Buying power from India!
This news item was published in almost all daily newspapers on the last day of the last year. But the reality which we will see is that it will remain only news, and not a reality! After all there are "many a slips between the cup and the lips". In this case, India holding the cup, there will be many slips with nothing to be sipped by us! From MoU to MoT (moment of truth), there is a long way. It is more like travelling from here to eternity!
Take the example of Nepal, closer to India than us in more ways than one. They have been asking for 125MW of power from India for at least six months or more. Yet till date not a kilowatt have they got! The news is that within the week, Kathmandu will have probably eight hours of load shedding! Given this reality, we are second in the queue for Indian power, at the least. Meanwhile, West Bengal is saturated, with load shedding round the corner! Power from India is many dreams away, and let us not bank on it.
We must rather make our own way, giving all encouragement and support to private sector power plants and harnessing all possible sources of alternative energy. Top priority should be for solar and biomass power sources. We should go for these in a big way; with government providing all support for these ventures. Solar heating of water, directly, without electrical power; should also be encouraged positively. This measure will save both electricity and natural gas, particularly in urban high-rise buildings for homes and offices: particularly in winter months!
Methane from biomass should be vigorously pursued for cooking and air-conditioning loads, now totally dependent on electrical power and natural gas, directly or indirectly! These are the directions we must move, if necessary on a war footing emergency basis!
The German proposal for financing solar panels must be vigorously followed up. Another very important matter on which nothing has been done in 2009 is to go all out for open pit coal mining and simultaneously setting up coal fired power plants. Some intellectuals' unnecessary environmental concerns, and the affected people ( who are to be provided suitable resources and relocated), have to be tackled and solved on priority basis.
The possibility of nuclear power plants using safe U238 as fuel, which is being done in South Africa and China, also are examples before us. I wonder what is preventing us from going ahead?
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