China’s Green Revolution Story. India might have a chance to beat them.
Introduction
India and China at the time of their independence were at a relatively same socio-economic status. But China somehow seems to have leapt through a lot of growth and progress in the green energy sector in the last decade.
A global study conducted in 2017 found that the rate of extreme poverty globally was decreased from 35.3 per cent in 1990 to an estimated 9.6 per cent in 2015. That indicates more than a billion people in the world lifted out of poverty. Although the numbers may sound quite dramatic, there is a false sense of progress lunged in it. Of the one billion people, the majority, about 730 million are from China. China was able to reduce poverty form 66.6 per cent in 1990 to less than 2 per cent in 2015.
China’s transition since the beginning of this century has been widely underappreciated and unnoticed. China has made substantial progress in almost all fronts from digital to hardware.
But this high growth comes at a cost, the production cost — an exponential energy demand. When a single country manufactures more goods than any other country it has to have a high energy demand. And just like most countries, they expanded preferring coal-powered plants.
China And Their Image. The Why?
In 2008 China hosted the Olympics for the first time in the capital city of Beijing. This was the first time the curtains were lifted on the country and Western Media was allowed inside, it was the time to showcase their prowess and development to the world through the most-watched televised international event. For this reason, China went to great lengths they stopped all industrial production centres in the capital city, placed a new ban on the cars in the area, and even controlled the rain on the auspicious night all to look bright. But the days following did not prove bright for its image as athletes had cancelled or changed events because of its signature smog covered air. Contrary to popular belief the officials did consider this as a problem and had mainstream media reporting on it, this is because it was not only affecting cities like Linfen in Shanxi Province (VICE has extensively reported on this), it was affecting major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen. It got to such a point that planes couldn’t land, people couldn’t view their hands in front of them. Instead of considering it as a backlash China embraced the problem and took to investing in renewable energy sources. From cleaning smog chocked skies, polluted water, and land to enhancing energy security have become their main goal to be achieved over the year. China views this “Big Push” to renewables not just as an environmental strategy but equally as a business and developmental strategy complemented with the production of wind turbines, solar cells, LEDs, electric vehicles, and many more. China’s 21st Century strategies are focused on scaling up renewable energy to power their modernization in terms of smart grids, high-speed rail, industrial expansion with less reliance on fossil fuels.
The Green Revolution strategy
A renewable energy generation system powered by water, wind, and solar of capacity higher than the four preceding countries USA, Germany, India, and Spain combined in capacity added (as of 2019). China’s per capita CO2 emissions are low compared to other developed countries but with the highest population of 1.3 billion people, the largest car market produces a quarter of worldwide emissions. From China’s perspective, they view their strategies akin to that of Britain’s coal-powered 19th Century Industrial revolution and America’s 20th Century oil-based strategies that took it to superpower status.
- Availability
Another world Bank statics report mentions that electricity is available to 99.7 per cent of China’s population. Even with such high availability creating universal access to power remains a central goal. Further increase in industrial capacity with a focus on manufacturing the most energy-intensive area has been the propagating factor. In a sort of recursive way, China focussed on manufacturing units like solar panels and wind turbines that supply renewable energy in excess, further decreasing reliance on fossil fuels.
- Investment
Rather than focusing blindly on increasing generation capacity, the focus was put on making processes more energy-efficient, and such investments were made in those areas. In making energy-efficient they tackle the problem at the core with the creation of less pollution. As a fact, China has some of the most energy-intensive industries in the world like aluminium, steel, and cement production. (Fun Fact: China had poured more concrete by 2014 in three years than the U.S in the entire 20th Century.).Their global production capacity accounts for more than half in each of the three above mentioned industries. In recent observations, it has been noticed that China has been lowering its energy intensity (Except in 2001 when it began the rapid industrialization). Unlike its Western counterparts, China has continually reduced its energy intensity for example by 2014 it reduced by 4.8 per cent and set a further reduction target by 3.1 per cent in the following year.
- Carbon Intensity
Due to its high global contribution to global carbon emissions, carbon intensity is the major target of reductions. In comparing the reduction there had been a 17percent reduction in the five years of 2010 to 2015 and aim for a 45 per cent reduction by 2020 (in comparison to 2005 levels). These are some commitments made at the Copenhagen Conference of Parties in 2009, which China aims to achieve. Even with a late start in industrialization, China aims to fulfil its duty of reducing carbon emissions they have started to peak its energy revolution by 2030 (after which it continues a downtrend). Some have even estimated that they might meet this achievement well before the date.
So What about India. Is there hope?
For India, the problem is much more varied and the solution isn’t so simple but it does have certain areas to work upon and improvements to make. The government with the people of India has made quite progresses in electricity generation and distribution. Major problems aside India still faces a lot of challenges in this region which were even worse for China at a certain point in time. The major problem starts with the production side. The only sector of the economy where the demand is far higher than supply (20% shortfall). To achieve certain goals policies need to change, policies that regulate the unmetered agricultural load segment which is a huge part, along with rules to regulate theft of power which has left the Discoms broke. Huge growth is required and to shed the losses and to reach an industrial peak.
From the above example of the Chinese infrastructure, India can learn to convert its atrocities to advantages. In the precedent of events of the former years, India has started ramping up industrial production and renewable integrations. In terms of manufacturing and energy sectors, India has started ramping up its capacity and is starting to create a level field with its neighbour. But like mentioned before the problem is not simple and the solution comes with a lot of challenges in its sense.
In the face of such challenges, individual Indians have seemed to have taken up matters into their own hands along with the government. India with its great talent pool of people has already started integration of batteries and solar modules forming the basis of smart/microgrids. Being late to the party means that India will have the ability to leapfrog its way to more energy-efficient and energy secure infrastructure. Unlike most nations, India will not be needing a total revamp of its infrastructure but a new smart way of integration. In the current growth progress, India not has a chance to outdo its progress but also the rest of the world, all we need is hope and our willingness to see through the dark into the bright future of The Largest Green Revolution.
Thank you for the read!
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