{"id":336510,"date":"2024-07-15T12:06:40","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T10:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=336510"},"modified":"2024-07-15T12:06:42","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T10:06:42","slug":"worlds-most-populous-nation-has-put-solar-out-to-pasture-other-countries-should-follow-suit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=336510","title":{"rendered":"World\u2019s Most Populous Nation Has Put Solar Out To Pasture. Other Countries Should Follow Suit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From CO2 Coalition<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Vijay Jayaraj<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his debate with former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden claimed<\/a>: \u201cThe only existential threat to humanity is climate change.\u201d What if I told you that it is not climate change but climate policies that are the real existential threat to billions across our planet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The allure of a green utopia masks the harsh realities of providing affordable and reliable electricity. Americans could soon wake up to a dystopian future if the proposed Net Zero<\/a> and Build Back Better<\/a> initiatives \u2014 both aimed at an illogical proliferation of unreliable renewables and a clamp down on dependable fossil fuels \u2014 are implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowhere is this better reflected than in remote regions of India where solar panels \u2014 believed to provide clean and green energy \u2014 ultimately resulted in being used to construct cattle sheds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transformation of Dharnai<\/a> in the state of Bihar into a \u201csolar village\u201d was marked by great enthusiasm and high expectations. Villagers were told the solar micro-grid would provide reliable electricity for agriculture, social activities and daily living. The promise engendered a na\u00efve trust in a technology that has failed repeatedly around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The news of this Greenpeace initiative<\/a> quickly spread as international news media showcased it as a success story for \u201crenewable\u201d energy in a third world country. CNN International\u2019s \u201cConnect the World\u201d said<\/a> Dharnai\u2019s micro-grid provided a continuous supply of electricity<\/a>. For an unaware viewer sitting in, say, rural Kentucky, solar energy would have appeared to be making great strides as a dependable energy source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Dharnai system would end up on the long list of grand solar failures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as we got solar power connections, there were also warnings to not use high power electrical appliances like television, refrigerator, motor and others,\u201d said a villager<\/a>. \u201cThese conditions are not there if you use thermal power. Then what is the use of such a power? The solar energy tariff was also higher compared to thermal power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A village shopkeeper said<\/a>: \u201cBut after three years, the batteries were exhausted and it was never repaired. \u2026 No one uses solar power anymore here.\u201d Hopefully, the solar panels will last longer as shelter for cows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, the village was connected<\/a> to the main grid, which provided fully reliable coal-powered electricity at a third of the price of the solar power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dharnai is not an isolated case.  Several other large-scale solar projects in rural India have had a similar fate. Writing for the publication Mongabay, Mainsh Kumar said: \u201cOnce (grid) electricity reaches unelectrified villages, the infrastructure and funds used in installation of such off-grid plants could prove futile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While green nonprofits and the liberal mainstream media have the embarrassment of a ballyhooed solar project being converted to cattle sheds, conventional energy sources like coal continue to power India\u2019s more than 1.3 billion people and the industries their economies depend on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India saw a record jump in electricity demand this year, partly due to increased use of air conditioning units and other electrical appliances as more of the population achieved the financial wherewithal to afford them. During power shortages, coal often has come to the rescue. India allows its coal plants to increase coal stockpiles and import additional fuel without restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India will add more than 15 gigawatts in the year ending March 2025 (the most in nine years<\/a>) and aims to add a total of 90 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity by 2032.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy reality is inescapable in a growing economy like India\u2019s, and only sources such as coal, oil and natural gas can meet the demand. Fossil fuels can be counted on to supply the energy necessary for modern life, and \u201cgreen\u201d sources cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\u2019s stance is to put economic growth ahead of any climate-based agenda to reduce the use of fossil fuels. This was reaffirmed when the country refused to set an earlier target for its net zero commitment, delaying it until 2070.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of Dharnai serves as a cautionary tale for the implementation of renewable energy projects in rural India, where pragmatism is the official choice over pie in the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This commentary was first published at Daily Caller<\/em><\/a> on July 10, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay Jayaraj<\/a> is a Research Associate at the <\/em>CO2 Coalition<\/em><\/a>, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master\u2019s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, U.K., and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, U.K.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During his debate with former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden\u00a0claimed: \u201cThe only existential threat to humanity is climate change.\u201d What if I told you that it is not climate change but climate policies that are the real existential threat to billions across our planet?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":336513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691829689,691818056,691829690,691818154,691822036],"class_list":{"0":"post-336510","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-build-back-better","9":"tag-climate-change","10":"tag-dharnai","11":"tag-net-zero","12":"tag-vijay-jayaraj","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0GettyImages-1237672805-scaled-e1651872620263.jpg?fit=1280%2C549&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1pxA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":405367,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=405367","url_meta":{"origin":336510,"position":0},"title":"President Donald Trump vs. Governor Gavin Newsom on Climate Change","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"27\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"What a contrast. 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