Somehow the slogan of Karnataka Tourism – one state, many worlds! - is quite fitting. In truth it echoes the diversity that is the essence of the Indian experience. We took in big eyefuls’ of state initiated development initiatives, from four lane highways, new buildings, efficient intra-state bus services and scenic wind farms on a recent visit to three districts on a VER exercise. The district of Chitradurga is arguably host to more wind farms than any other in the state of Karnataka probably owing to its optimal wind patterns. The environs of Chitradurga are dotted with knolls and small hillocks atop which sit rows of state-of-the-art wind turbines. They lend a futuristic halo to this ancient town that boasts one of the oldest forts of India, dating back to the Mauryas. Karnataka is currently wooing global investments and, to this end, is sparing no energy in sprucing up its international image. This padding, however, is only for its cities. Its rural hinterland remains the way it is – underdeveloped if not abandoned. The energy crisis of the state is far from being balanced by the big energy initiatives underway. Ironically, the big and impressive windmills in rural Karnataka generate power for its big cities far away. Those in its immediate shadow are left on the two main axes of its energy graph - big power cuts and no power at all. The energy distribution story of the state epitomises the developmental divide within it. It holds true for just about every Indian state. Hard as it may seem to reckon with, the fact is that the energy crisis is here to stay. Conventional thinking and planning just cannot deal with its magnitude. Simply put, the energy needs of this nation are far in excess of its supply and will always remain so. Newer elements have to be added to the mix if the problem is to be contained. Nonconventional energy has a great role to play in offsetting India's massive energy deficits. Decentralised captive power for basic home lighting and domestic needs from renewable sources – sun and wind – hold great promise both for the cities and rural India if the government would only wake up to the potential it hides.
As always there are a few who see a problem (while others only look away) and are moved to address it. These are developmental pioneers who hack ways through economic, social and technological jungles to clear a pathway for a new (and much needed) intervention. Having no precedents, they are forced to create their own agendas, objectives and standards, which eventually go on to become benchmarks for others to respect or emulate.
The Solar Electric Light Company (SELCO www.selco-india.com) is a pioneer in developing and distributing off grid lighting solutions for the rural poor – the BOP. This segment has big energy needs that are not being adequately met through official channels. This continuing energy deprivation forces many of this segment to burn fossil fuels (kerosene) that is a proven health and safety hazard. Poor lighting also places restrictions on their social and economic activities and, in particular, affects the schooling of their children. Armed with resolve (and the technology and human resources to go with ) SELCO set out to develop stand alone home lighting kits for remote villages that are both off-grid and off-map. Today their presence is far flung and their operations include remote locations that are home to subsistence farmers, in geographical terrains ranging from parched black soil (that turn to squelchy swamps after a downpour) to leach infested forested agricultural enclaves in the slopes of the Western-Ghats. Thanks to this 'bright' crusade a few hundred rural families in various districts of Karnataka are able each night to congregate, eat ,socialize and study in the clear light of solar lights and lanterns that they maintain themselves. The SELCO experiment holds the seed of a decentralized energy model that can be used to light up the homes (and lives) of millions in India who are always bypassed by the government because they are too far down the pyramid to count. Decentralised off grid lighting initiatives like these are democratic in their vision and exemplary in their expression. They also endorse the power and potential of renewable energy and the many useful technologies they can spawn.
