– When I was a student, there were huge power cuts during the exam period, so we had to sit in the moonlight to read. If it was not starry, we would climb the street lamps and turn the light towards our houses so that we could read, recalls Lasya Gopal. She works at The Energy and Resources Institute in the city of Bengaluru. It is an independent sustainability organization in India. – When I think about it, it is incredible that we have come this far. It was only 25 years ago, she says. Because development is fast in the populous country. In 2010, 76 percent of India’s population had access to electricity, but according to the latest figures from 2020, 99 percent now have access. In just ten years, electrical infrastructure has been built for 331,800,000 people. This means that over 90,000 more Indians every day have gained access to electricity during this period. – It is a huge achievement to get electricity in most of the country, from large mountain landscapes to remote rainforests, says Lasya Gopal. She says that the enormous progress in spreading electricity in India is due to great political work and huge investments, which now provide better living conditions for millions of people. Because when you have electricity, it means, among other things, that you have light after dark, that you can charge your phone, and that food is no longer cooked over the fire, which is very harmful to health. Electricity makes life better Although you may not think about it, light has an important meaning. – Light is especially important for people with small businesses, who in the evening can sew, make incense sticks or matches and thus earn more money, says Lasya Gopal. Light also gives the opportunity to study in the evening, so that one does not, like Lasya Gopal, have to read in the glare of the street lights. Apart from light, electricity also enables the internet, making online education available in remote areas of India. With this, light actually helps to reduce poverty. But access to electricity also has a direct impact on the population’s health, as many cook food over the fire and smoke releases toxic particles that are inhaled. She explains that there are more deaths caused by lung diseases, especially in women and children, compared to fatal diseases such as AIDS and cancer. Parallel to the fact that electricity has become widespread in India, the proportion of the population that has received clean fuel for cooking has also grown. In 2010, 35 per cent of the population had access to clean fuel, and in 2020 this had risen to 68 per cent. It will extend the lives of many people. Power quality Although tremendous progress has been made in India, there are still challenges. – Cables have not yet been installed in all households, but it is on its way and it is only a matter of time, says Lasya Gopal. When 99 per cent have access to electricity, it practically means that they have access to simple light, charging a mobile phone or to a radio four hours a day. But in an Indian survey, 28 per cent of consumers believed that the electricity supply was not good enough, she explains. Therefore, there is a need to invest and modernize the technology of the current power grid, while the country’s economy is growing. – We are still not able to supply electricity to the extent that it is in demand, she says. Climate considerations While the demand for electricity is growing in India, the majority of their electricity is produced by coal and oil, and this naturally leads to the question of the country’s consideration of the climate. – Here we have to find a middle ground in consideration of people and the climate, says Lasya Gopal. Precisely for this reason, India is now also investing heavily in solar and wind energy, which is a cheap and quick way to convert to green energy. India has committed to being CO2-neutral by 2070. That is 20 years after Europe’s target, but as early as 2030, 50 percent of India’s energy must be produced from renewable energy. And it is slowly moving in the right direction, because the share of solar and wind energy has doubled from 4 to 8 percent from 2016 to 2021. Electricity consumption in India will nevertheless also rise when the last percent gains access to electricity. That corresponds to 14 million people. But here it is important to remember that an inhabitant of India emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 each year, while an inhabitant of Australia reaches up to 15 tonnes of CO2 per inhabitant.
ttn-70
Now 99 percent of the population in India has access to electricity
