"Thou hast seen nothing
yet."
-Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish,
1547-1616)
Word for the day
Brickbat (n)
An unkind or unfavorable
remark; caustic criticism
(Source: Dictionary.com)
Malice towards
none
PM Modi delivered yet
another entertaining performance overseas.
Hand on your heart &
pinky swear - did you watch the show on TV, till the end?
Growth on the fringes
Driving through the famous Yamuna Expressway, I realized that
unlike most older roads in Uttar Pradesh (and most other parts of the country),
this one has no tree planted on the fringes.
May be tree planting is part of a later schedule. May be it is
not.
I observed that this stretch of 145kms clean road could certainly
be used for installing pillar mounted solar panels on both sides of the road
without any botheration. The electricity thus generated could illuminate many
villages alongside the road, and even be used for charging electric vehicles
that may ply on the road in future.
It also struck my mind that why a similar exercise could not be
done on the vacant land alongside rail tracks to meet a part of railways energy
needs.
It is true that at present cost of thermal power perhaps is
cheaper as compared to solar energy. But this gap could be easily met if the
government directs a part of savings on fuel subsidy to creation of a
sustainable energy security solutions.
In rural areas of east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar a majority of poor
households use kerosene for lightening purpose. Providing light to these houses
through this roadside or railside solar power 'plants' will save on kerosene
subsidy and associated health cost also.
It would be worthwhile discussing whether installing solar panels
alongside all new highways, expressways and railways could be made an integral
part of the road and rail contracts at the awarding stage itself. This will in
effect automatically divert a part road cess collected on sale of
transportation fuel towards sustainable energy security solution.
PM informed the nation that in past one year the government has
saved INR15,000cr from voluntary relinquishment of LPG subsidy. This money
alone could be used to set up 2500MW roadside solar power generation capacity.
One successful project will motivate many others to give up LPG subsidy.
In this environment of falling prices and credit cost, the
government should focus on creating sustainable growth solutions by investing
rather than obsessing about containing fiscal deficit below 4%.
I have said it many times before and do not mind repeating it
again. Non-conventional power is one idea that is catching up fast with the
people. A road trip across villages of UP and Bihar would show you that
"Chinese Power Bank" are the hottest FMCG products for the power
starved. These power banks are used to keep mobile phone operational during
regular long power cuts.
Small roof top and portable solar panels is one idea whose time
has come, in my view. Rising cost of regular electricity and poor availability
will continue driving consumers in smaller towns and villages towards this
renewable source.
I believe this certainly has the potential to become even a bigger
market than mobile telephony and Maruti 800.
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