Power sector a big contributor to global warming

Global warming is a serious threat staring at us is well-known, but few would know that the power sector has been a major contributor to it over the years. Its contribution is significant in the form of ever-increasing coal power plants that hugely pollute the environment.

Experts said India may soon become the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally. To combat global warming, the need to minimize CO2 emission from the power sector becomes obvious. Moreover, within the energy sector, electricity alone accounts for 65.4% for all greenhouse gas emissions.

There is an urgent need to reduce emissions from the power sector, which is possible only by minimizing the number of large conventional projects, and not by increasing them by a wide margin. We can lead comfortable lives even if we use one-third of the energy (electricity) that we are utilizing now. The need is to figure out how to use, transmit and save energy.

Elaborating on the power crisis in the state, YB Ramakrishna, executive chairman of the Karnataka State Biofuel Development Board, said a high 35% of electricity is lost in transmission and distribution.

Unless the overall efficiency in transmission and distribution of electricity is improved, the combined losses at the national level may increase from Rs 68,643 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 1.16 crore by 2014-15. Such losses have led to deprivation of adequate funding to other crucial sectors of our developmental process such as drinking water supply, poverty alleviation, health, education, rural infrastructure, etc.