Renew the world, renew yourself

As the world becomes increasingly concerned about the harmful effects of fossil fuel usage and other unsustainable practices, people from specific sections of the polity and economy – specifically government, scientists and polluting industries – are beginning to make considerable efforts. In order that the world becomes more sustainable, efforts are required from every section of the society and population, and not just scientists and industries. However, the awareness about our unsustainable lifestyle and harmful effects of fossil fuels is present only among a small percentage of the population and society.
This needs to change.
One of the key sections that need to know more in this direction is our youth. The youngsters of today will be the researchers, industrialists and policy makers of tomorrow. It is hence imperative that this section gets acquainted with sustainability practices at the earliest.

Benefits of Renewable Energy
The following are the key benefits of renewable energy:

• Renewable
• Low carbon footprint
• Lower pollution
• Less reliance on monopolies
• Higher social equity

Renewable – The most important benefit from renewable energy is that - renewable! Unlike fossil fuels which will be depleted within the next few decades (there will be no oil after 50 years, no natural gas after 75 years and no coal after 100). Only renewable energy sources can power our development forever.
Low carbon footprint – CO2 is the most important contributor to global warming, and thus any fuel that releases less CO2 represents a more secure and sustainable fuel. Solar, wind, geothermal, wave and tidal energy emit no CO2 while generating power. Biomass power does emit CO2, but the net CO2 contribution is very low because biomass also consumes CO2 during its growth. Overall, renewable sources of energy emit little net CO2 emissions when compared to fossil fuels.
Lower pollution – Outside of CO2, fossil fuels also result in significantly high emissions of NOx (nitrogen oxide), SO2 (sulphur dioxide) etc. Renewable energy sources do not emit these pollutants. In India, millions of villagers use kerosene for lighting, and the use of kerosene alone results in thousands of deaths from respiratory diseases. Just imagine how much better it would be to save so many thousands every year by the simple act of switching over to solar energy for lighting!
Less reliance on monopolies – The nature of fossil fuels results in a situation where the world has to depend on monopolistic corporations for the fuel supply. Such monopolies rarely act in the interests of the end user, especially poor end users. Oil monopolies have in fact been blamed even for the wars in the Middle East. In the case of fossil fuels, it will be difficult or impossible for small businesses or individuals to play a role in this. On the other hand, in the case of renewable energy, because of its distributed nature, and because the feedstock is free in most cases (except in the case of domains such as biomass), small businesses and even individuals can be power producers. This helps in breaking the clutches of monopoly.
More social equity – Renewable energy sources such as biomass require involvement of thousands of farmers in the production of the feedstock. The growth in these sectors can provide livelihood to a large number of poor farmers and can uplift them from poverty. This way, while the higher strata of society can enjoy energy security, the rural poor can also enjoy the fruits of economic and social growth.
Renewable sources of energy will have significant and relatively quick impacts on CO2 (carbon) emissions. This is because, of the 35 billion tons of CO2 emitted by humans every year, about 10 billion tons are emitted by power plants using coal (or natural gas), and another 8 billion tons are emitted from the transport sector. Thus, over 50% of the total CO2 emissions are from the use of fossil fuels in these two sectors alone. If renewable fuels are used in the place of fossil fuels, CO2 emissions can be significantly decreased. The use of renewable energy thus presents one of the most effective paths to a low carbon world.

Great job opportunities for the youth
Another long term benefit of Renewable Energy is the job opportunities it will provide to the youth in the near future. Renewable energy sources – solar, wind, biomass power, hydro power, waste to energy, to name a few – are some of the fastest growing businesses in the world. In 2010, the total investments worldwide in renewable energy were $210 billion. By 2011, this had grown to $260 billion, an increase of over 25%. By 2020, it is estimated that nearly 20 million new jobs would be created worldwide in this sector by 2020, of which one million would be in India alone. These jobs will span the entire gamut of roles – right from blue collar workers to engineers and scientists. Many of these job profiles will require specialised skills, and with many international companies expected to enter the Indian renewable energy sector, many of these jobs could be lucrative in terms of career growth and compensation.
So, there are environmental and professional reasons why the youth of India should learn about renewable energy. But, at present, the awareness among them is very low. When EAI (Energy Alternatives India) did a survey among college students about their awareness levels of sustainability and clean technology in general and renewable energy in particular, it was found that students from even the top most colleges in the country had almost no idea about this subject. Many of them had heard about terms like solar energy and wind energy, but that was pretty much they knew.
This is all the more surprising given that colleges all over India (and even schools) had clearly indicated their interest in imparting knowledge about renewable energy. What could be the reasons behind this lack of awareness in spite of the interest shown by the faculty and management of schools and colleges?

I can think of three reasons:
One, these are early days and it will take a while before the interest shown by the educational institutions turn into tangible results.
Two, even though the educational institutions are interested, they are not able to find enough teachers and faculty with expertise to handle the appropriate course.
And lastly, the students are not made to realise the importance of renewable energy - instead, the courses are thrust upon them.
Little can be done about the first problem viz., that it is early days and that things will take a while. Solving the second problem requires coordinated efforts between many stakeholders – academia, industry, and the government. Thankfully, there are steps in this direction that will hopefully make available significant skills for renewable energy and sustainability in the near future.
Solving the third problem – that of the youth not being made to realise the importance of renewable energy and sustainability – is where significant gains can be made with little investment.

Media should build awareness
Building awareness about renewable energy is not enough – what is required to make the youth realise how critical renewable energy is for a more secure world. More than formal educational courses, the awareness can be spread better through informal media and through powerful story telling. This is where the traditional media can play a vital role.
A number of life changing effects are being realised worldwide through the use of renewable energy. In thousands of remote villages of India, people who have never seen electricity before today enjoy electricity from solar panels. Poor farmers are today able to get more from their farms because they can have wind turbines running in them along with their crops. Many industries, especially in north India, who were losing productivity and revenues because of severe power cuts are today able to run their businesses much better and provide employment to more people thanks to the use of biomass based power in their premises. The above are just a few examples of how renewable energy is making a serious difference already to a wide range of segments – villagers, poor farmers, industries.
What is required is, for the youth of India to be exposed to the dramatic changes renewable energy in specific, and sustainable practices in general, are bringing about to India and its people. It is often said that the way to one’s mind is through one’s heart. So true. If we wish to turn the minds of the Indian youth towards renewable energy and sustainability, it is important to first target their hearts. Let them feel the elation that a remote villager who had never seen electricity feels when he sees his child being able to read at night. Let them feel the relaxation of a severe heart patient who could still use her air conditioner even though there is no power. And let them feel the satisfaction of the Indian middle class household who is now able to cut down LPG costs because he uses biogas produced in his kitchen from garden waste.
It used to be said that “seeing is believing”. I say that “feeling is believing”. If the Indian youth is able to feel the effects of renewable energy and sustainable practices, it should not be very difficult to convince him to learn more about it – in fact, don’t be surprised if he insists on learning more about it!

The writer is Cofounder and Director, EAI (www.eai.in), one of the leading Indian research and intelligence firms focused on renewable energy and clean technology. He has co-authored over 15 reports in the fields of second and third generation biofuels, biomass power and solar PV power plants. He has also cofounded CleanTick (www.cleantick.com), a global online community for renewable energy and cleantech professionals.

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