To provide for such a large and growing population, India needs to find sustainable methods for producing enough energy for the entire population. Because so many energy sources are limited and harmful to the environment, it is essential that India invest in renewable, environmentally friendly solutions to its energy need.
In the Indian Renewable Energy Status Report, Arora, Busche, and Cowlin, state that India has lots of potential to use renewable energy to meet the country’s growing energy demand because of several factors. Abundant natural resources in India make it possible for the country to use renewable energy sources. For example, India has the world’s largest amount of solar radiation. It also has potential for wind farms both on land and offshore because of high wind velocities. Renewable energy is also important in India for decreasing dependence on fossil fuels from other countries. Because fossil fuels are nonrenewable, the prices are expected to increase due to competition among nations. Having other sources of energy would prevent India from being a victim of the price increases. Another reason renewable energy is a promising solution for India is that it can provide energy to both rural and urban areas including impoverished areas. In addition, renewable energy is attractive for India because it can help the country achieve its goal to reduce carbon emissions in order to decrease climate change. Working towards using more renewable energy sources would also help India as it strives to become a word leader for renewable energy (Arora, Busche & Cowlin, 2010).
Wind is a natural, renewable energy source that provides one of the most promising solutions to India’s energy goals and some action has already been taken by the country in this area. As of 2009, India had the fifth highest installed wind capacity in the world (Arora, Busche & Cowlin, 2010). The potential capacity for wind in India is about 45,000 MW (“Renewable Energy”, 2007). However, efficiency of India’s wind farms needs to be improved (Arora, Busche, & Cowlin, 2010). Only about 12 GW of India’s installed wind capacity had been used in 2010. The Indian government has provided incentives to increase wind power use in the country (“Renewable Energy”, 2007).
Wind power reemerged as a promising energy source in the 1990s. This has continued into the 21st century as governments make policies in order to be more sustainable and cut down on carbon emissions. Present day wind turbines operate by converting power in wind into electricity and the turbines are connected to an electrical network to provide electricity. An upward force on the shaft of the turbine due to wind that causes the shafts to spin produces the power that causes wind to convert to electricity. Wind turbines have a lot of potential applications. They can store energy, produce fuel, upgrade fuel of lower energy, and provide distributed generation (Manwell, McGowen & Rogers, 2009).
While wind energy shows a lot of potential for India’s future, there are some negative aspects of wind farms. Wind farms can destroy wildlife. Many birds and bats have been killed from flying into the structures. The public has also complained about wind farms because of the noise that they cause. Many people believe that wind farms are very unattractive and not aesthetically pleasing (Macfarlane, 2007).
In order to meet the demands for energy, I believe that India should invest heavily in renewable energy sources that do not provide as many damaging effects to the environment as fossil fuels. India should utilize its natural resources in order to provide energy from sustainable sources. Wind energy should particularly be invested in and India should meet its potential for wind power and make use of all its installed wind capacity. The negative aspects of wind power should be considered but it must be acknowledged that the cons are minimum in comparison to the benefits including the decrease of carbon emissions and climate change that it will allow. There is essentially no perfect solution. Any energy source will have both pros and cons and in comparison to other sources, wind power has much more minimal negative or damaging aspects. In order to minimize the noise and negative aesthetic impact of wind power, serious planning should go in to where wind farms are placed. If possible, farms should be located in areas that are already not particularly aesthetically pleasing and not too close to personal property where noise would be a major disturbance. Tracking bird migration should be performed so that wind turbines can be temporarily stopped during times of migration. Making the blades shorter might decrease the chance that a bird hits them as well. Education to citizens about the benefits of wind energy and the harm from alternative sources is also important. People would probably be less likely to complain about noise and aesthetics if they realized that it was better than the alternative. If they knew that it was helping to prevent the use of fossil fuels and thus air pollution and global warming and possibly even prevent increases in energy costs or conflict associated with limited supplies, the people would probably be more receptive to the idea of wind power.
Manwell, J., McGowen, J., & Rogers, A. (2009). Wind energy explained: theory, design, and application. (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.: Retrieved from http://reader.eblib.com.libproxy.furman.edu/(S(h3xk2kzmm5ew3e4m0x444sl2))/Reader.aspx?p=589269&o=764&u=A4dItgKXX8g%3d&t=1316735526&h=0FA4449DDBF891182A91F8D6DBD1F51E5A351732&s=10809787&ut=2378&pg=1&r=img&c=-1&pat=n#
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