JUSTICE WILL BE DENIED AGAIN AT THE COST OF ITS PERFORMANCE — DECODING POLITICS OF ENERGY
If you look at a data sheet of a truck engine of 1960s and compare this with ones of 2010s, three key technological differences sum up efforts of last fifty years by engineering community. Power to Displacement ratio doubled from typical 14.8 kWm/Litre to now in excess of 34.2 kWm/Litre and riding upon metallurgical & electronics advancements Weight to Power ratio reduced by half from earlier 5.7 kgs/kWm to now 3.1 kgs/kWm. Smaller & lighter — less use of primary natural resources is always desirable. Specific fuel consumption improved by a factor of about 10–15% from 235.6 gms/kWHr to now about 208 gms/kWH under comparable specified conditions although one can point out to a lower number too. This means that if older engine consumed say 50 litres / hour during 1960s, modern day engine consumes 43 litres / hour spewing less GHG emissions. It is not to undermine waste heat recovery technologies & use of renewables which certainly are driving carbon off. You find a large data on environment in today’s data sheets of engines in terms of standards and amount of NOx, SOx & particulate matters emissions whereas old engine data sheets did not carry any such information. We are definitely more aware of environmental impacts than ever before. It takes years to get a percent of efficiency improvement, decades to find a newer source of cleaner energy and this human pursuit is filled with innovation, grit, excellence & excitement.
On the other hand, per capita global annual electricity consumption rose from about 1,100 to closer to 3,100 kWH in these 50 years at rate of 3x. Per capita consumption in United States rose from 4,049 kWH in 1960 to 14,220 kWH in 2010 — an increment of 3.5x. Indonesia stands at 1,031 kWH/capita while Nigeria is at 152 kWH/capita in 2019. Even factoring higher usage for extremely cold & hot countries, you can easily see societal inequalities of this gigantic proportion 1:10:100 when we compare these three countries. Look at global population in this time period. It increased from 3.04b in 1960 to 6.95b in 2010 — a rise of 2.3x. See this interesting table.
Rise in global electricity consumption by 3x, in the name of development and life style, is just a human pursuit of mindless greed.
While world takes decades to improve efficiency by few percentage points with participants brimming with joy of achievement, consumption grows in multiple fuelled by participants filled with sheer greed.
I looked at H. Res. 109 resolution of the US House of Representatives dated 7 Feb 2019 led by Congresswoman Ms Cotez towards recognition of the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal. It looks quite ambitious on its face holding in its belly terms like reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, bridging economic inequality, expanding worker participation and counteracting racial injustices. She appeared to have galvanised a large number of people as a messiah to bring about societal changes while greening the vast land of America. Politicians often create such perceptions, many in all sincerity & unknown prejudices and she was perhaps no different. Besides being absurd on many levels many can argue, I failed to see any mention of reduction of electricity consumption or greed anywhere. Yes there is a recipe to convert oil into solar but no reduction targets. If you look hard, reduction alone has the potential to meet real intent of green new deal. Green new deal did not ask this question why an American (or any other countrymen/women for that matter in similar range of per capita consumption) has to consume 14,220 kWH each year when world averages 3,100; an Indonesian averages 1,031 kWH and a Nigerian does 152 kWH. Coal & Oil and any association with them has been condemned so mercilessly that its mere reference assigns one to being a merchant of death. Pronouncements like Green New Deal coupled with such intense vilification of carbon intensive energy sources within prophecy of doom cause sharp division among people. Young minds, in particularly, get charmed that they shut them to a rational discourse. I am certainly in support of creating newer renewable capacities and actually do it but the real solution is in returning to a sustainable level of consumption. Reduction of consumption will compress market and these participants, often powerful, filled with greed will create new age green energy merchants while justice will be denied again at the cost of performance of justice as always.
Green New Deal keeps coming in some way or other and I chose to offer my views within a larger context before it is too late. I do not guarantee 100% accuracy of data but I use them to drive understanding of a reader.
Hemant Pincha/4 March 2021
