At the end of 2015 under the BAU and optimistic scenario, total installed capacity for bagasse are expected to be 5290 MW and 5464 MW, respectively. The return on equity could be above 26 percent for the investors.” The challenges, always offer, new opportunities for the fertile minds.
The human mind has explored the unthinkable and pushed the renewable energy research to the next orbit. Bertrand Piccard has demonstrated that the solar energy could be used to power a plane, which has four 10 HP electric engines similar to a scooter and weighing not more than 1600 kg like a small sports car. The solar plane’s founder says that the idea came after his first non-stop round-the-world trip in a balloon some ten years ago, when he was shocked by the large amounts of fossil fuel it consumed. What he learnt in the process of developing a solar plane is equally profound. “We are not trying to create an aviation revolution but a change in the mindset of the way people think about clean energy solutions and how it can be used in society," he added. The plane is made of composite materials and has over 11,000 silicon cells covering the wing.
Italian Renaissance’s master Leonardo da Vinci’s stroke of ingenuity is also visible in some pockets of excellence. Like Vinci, who observed nature to create master pieces from paintings to design of a helicopter, Daniel Nocera, a professor of chemistry and energy, and his team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology has observed the process of photosynthesis in plants for years—how the plants breathe and produce power. They are now trying to replicate that model artificially to produce enough electricity from a bottle-and-half of water, however dirty, to power a small home. Tata Group has signed with Nocera to market the technology, when it would be ready. The initiative, if it succeeds, could reinvent rural electricity supply and provide a viable energy solution to about three billion people worldwide who don’t have it—and yet generate enough profit to sustain it.
The humble biomass may not be in that league of sophistication, but many are harnessing the rustic natural resource to generate green electricity—marrying profit with saving the environment. A lot action is happening in biomass, as the Energy consulting firm InfralineEnergy’s comprehensive report “Evaluating the Attractiveness of Business Opportunity in Biomass Power in India”, says “The opportunity could be gauged from the fact that India is a country blessed with abundant natural resources. The biomass among them is the most promising resource which does not have the inherited precincts as the solar energy—dependent on light days; and wind energy, which has site specific restrictions.”
Apart from showcasing the opportunities and best practices in the sector on the basis of economic analysis and forecasting, the report from the energy consulting firm predicts, “the total biomass power installed capacity by the end of 2013 is expected to be 2395 MW. By 2015 under the BAU, total installed capacity expected to be 4643 MW and in optimistic scenario, 5584 MW. Total bagasse cogeneration power generation capacity by the end of 2013 is expected to be 4576 MW. At the end of 2015 under the BAU and optimistic scenario, total installed capacity for bagasse are expected to be 5290 MW and 5464 MW, respectively. The return on equity could be above 26 percent for the investors.” The challenges, always offer, new opportunities for the fertile minds.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Hope for Coal Outside
India’s economy requires energy to drive and sustain its high trajectory growth. Though the country has huge reserves of coal, much of it can’t be extracted because of the reserves’ intricate location. According to an energy market research report, the government-owned Coal India Ltd, which controls 18 billion tonnes of coal reserves—much of it is proven, is responsible for production of the country’s 80 percent of the coal. The demand-supply gap from coal power production, however, is increasing. The electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and other industrial processes requires more coal than before to run their operations—and meet the needs of their consumers.
Analysts observe that beneath the excitement circling around new and renewable sources of energy, the age-old coal industry is anticipated to contribute more than 50 percent of the primary commercial energy requirements of India till 2032 and beyond. Even though the domestic coal reserves are vast, the demand-supply deficit of coal is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.2 percent till FY 2017. The domestic coal industry’s challenges such as exploration, technical, environmental, high-ash in domestic coal and logistical issues have compelled India to import 11 percent of total coal consumption, which is expected to rise to 15 percent for power sector alone by FY 2017. India’s planned investments of more than INR 2 lakh crore over the entire coal value chain may not be sufficient to secure future coal requirements, points an energy market research report.
InfralineEnergy’s “Global Coal Acquisitions and Imports: Opportunities and Sustainability Assessment for India” report suggests that coal import is bound to rise. The analysis is based on the recent Central Electricity Authority’s notification to design boilers with a 70:30 coal blending ratio (indigenous vs. import). The report states that apart from blending requirements and superior quality parameters, the coal industry is likely to see converging price trends of imported and domestic coal. Consequently, Indian companies would rely more on imports. The inclination for global hunt for coal has started. Indian companies have acquired overseas coal assets at lucrative locations such as Mozambique, Indonesia and Australia.
As for the future, the report advises that the efforts require a planned politico-economic strategy to effectively counteract aggressive players such as China and de-risking from the rising coal prices and escalating price tag of overseas coal deposits. Australian floods and Japan earthquake have resulted in structural changes in global coal industry’s trade pattern, along with disruptions from pirate attacks to coal vessels which has resulted in a loss of around $ three billion in global seaborne trade in 2010.
The report details new frontiers such as New Zealand and Kazakhastan, which require proactive approach to reap the early mover advantage. Certain nations have been identified which offer a favourable prospect for clinching long-term import deals without owning the coal mines and there are others which require infrastructural development to encourage foreign investment.
The rising import of coal would attract investment in infrastructure related to coal logistics. The port sector in India needs a complete overhaul with fluctuating global freight rates and growing need for panamax and supramax vessels to manage the rising coal imports. A lot of action is waiting to happen.
Analysts observe that beneath the excitement circling around new and renewable sources of energy, the age-old coal industry is anticipated to contribute more than 50 percent of the primary commercial energy requirements of India till 2032 and beyond. Even though the domestic coal reserves are vast, the demand-supply deficit of coal is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.2 percent till FY 2017. The domestic coal industry’s challenges such as exploration, technical, environmental, high-ash in domestic coal and logistical issues have compelled India to import 11 percent of total coal consumption, which is expected to rise to 15 percent for power sector alone by FY 2017. India’s planned investments of more than INR 2 lakh crore over the entire coal value chain may not be sufficient to secure future coal requirements, points an energy market research report.
InfralineEnergy’s “Global Coal Acquisitions and Imports: Opportunities and Sustainability Assessment for India” report suggests that coal import is bound to rise. The analysis is based on the recent Central Electricity Authority’s notification to design boilers with a 70:30 coal blending ratio (indigenous vs. import). The report states that apart from blending requirements and superior quality parameters, the coal industry is likely to see converging price trends of imported and domestic coal. Consequently, Indian companies would rely more on imports. The inclination for global hunt for coal has started. Indian companies have acquired overseas coal assets at lucrative locations such as Mozambique, Indonesia and Australia.
As for the future, the report advises that the efforts require a planned politico-economic strategy to effectively counteract aggressive players such as China and de-risking from the rising coal prices and escalating price tag of overseas coal deposits. Australian floods and Japan earthquake have resulted in structural changes in global coal industry’s trade pattern, along with disruptions from pirate attacks to coal vessels which has resulted in a loss of around $ three billion in global seaborne trade in 2010.
The report details new frontiers such as New Zealand and Kazakhastan, which require proactive approach to reap the early mover advantage. Certain nations have been identified which offer a favourable prospect for clinching long-term import deals without owning the coal mines and there are others which require infrastructural development to encourage foreign investment.
The rising import of coal would attract investment in infrastructure related to coal logistics. The port sector in India needs a complete overhaul with fluctuating global freight rates and growing need for panamax and supramax vessels to manage the rising coal imports. A lot of action is waiting to happen.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Market Solar as Luxury
There’s no dearth of construction of new residential buildings. In some places, the rise of the new structures is vertical and in some pockets, it’s horizontal. You don’t have to go there to know how they would look like and what all would be there once they are ready. Anyone living in Delhi and surrounding areas is swarmed with SMSes telling their flashy names and their unique features. A little query would inform that these buildings have everything, excepting powered by renewable energy.
When these buildings would be occupied, each of them would use almost all the gadgets available in the market. There is no harm in it. What remains unsaid is that these devices would draw power from the grid. Inevitably, the surrounding low and middle-income colonies would have to satisfy with inadequate supply of energy from the same grid. Even those living in the newly constructed ‘luxury homes’ would use diesel operated generators to meet the shortfall of electricity supply, and contribute, thereby, to pollution and global warming.
What surprises that none of the builders thought of using renewable energy to power these homes. There’s enough scope on the rooftop for fixing solar panels. The lighting of the building could also be managed with solar energy. A renewable energy research report says that the process is smooth, if the generated electricity from solar is consumed within the building. The problem arises if the surplus energy is put into the grid. It requires bi-metering, unlike today’s meter which works only in one direction—one is charged for the amount of electricity one uses. In the West, if the electricity generated from the rooftop is put into grid, then it’s measured and surplus energy is put into opposite direction to be utilised by other people.
The argument that solar energy is too expensive hardly holds water, when the buyers of these homes can afford all the luxuries. What’s more important is the intent. Affordability is always relative. Luxury is always for the upper crust of society. If this category of people can afford Merc, BMW, Harley Davidson, why wouldn’t they pay for a house designed in such a way that the energy requirement is supplied by tapping intelligently solar energy, the most readily available renewable energy.
If one goes by the price tag of the ‘luxury homes’, the profile of the potential buyer is those who prefer to eat high priced organic food, spent the weekends in natural surroundings and have a second home in the hills. Why wouldn’t they pay more to make a green lifestyle statement?
When these buildings would be occupied, each of them would use almost all the gadgets available in the market. There is no harm in it. What remains unsaid is that these devices would draw power from the grid. Inevitably, the surrounding low and middle-income colonies would have to satisfy with inadequate supply of energy from the same grid. Even those living in the newly constructed ‘luxury homes’ would use diesel operated generators to meet the shortfall of electricity supply, and contribute, thereby, to pollution and global warming.
What surprises that none of the builders thought of using renewable energy to power these homes. There’s enough scope on the rooftop for fixing solar panels. The lighting of the building could also be managed with solar energy. A renewable energy research report says that the process is smooth, if the generated electricity from solar is consumed within the building. The problem arises if the surplus energy is put into the grid. It requires bi-metering, unlike today’s meter which works only in one direction—one is charged for the amount of electricity one uses. In the West, if the electricity generated from the rooftop is put into grid, then it’s measured and surplus energy is put into opposite direction to be utilised by other people.
The argument that solar energy is too expensive hardly holds water, when the buyers of these homes can afford all the luxuries. What’s more important is the intent. Affordability is always relative. Luxury is always for the upper crust of society. If this category of people can afford Merc, BMW, Harley Davidson, why wouldn’t they pay for a house designed in such a way that the energy requirement is supplied by tapping intelligently solar energy, the most readily available renewable energy.
If one goes by the price tag of the ‘luxury homes’, the profile of the potential buyer is those who prefer to eat high priced organic food, spent the weekends in natural surroundings and have a second home in the hills. Why wouldn’t they pay more to make a green lifestyle statement?
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Power the Malls with Solar Energy
Last weekend, I was wandering in a swanky mall situated at South Delhi. Actually, it’s not one, but a cluster of three malls. There’s no clutter outside. The facade is majestic. Once inside, the cool ambience was a respite from the outer hot and sultry weather. There’s enough space for parking in the basement. The toilets are easy to locate and are clean, and the fittings in it are on the side of opulence. The mall owners and the architects have taken care to make the shopping experience comfortable. However, what the shopping complex lacks is the vision and services of a solar energy consultant and application of solar energy.
The majority of the crowd appeared to have come from the posh localities of South Delhi. I had no purpose other than walk in slow pace, and observe the brands and their interaction with the potential buyers. I could see the presence of almost all the brands in apparel and lifestyle categories, which one shopped on an overseas trip two decades ago. But I am not sure buying from these malls would carry the same snob value as shopping them in London. The stores are not only well lit but designed too—drawing power from the grid. The interesting bit was that the behaviours of the shoppers were similar in many respects as Paco Underhill has described of American shoppers in his best-selling books Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping and Call of the Mall.
The architecture and beneath it—the understanding of malls—have evolved in Delhi NCR in the past five years. The new malls are big in all aspects so that the exclusive stores have more space. There’s abundance of space for shoppers to move around comfortably without rubbing anyone’s shoulders. What remains invisible is the consumption of energy. The promoters and architects have adopted all aspects of malls as they exist in the developed countries. What they have missed out is in the use of solar energy.
It may sound utopian. But there are malls powered by solar energy. In Japan, the Aeon shopping mall near Yonago uses solar panels on its exterior to meet all its power requirements. The Oasis21 mall in Nagoya city has mini water pools on its roof, which control the environment in the shopping plaza and shopping center. Apart from saving energy, these innovative architectural designs help to reduce Japan’s carbon footprint.
Similar initiatives are taking place in the far away USA. At Jersey Gardens mall in New Jersey, which is about 1.3 million square foot in size, a single-roof solar system would soon be installed. The mall houses brands like Gap, H&M, Lord & Taylor Outlet, Neiman Marcus, Last Call, Nike and Saks Fifth Avenue. Thanks to solar energy consultants there, the mall’s roof would generate 4.8 MW of electricity, which is enough to offset 11 per cent of its electric consumption.
Why can’t our architects and developers think of solar, when we have so much benevolence of Sun?
The majority of the crowd appeared to have come from the posh localities of South Delhi. I had no purpose other than walk in slow pace, and observe the brands and their interaction with the potential buyers. I could see the presence of almost all the brands in apparel and lifestyle categories, which one shopped on an overseas trip two decades ago. But I am not sure buying from these malls would carry the same snob value as shopping them in London. The stores are not only well lit but designed too—drawing power from the grid. The interesting bit was that the behaviours of the shoppers were similar in many respects as Paco Underhill has described of American shoppers in his best-selling books Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping and Call of the Mall.
The architecture and beneath it—the understanding of malls—have evolved in Delhi NCR in the past five years. The new malls are big in all aspects so that the exclusive stores have more space. There’s abundance of space for shoppers to move around comfortably without rubbing anyone’s shoulders. What remains invisible is the consumption of energy. The promoters and architects have adopted all aspects of malls as they exist in the developed countries. What they have missed out is in the use of solar energy.
It may sound utopian. But there are malls powered by solar energy. In Japan, the Aeon shopping mall near Yonago uses solar panels on its exterior to meet all its power requirements. The Oasis21 mall in Nagoya city has mini water pools on its roof, which control the environment in the shopping plaza and shopping center. Apart from saving energy, these innovative architectural designs help to reduce Japan’s carbon footprint.
Similar initiatives are taking place in the far away USA. At Jersey Gardens mall in New Jersey, which is about 1.3 million square foot in size, a single-roof solar system would soon be installed. The mall houses brands like Gap, H&M, Lord & Taylor Outlet, Neiman Marcus, Last Call, Nike and Saks Fifth Avenue. Thanks to solar energy consultants there, the mall’s roof would generate 4.8 MW of electricity, which is enough to offset 11 per cent of its electric consumption.
Why can’t our architects and developers think of solar, when we have so much benevolence of Sun?
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