Mukund Mavalankar
Aug 27, 2017 · 2 min read

I started reading the article by Saral Sakar with heightened interest as this subject is close to my heart. However I was very disappointed to see how shallow some of the observations of the esteemed writer. His arguments against using solar energy are complete falsehood. Only when human beings will start to transition to solar energy they will learn to use less and less energy. As long as we allow people to use dirty fuels like fossil fuels which are available at very low price, we will keep on degrading the environment. We are today at a critical juncture. If we do not start this transition on war footing today we might reach a point of no return.

I have calculated ER very accurately for the use of solar energy, even at the current level of efficiency. It is only one and a half year in the tropical region and 3 to 4 years in the case of temperate regions. This means that all the energy that is required to produce a solar photo voltaic system, including the energy required produce the solar panels, the frames to mount them, the energy require to produce the components of the inverter, the iron and steel required to make the structure and energy required to produce the batteries can be produced by the system in only one and a half year. The useful life of a solar cell and the system is 25 years. The remaining 23 and a half years of the life of the system is energy positive. This is very simple logic.

Of course when only when you start using sustainable energy you will realize that these energies only way you can make them sustainable is to reduce use of energy. As long as you have dirty cheap fossil fuel is made available to people they will not realise that we are soon going to run out of it and hence we should stop plundering the wealth accumulated on the earth by our forefathers and start using what is available to us. We can thus avoid the situation of bankruptcy.

Mukund Vishnu Mavalankar

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