Energy Policy - A relook 2

I literally donno , may be coincidence ! Today, I came across another article about Energy security by Shyam saran, on the same lines. Some Excerpts are below

In his address to the US Congress in 2009, President Barack Obama declared, “We know that the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the twenty-first century.”

The history of energy use is a history of burning carbon....This carbon lies congealed in wood, coal, oil and gas. 18th century industrial revolution by wood.. 19th by coal .. 20th by oil & natural gas.. 21st ... should be RE

more important because, "  Energy, like ICT, is a force multiplier since it impacts the entire spectrum of economic activities." These include solar energy, wind power, bio-fuels, wave energy, hydrogen fuel cells and, of course, nuclear energy.

 Diference for past is "is the unmistakable shift towards making them the mainstay of economic activity."


Wind power is being developed rapidly but technological constraints still limit potential capacity. It is, therefore, likely to remain a niche application for the time being.

Bio-fuels have a much larger potential and some promising R&D work is being carried out in countries which have strong capabilities in bio-technology and bio-chemistry. In India, an interesting project involves the cultivation of seaweeds in off-shore rafts to yield bio-fuels.

Nuclear energy is a fully tested technology but potential capacity is limited by the availability of uranium. However, with fast-breeder technologies becoming viable, the waste from each cycle of generation can be reprocessed to create fuel for the next cycle and thus qualify as renewable. India is one of the few countries which have an advanced fast-breeder reactor programme. It is, therefore, well positioned to take a lead.

Despite the promise of these new energy technologies, significant gains in the foreseeable future will have to come from increased energy efficiency.

Concerns over climate change are adding a compelling salience to this trend of enhancing energy efficiency and promoting renewable and clean energy. Climate change and energy are two sides of the same coin.

An ambitious National Solar Mission has been announced targeting 20,000 Mw capacity by 2022. The National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency is designed to release significant energy savings through the promotion of energy efficiency.

There will be need to work through multi-sectoral and cross-disciplinary processes and institutions. In India, both government and corporates still work in relatively isolated compartments permeated with hierarchical mindsets.