2/1/2016

NATIONS:ActivistssaysolarcanpowerIndia,butpoliticsandeconomicsofcoalwinoutMonday,October19,2015www.eenews.net

ANE&ESPECIALREPORT

NATIONS:
ActivistssaysolarcanpowerIndia,butpoliticsandeconomicsofcoalwinout
GayathriVaidyanathan,E&Ereporter
ClimateWire:Monday,October19,2015

AfailedsolarexperimentinthevillageofDharnaihasunderscoredthechallengesofgoingsolarinIndia.PhotobyGayathri
Vaidyanathan.

DHARNAI,IndiaOneyearago,environmentalistshailedthistinyvillageasthefutureofcleanenergyinruralIndia.
Today,itispoweredbycoal.
Dharnai,acommunityofabout3,200peopleineasternIndia'sBiharstate,hadbeenwithoutelectricityforthreedecades.
SowhenactivistswithGreenpeacesetupasolarpoweredmicrogridinJulyof2014,theexcitementwaspalpable.But,
residentssaid,theproblemsstartedalmostimmediately.

SPECIALSERIES

WhentheformerchiefministerofBiharstatevisitedtoinauguratethegrid,
villagerslineduptoprotest,chanting,"Wewantrealelectricity,notfake
electricity!"
By"real,"theymeantpowerfromthecentralgrid,generatedmostlyusing
coal.By"fake,"theymeantsolar.

GreaterExpectations:TheNew
GeopoliticsofClimateChangeexposes
theonthegroundrealityofdeveloping
countrieschallengedbyaworldthatwill
requireeverynationtocutcarbon
emissions.Visitthespecialreport.

AnalystssaythestoryofDharnaiillustrateshowdifficultitcanbetoprovide
reliable,highqualityelectricitytotheworld'spoorwithoutusingthecentral
grid.ThechallengeiscomingintofocusasPrimeMinisterNarendraModi
movesforwardonanambitiouspledgetogenerate175gigawattsfromutility
scalesolarandwindenergyby2022andincreasecoalpoweredgeneration.
Muchofthatpowerwouldgointothecentralgrid,ratherthanbeing
disseminatedthroughsmall,decentralizedenergysystems.

VijayKumarDas,alineengineerwithDharnai'selectricitycommittee,comparedthevillage'ssolarmicrogridexperiment
topollutedgroundwater.
"Ifyoudon'tfindbottledwatertodrink,youhavetosettleforwaterfromthehandpump,"hesaid."Similarly,whenwedid
nothaverealelectricity,wehadtomakedowithsolarpower."

Tryingtoproveasolarpoint
DharnaiisintheheartlandofaguerillacommunistmovementcalledNaxalism.Perhapsbecauseofthispoliticalalliance,
thecommunityneverregainedtheelectricalsupplyitlostin1981.Overtheyears,thecommunityadapted.
Therichsetuprooftopsolarpanelsthatsuppliedasinglelightbulborceilingfan.Poorerpeopleusedkerosenelamps.In
2010,thevillagerspooled45,000rupees($680)andaskedthelocalelectricityboardforaconnection,buttheynevergot
it.
AchanceencounterlastyearbetweenthevillagechiefandaGreenpeaceactivistonatrainbroughtthegrouptoDharnai.

http://www.eenews.net/special_reports/greater_expectations/stories/1060026477/print

1/4

2/1/2016

NATIONS:ActivistssaysolarcanpowerIndia,butpoliticsandeconomicsofcoalwinoutMonday,October19,2015www.eenews.net
Greenpeacewantedtosetupasolarvillagetoshowthegovernmentthatitispossibletopowerruralcommunitieswith
renewableenergy.
TheprojectwasimportanttoGreenpeace'sambition.ThegroupwantsIndiatostopallnewcoalminingandcoalfired
powerplantsbecausetheresultingcarbonemissionswouldcontributetoclimatechange.Thehitchisthatabout400
millionIndians,mostlyinruralBiharandUttarPradesh,remainwithoutpower.Thisismainlybecausepowerlineshave
notreachedeveryvillageandhome.
Greenpeace,likemanyenvironmentalgroups,
arguesthatthesepeoplecouldbesupplied
throughdecentralizedsolarandother
renewableenergies.Theyenvisionafuture
where1.3billionpeoplegloballycouldskip
fossilfuelfiredpowerplantsandentera
prosperous,lowemissionsworld.
Thefallacyinthisposition,othersargue,isthat
solarmicrogridsdonotaddressclimate
change.Themicrogridsdonotdisplacecoal
usebecausethetargetvillageswerenever
hookedtothecentralgridinthefirstplace.In
fact,inpartsofIndia,microgridshavebecomea
stopgapsolutionfortheenergypoorwhilethey
waitforthecentralgrid.
GreenpeaceinstalledasolarmicrogridsysteminDharnai,butvillagerssoon
learnedthatitcouldnthandletheloadforbasichouseholdchoreslikecooking
andironing.PhotobyGayathriVaidyanathan.

"I'dagree100percentthisisprimarilya
developmentsolution,notaclimatesolution,"
saidJustinGuay,climateprogramofficeratthe
DavidandLucilePackardFoundationwhowas

previouslywiththeSierraClub.

Whenalightbulbisn'tenough
TheIndiangovernmentplanstoexpandthecentralgridandhaspromisedthateverycitizenwillhavereliableelectricity
by2022.ByJune,theenergyministryestimatedithadalreadybroughtabout60percentofIndia's714,204unwired
villagesonline.
Tomeettheneedsof1.2billioncitizens,thegovernmentplanstodoublecoalextractionto1.5billionmetrictonsbythe
endofthedecadeandquadrupleitsrenewableenergycapacity.Atthesametime,officialshavepromisedthatwith
internationalassistanceIndiawillincreasetheshareofnonfossilbasedcapacityinitsenergymixto40percentby2030,
upfrom30percenttoday.Butanalystssaythatboostingthosecleanenergylevelswillnotbeeasy.
RupeshKumar,an11thgraderinDharnai,grewupstudyingbythelightofkerosenelanterns.Hewashopefulwhen
Greenpeacerepresentativescametohisfamily'stworoomhouse,walkingpasttwobuffaloestiedatthefrontporch.
Theypromisedhimalightbulbhecouldstudyby.Hehopestobethefirstinhisfamilytogotocollegeandgetajobother
thanfarming.
Overthreemonths,engineerssetup70kilowattsofphotovoltaiccellsontherooftopofpublicbuildingsscattered
throughoutthevillage.Theyinstalled224batteriestostoretheenergy.Artistspaintedacheerfulmuralofrainbowsand
birdsonthewallofthevillagechief'soffice,brandingthevillage"DharnaiLive."Thevillagealsohasawebsite.Alltold,
theinstallationcost2.7crorerupees($407,050).
Kumar'sfamilyreceivedonecompactfluorescentlightbulbandawalloutlettochargetheirmobilephone.Thepower
wouldbefreeforsixmonthsandthencost70rupeespermonth.Thatcomestoabout$1,butasteeppricetaginaplace
wherepoorpeopleearn,onaverage,theequivalentofabout30centsperday.MostofKumar'sneighborscouldnotafford
it.
Inthemoreprosperouspartofthevillage,welltodofamiliesalreadyhadrooftopsolarpanels.ButGreenpeace's
microgridpromisedtobemorereliable,andmanyofthemsignedup,aswell.
Thedaythepowercamewasoneofcelebration.Villagers,richandpooralike,atesweets.Then,thewealthyfamilies
pluggedinenergyinefficienttelevisionsandrefrigerators.Withthepowersuddenlyfacingheavydemand,thebatteries
drainedwithinhours.WhenKumarwokeupat4a.m.beforehisfarmingdutiestostudy,thelightbulbdidnotwork.
"Ithinkit'swrongthatwhenIstudied,thepowerwouldgetcut,"hesaid.

Bringingcoalfiredpowertotown
Themicrogridoperatorsscrambledtofixthe
mess.Thevillageelectrificationcommittee
decidedtorestrictelectricitysupplytofivehours
atnighttime.Greenpeaceputupposterstelling
peoplenottouseenergyhungryappliances
suchasricecookers,electricwaterheaters,
http://www.eenews.net/special_reports/greater_expectations/stories/1060026477/print

2/4

2/1/2016

NATIONS:ActivistssaysolarcanpowerIndia,butpoliticsandeconomicsofcoalwinoutMonday,October19,2015www.eenews.net
suchasricecookers,electricwaterheaters,
irons,spaceheatersandaircoolers.
Onemonthaftertherollout,Greenpeaceinvited
Bihar'sformerchiefminister,NitishKumar,to
inauguratethesolarvillage.Aheadofstate
visitingasmallvillageundertheglareof
televisioncamerasisahugedeal,andthe
citizensknewitwastheirbestchancetogeta
permanentsolution.

SolarpowerfailedRupeshKumar,an11thgraderinDharnai,whenhewantedto
studybeforehisfarmingchoresatdawn.PhotobyGayathriVaidyanathan.

Childrenheldplacardsandtheadultschanted
theirmantraaskingfor"real"electricity.
Oneweeklater,trucksrolledinandsetupa100kWtransformerintown,connectingDharnaitothegrid.
PowerisnowfreeforKumarandhisneighborswhoarebelowthepovertyline.Otherspay3rupeesperkilowatthourof
electricity.AsofJuly,villagersweregettingelectricitydayandnight,albeitwithpowercuts.Atsuchtimes,they'dusethe
microgridasabackup.
Meanwhile,enrollmentinthesolarprogramhasfallento120households,downfrom380atthestart,accordingto
RamapatiKumaroftheCentreforEnvironmentandEnergyDevelopment,whichoperatesthesystemnow.Hepreviously
headedGreenpeaceIndia'srenewableenergyprogram.
Dharnaiisaworkinprogress,andthemicrogridisoperatingasitwasdesigned,hesaid.Hehopesthatthegenerated
powerwillgetfedintothecentralgridinthefuture.India,atpresent,doesnothaveapolicytohandlesuchinputs.
Atpresent,solarpowerinDharnaicostsatleastthreetimesasmuchasgridpower.Itcansupportonlyexpensiveenergy
efficientappliances,suchasCFLbulbs.ACFLbulbinIndiacosts700rupees($10),whileanincandescentbulbcosts10
rupees(15cents).

Usingthepoorasaprocoalargument
M.V.Ramana,aphysicistatPrincetonUniversitywhohasstudiedenergyaccessinIndia,questionedtheethicsoffoisting
anexpensivesolutiononthepoor,who'vehistoricallycontributedsolittletoglobalwarming.
"Istronglyencourage[microgrids]forurban,upperclassesofpeoplewhocanaffordit,"hesaid."But[Iwould]notdoiton
thebacksofpeoplewhoarepoorandwhocan'taffordtheseexperiments."
Gridpower,whichinIndia'scaseismostlycoalbased,generatesenoughelectricitytopowerfactories,agricultural
processing,hospitals,schoolsandmalls,allofwhichdrivehumandevelopmentandcreatejobs,saidAlexTrembath,a
senioranalystattheCaliforniabasedBreakthroughInstitute.
Groupsthatclaimthatmicrogridscanfuel
similarlevelsofdevelopmentare"conducting
cleanenergyandclimatepolicyonthebacksof
theglobalpoor,"healsoargued.
GuayofthePackardFoundationstrongly
disagreedandsaidthatevenasinglelightbulb
poweredbyamicrogridisvaluabletosomeone
withoutpower.Decentralizedgridsare
solutionsofthefuturewhilethecentralgridis
like"whaleoil,"hesaid.

MonthsaftertherolloutofdozensofsolarrooftoppanelsinDharnai,thechief
ministerorderedthevillageconnectedtothecentralgrid.PhotobyGayathri
Vaidyanathan.

"Ithaseverythingtodowithprogress,"Guay
said."Idon'tthinkyouwillseeasingleperson
saythatthepoorshouldcontinuetousewhale
oilinthe21stcenturyandcallthatethicaland
progressive."
Onlyasmallnumberofvillagesaretooremote
tobehookedtothecentralgridandwouldbe

goodcandidatesformicrogridonlysolutions,Ramanasaid.Thegovernmenthasidentified12,771suchvillages.There
arealsothousandsofhamletswherefewerthan100familieslivethatcouldbenefit,otherexpertssaid.

Avillage'sgratitudeforcoal
AsthesunsetinDharnaionarecentsummerevening,Greenpeace'ssolarpoweredstreetlampsswitchedonand
pooledwhitelightalongthethoroughfare.Villagerschattedonstreetsthatwouldhaveoncebeenpitchdark.Lifehas
improvedafterGreenpeacecame,theysaid.
Notbecausethegroupbroughtsolar.Rather,theysaid,theyappreciatethatthegroupbroughtthechiefminister,who
broughtinthegrid.

http://www.eenews.net/special_reports/greater_expectations/stories/1060026477/print

3/4

2/1/2016

NATIONS:ActivistssaysolarcanpowerIndia,butpoliticsandeconomicsofcoalwinoutMonday,October19,2015www.eenews.net
YetacanopyofwiresandplasticbottlesoverhangingDharnai'sstreetsisalsoevidenceofIndia'sproblematiccentralgrid.
Thoughthevillagerspreferittosolar,theyacknowledgethegovernment'ssupplyisunreliable.
ThecutsareareminderthatIndia'selectricitydemandfaroutstripssupply.Bihar'spowerplantsthisyeararegenerating
21percentlesselectricitythanneededduringpeakdemand.Thegovernmenthasnevermulledwhetheritshouldkeep
coalinthegroundforthesakeoftheclimatebecauseitcanuseallofthepoweritcanget,Ramanaexplained.
Towardthatend,Indiahasannouncedanambitiousplantoinstall100GWofsolarby2022,upfrom3GWtoday.The
targetwouldbedifficulttoachieveinthenextfewdecades,analystssay.Solarphotovoltaicsarenotcostcompetitivewith
coal.AndIndia'saginggridcannothandlethefluctuationsincapacitythatoccurwhenthewinddiesorthesunhides
behindclouds.
ChristopherField,directoroftheCarnegieInstitutionforScience'sDepartmentofGlobalEcologyandanactiveparticipant
intheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,saidthatrichnationshaveamoralresponsibilitytomakerenewables
moreaffordableinthedevelopingworld.
Untilthathappens,coalplantswillcontinuebeingbuiltinIndiainthenearfuture,FieldsaidinaninterviewinAugust.
"Rightnow,ifIwerePrimeMinisterModi,I'dbesaying,'Gee,IcandelivercoalbasedelectricitywaycheaperthanIcan
deliverrenewables,"hesaid.
Twitter:@gayathriv

Email:gvaidyanathan@eenews.net

Advertisement

ThePremierInformationSourceforProfessionalsWhoTrackEnvironmentalandEnergyPolicy.
19962016E&EPublishing,LLCPrivacyPolicySiteMap

http://www.eenews.net/special_reports/greater_expectations/stories/1060026477/print

4/4