Write an essay on Energy Conservation
Energy is an essential input for the
industrial development. Energy is produced from commercial sources like
coal, petroleum, hydroelectric schemes as well as from non-commercial
sources like cowdung, fuelwood and agriculture wastes. Per capital
consumption of commercial energy is something used as an index of the
economic advancement that a country as attained. India’s per capita
consumption of commercial energy, however, is very low. It is only one
eight of the world average.
Commercial energy accounts for a little
over half of the total energy used in the country, the rest coming from
non-commercial sources. Share of agriculture in commercial energy
consumption has risen rapidly over the past two-and-a-half decades.
Energy generation and environmental
conservation are the twin issues arising from exploitative interaction
of man with natural resources. Report of the International Energy Agency
contains a simple but remarkable statement: “Investment in energy
conservation at the margin provides a better return than investment in
energy supply”.
Now, what do mean by this? This means
that conservation of a unit of energy is cheaper and environmentally
more desirable than to generate an additional unit. For, it is estimated
that generation of every additional kilowatt for one hour of energy
requires an investment of Rs. 7,000 to 12,000 in the form of new energy
generation equipments.
Excessive utilization of coal and oil
for generation of electricity leads to the multiple problems of acid
rain, and rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. There are also
political and economic implications like the increasing tension in the
Persian Gulf, which is the major petroleum exporting area, and failing
international competitiveness. All these threaten to strangle the world
economy in a stagnation. Let us see how some steps taken to resolve
these complex problems have tangled the issues further.
To reduce dependence on oil for
generation of electricity by burning coal and oil, hydroelectric power
stations and atomic energy stations were advocated. Huge dams can make
substantial contributions to economic development in electricity-short
developing countries like India, but as in any large-scale electricity
generating option, there are trade-offs. Reservoirs inundate forests,
farmland and wildlife habitats and uproot entire communities of
indigenous people.
Thus, hasty solutions to a given problem
may create more complications rather than solving it. In the recent
past, countries have been expanding their energy budget presumably
thinking that energy expenditure was the only way to development, but
today the perspective has changed. One of the greatest challenges facing
poor countries is to meet their energy needs without repeating the
mistakes made by the rich countries. A goal of reducing national energy
expenditure, if pursued rigorously, can lead to a strong emphasis on
energy efficiency, improve economic competitiveness, and limit oil
dependence.
A policy of Polluter pays must be
adopted. In effect, this means specific disincentives are required to
ensure that industries do not become too heavily dependent on fossil
fuels that threaten life-support systems. The need of the day is to
“insist on industries adopting clean technologies wherever available.”
The answer to the country’s energy needs
can only life in adopting non-conventional sources of energy. A
beginning is being made by Government of India to give the same type of
resources and support to developing alternative sources of energy as
have so far been extended to the development of conventional energy
sources. The latter, as experience has shown, pose a great danger to the
environment. Many environmentally safe alternatives have been found
today, which await encouragement from the Government for proper
exploitation.
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