During his debate with former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden claimed: “The only existential threat to humanity is climate change.” Climate policies, not climate change, are the real existential threat to billions of people across our planet.
The allure of a green utopia masks the harsh realities of providing affordable and reliable electricity. Americans could soon wake up to a dystopian future if the proposed Net Zero and Build Back Better initiatives — both aimed at an illogical proliferation of unreliable renewables and a clampdown on dependable fossil fuels — are implemented.
Nowhere is this better reflected than in remote regions of India where solar panels are now being used to construct cattle sheds.
The transformation of Dharnai in the state of Bihar into a “solar village” was marked by great enthusiasm and high expectations. Villagers were told the solar microgrid would provide reliable electricity for agriculture, social activities, and daily living. The promise engendered a naïve trust in a technology that has failed repeatedly around the world.
The news media showcased this Greenpeace initiative as a success story for “renewable” energy in a third-world country. CNN International’s “Connect the World” said Dharnai’s micro-grid provided a continuous supply of electricity. For an unaware viewer sitting in, say, rural Kentucky, solar energy would have appeared to be making great strides as a dependable energy source.
But the Dharnai system would end up on the long list of grand solar failures.
“As soon as we got solar power connections, there were also warnings to not use high power electrical appliances like television, refrigerator, motor, and others,” said a villager. “These conditions are not there if you use thermal power. Then what is the use of such a power? The solar energy tariff was also higher compared to thermal power.”
A village shopkeeper said: “But after three years, the batteries were exhausted, and it was never repaired. … No one uses solar power anymore here.” Perhaps the solar panels will last longer as a shelter for cows.
Eventually, the village was connected to the main grid, which provided fully reliable coal-powered electricity at a third of the price of solar power.
Dharnai is not an isolated case. Several other large-scale solar projects in rural India have had a similar fate. Writing for the publication Mongabay, Manish Kumar said: “Once (grid) electricity reaches unelectrified villages, the infrastructure and funds used in the installation of such off-grid plants could prove futile.”
While green nonprofits and the liberal mainstream media have the embarrassment of a ballyhooed solar project being converted to cattle sheds, conventional energy sources like coal continue to power India’s more than 1.3 billion people and the industries their economies depend on.
India saw a record jump in electricity demand this year, as more of the population achieved the financial wherewithal to afford air conditioning and appliances. During power shortages, coal often has come to the rescue. India allows its coal plants to increase coal stockpiles and import additional fuel without restrictions.
India will add more than 15 gigawatts in the year ending March 2025 (the most in nine years) and aims to add a total of 90 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity by 2032.
Energy reality is inescapable in a growing economy like India’s, and only sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas can meet the demand. Fossil fuels can be counted on to supply the energy necessary for modern life, and “green” sources cannot.
India is putting economic growth ahead of any climate-based agenda to reduce their use of fossil fuels and has delayed its target for “net zero” until 2070.
The story of Dharnai serves as a cautionary tale for the implementation of renewable energy projects in rural India, where pragmatism is the official choice over pie in the sky.
This commentary was first published in Daily Caller.