Cleantech Euphoria

The euphoria and near desperation to realign the world through an apparently skewed and subtly marketed thought-action plans under the subjects of Cleantech, Green products, Sustainability and Carbon reduction need to be modified, if not controlled and thwarted. Another matter that would have to be carefully examined is the virtual “self centered” definitions prescribed to the word CLEANTECH. The following may be noted as the Definition that this writer would like to attribute to the word/ concept:

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Let us look at some facts:

1. CFL CONVERSION:

This writer lives in a major metro … Bangalore, which has a population of about 6.5 million, India. If, as is the plan of the Government (under its drive to “green” the city toward reducing so-called Carbon footprint), and goes ahead with the plan to switch over to CFL system in every household, Bangalore would need not less than 5.5 million lamps per annum. This would mean that Bangalore city would scrap not less than 5.5 million CFL, that would result in a whopping 8.25 T of Mercury pollution per annum!

The Question that this writer wishes to ask every big cleantech-entrepreneur and advocate of Cleantech is this: IS MERCURY POLLUTION BETTER THAN CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE?

2. ATOMIC POWER AGAINST BIOMASS POWER:

The Government of India had recently entered into a greatly publicized (and highly controversial) agreement/ arrangement with the US Government so as to generate Atomic Power to an extent of less than 15,000 MW by the year 2020. The argument in favor of Atomic Power is that it is Clean and that it is “unlimited”! While this writer does not wish to go into the Politics and other “lobbying” involved in the deal, let us look at an unanswered TRUTH

India has a sea coast of over 6,000 Km and the entire strip (about 210,000 sq Km) is dotted with naturally growing Coconut trees. The estimated tonnage of these Renewable Resources (annually “falling” tree materials and trees that “fall” approximately at sixty years intervals) would be not less than 87.5 million Tons of annually replenished resources. If we were to convert just 25% of these into CHP based energy system, India’s Power generation would increase by about 30,000 MW. This is more than double the value of the so-called cleantech power planned to be generated through atomic power. More over, while the entire Atomic power systems are based on US supplies and other alien materials and technology etc, the annually renewable Coconut tree resources are as good as FREE and totally CARBON neutral. Further, if these renewable resource based systems were to be developed, the entire sea coast regions would develop as the farm community would earn continual income from these resources

See the blog: Tropical Renewable Resources are our Future

Here again, the big Question is: HOW DOES ATOMIC POWER THAT REQUIRES ALIEN MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT BECOME MORE USEFUL IN REDUCING CARBON FOOTPRINT, AGAINST local COCONUT TREE RENEWABLE RESOURCES?

3. ANIMAL POWER:

India has more than 400 million cattle and other farm animals. The annual Organic wastes generated by these animals work out to an estimated 720,000,000 Tons of “green wastes”. The estimated CHP when these were to be converted into biogas are of the order of 50,000 MW

The big QUESTION is: Why is it that the Government, under pressure from various Cleantech lobbyists, pay a heavy price in terms of alien Technology, alien materials and alien systems to set up not even one-third of this Power through Windmills, Solar Power and other extremely costly and lesser “green” and cleantech energy systems?

The aforementioned three examples show that there is an ALTERNATE CLEANTECH that is waiting to happen; and that in fact is the REAL CLEANTECH and present day need … not the lobbyist driven Ethanols, Solars, Windmills, Solid Oxide and what not

A WORD ON INDIA’S RENEWABLE VEGETATION RESOURCE BASED POTENTIAL:

India’s total estimated non-forest vegetation resources are a whopping 10,057,887,000 T in green weight. If we were to convert only a third of these into Energy, the total Power generation potential (CHP) in India would be not less than 500,000 MW. India currently limps with a production of less than 100,000 MWe (deficit of 30,000 MWe).

It is high time that the world re-looks at the current euphoria of so-called Cleantech through Solar, Windmills, Atomic Power, Hybrids and so on. Nothing seems to have been done or thought of in taking advantage of the greatest and readily available REAL Cleantech … the Alternate and more Sustainable CLEANTECH THROUGH BIOMASS! Are the world’s scientists, entrepreneurs, academicians, environmentalists, and all those involved in this huge lobbying listening?

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