Page 71 - Fostering Partnerships for Sustainable Habitat
P. 71
I t is in cities, and not the countryside, where the human Fossil fuels Biomass/ Hydropower
creative flame has burnt most brightly. For millennia they
78.4%
have been the centres and drivers of commercial, scientific,
political, and cultural life, exerting a major influence on
solar heat
10.2%
4.2%
1
countries and regions. It has been estimated by the United All renewables Modern renewables geothermal/ 3.6%
Nations that in 2007, for the first time in history, half of the 19.3% Tradional biomass Wind/solar/biomass/ Biofuels
geothermal power
for transport
2
world’s population were living in urban areas. Today’s cities 9.1% 1.6% 0.8%
are strong engines of growth and job creation, accounting for Nuclear Power
3
some 80 per cent of the global GDP. 2.3%
Cities have a high ecological footprint, covering 2 per cent » Figure 1 Estimated renewable energy share of the total energy
of the land area, containing 50 per cent of the population, and consumption, 2015
consuming 75 per cent of all resources. With a population of energy is harnessed from the heat
4
more than 1.2 billion, India is projected to be the world’s most populous country contained inside the Earth, be it from
by 2025. By 2050, it is estimated that India’s urban population will constitute the shallow ground, hot water, or hot
nearly half of the country’s total population, straining an already stressed urban rock. This is in contrast to bioenergy,
infrastructure. However, urbanization is also an indicator of positive economic which is a form of renewable energy
development. With improved urban planning, India can tackle urbanization made available from materials derived
challenges and increasing populations to create a country that is poised for from biological sources. Through a
sustainable growth. Additionally, urbanization creates environmental concerns, variety of processes, feedstocks can be
changes in consumption patterns, and increasing energy demands. These issues directly used to produce electricity or
are further aggravated by the disparities existing in this diverse country. With all heat, or can be used to create gaseous,
of these factors, focus is being given to green cities, smart cities, eco cities, resilient liquid, or solid fuels. Ocean energy
cities, liveable cities, and sustainable cities, to name a few. is a term used to describe all forms
Climate change has taken the form of a crisis, which has already impacted 70 per of renewable energy derived from
cent of the cities. Over 90 per cent of all urban areas are coastal. This by implication the sea. Generating technologies for
means that most cities on Earth are at a risk of flooding from rising waters and deriving electrical power from the
storms. Solutions are being developed at a micro and macro level to ensure climate ocean include tidal power, wave power,
change mitigation and adaptation. ocean thermal energy conversion,
Energy is an integral part of all these solutions as it drives the engine of ocean currents, ocean winds, and
development and growth. It runs the equipment; the lights; provides cooling and salinity gradients. Ocean energy
heating; and fuels the industries. India has immense technologies are still at an early stage
power needs and despite all efforts to generate more of development, with deployments
power, there are 2.5 billion people who have unreliable limited to a small pilot scale
or no access to electricity, thus accounting for the in Australia.
10 per cent deficit. This is estimated to get further Wind energy is leading the pack
5
aggravated as the energy consumption is projected to with 3,423 MW capacity installation
rise by 35 per cent by 2035. by 2015/16, closely followed by solar
The Sustainable Development Goal 7 focusses on energy with 3,019 MW. India has
6
affordable and clean energy. Renewable energy is a huge solar energy potential of 748
a sustainable and renewable form of energy, which GWP with a majority of areas getting
provides energy independence. Further, it reduces plenty of sunshine, especially in
carbon emissions caused by thermal power plants. Renewable energy consists summers. The Ministry of New and
various types of energy, such as solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen energy, geothermal, Renewable Energy, Government of
and ocean energy. India has set an ambitious target of
Wind energy is harnessed through wind turbines, whereas solar energy is mostly 100 GW of solar energy installations
harnessed through solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. Geothermal by 2022, out of which 3 GW of solar
panels have already been installed.
1 Leon, A David. 2008. ‘Cities, Urbanization and Health’. International Journal of Epidemiology 37(1): According to the 2011 census,
4–8. Available at https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dym271; last accessed on October 25, 2018.
2 2004. The United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision.New York: The United India has 140 million houses with
Nations. proper roofs (concrete/asbestos),
3 2011. ‘Urban world: Mapping the Economic Power of Cities’. McKinsey Global Institute.
4 Calcott, Alan and Jamie Bull. 2007. ‘Ecological Footprint of British City Residents’. WWF
5 Energy Access Outlook 2017, International Energy Agency, OECD/IEA 2017. Available at https://www. 6 Retrieved from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/
iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WEO2017SpecialReport_EnergyAccessOutlook. PrintRelease.aspx?relid=155612; last accessed
pdf; last accessed on October 30, 2018. on October 19, 2018. DECEMBER 2018
| 69 |
creative flame has burnt most brightly. For millennia they
78.4%
have been the centres and drivers of commercial, scientific,
political, and cultural life, exerting a major influence on
solar heat
10.2%
4.2%
1
countries and regions. It has been estimated by the United All renewables Modern renewables geothermal/ 3.6%
Nations that in 2007, for the first time in history, half of the 19.3% Tradional biomass Wind/solar/biomass/ Biofuels
geothermal power
for transport
2
world’s population were living in urban areas. Today’s cities 9.1% 1.6% 0.8%
are strong engines of growth and job creation, accounting for Nuclear Power
3
some 80 per cent of the global GDP. 2.3%
Cities have a high ecological footprint, covering 2 per cent » Figure 1 Estimated renewable energy share of the total energy
of the land area, containing 50 per cent of the population, and consumption, 2015
consuming 75 per cent of all resources. With a population of energy is harnessed from the heat
4
more than 1.2 billion, India is projected to be the world’s most populous country contained inside the Earth, be it from
by 2025. By 2050, it is estimated that India’s urban population will constitute the shallow ground, hot water, or hot
nearly half of the country’s total population, straining an already stressed urban rock. This is in contrast to bioenergy,
infrastructure. However, urbanization is also an indicator of positive economic which is a form of renewable energy
development. With improved urban planning, India can tackle urbanization made available from materials derived
challenges and increasing populations to create a country that is poised for from biological sources. Through a
sustainable growth. Additionally, urbanization creates environmental concerns, variety of processes, feedstocks can be
changes in consumption patterns, and increasing energy demands. These issues directly used to produce electricity or
are further aggravated by the disparities existing in this diverse country. With all heat, or can be used to create gaseous,
of these factors, focus is being given to green cities, smart cities, eco cities, resilient liquid, or solid fuels. Ocean energy
cities, liveable cities, and sustainable cities, to name a few. is a term used to describe all forms
Climate change has taken the form of a crisis, which has already impacted 70 per of renewable energy derived from
cent of the cities. Over 90 per cent of all urban areas are coastal. This by implication the sea. Generating technologies for
means that most cities on Earth are at a risk of flooding from rising waters and deriving electrical power from the
storms. Solutions are being developed at a micro and macro level to ensure climate ocean include tidal power, wave power,
change mitigation and adaptation. ocean thermal energy conversion,
Energy is an integral part of all these solutions as it drives the engine of ocean currents, ocean winds, and
development and growth. It runs the equipment; the lights; provides cooling and salinity gradients. Ocean energy
heating; and fuels the industries. India has immense technologies are still at an early stage
power needs and despite all efforts to generate more of development, with deployments
power, there are 2.5 billion people who have unreliable limited to a small pilot scale
or no access to electricity, thus accounting for the in Australia.
10 per cent deficit. This is estimated to get further Wind energy is leading the pack
5
aggravated as the energy consumption is projected to with 3,423 MW capacity installation
rise by 35 per cent by 2035. by 2015/16, closely followed by solar
The Sustainable Development Goal 7 focusses on energy with 3,019 MW. India has
6
affordable and clean energy. Renewable energy is a huge solar energy potential of 748
a sustainable and renewable form of energy, which GWP with a majority of areas getting
provides energy independence. Further, it reduces plenty of sunshine, especially in
carbon emissions caused by thermal power plants. Renewable energy consists summers. The Ministry of New and
various types of energy, such as solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen energy, geothermal, Renewable Energy, Government of
and ocean energy. India has set an ambitious target of
Wind energy is harnessed through wind turbines, whereas solar energy is mostly 100 GW of solar energy installations
harnessed through solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. Geothermal by 2022, out of which 3 GW of solar
panels have already been installed.
1 Leon, A David. 2008. ‘Cities, Urbanization and Health’. International Journal of Epidemiology 37(1): According to the 2011 census,
4–8. Available at https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dym271; last accessed on October 25, 2018.
2 2004. The United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision.New York: The United India has 140 million houses with
Nations. proper roofs (concrete/asbestos),
3 2011. ‘Urban world: Mapping the Economic Power of Cities’. McKinsey Global Institute.
4 Calcott, Alan and Jamie Bull. 2007. ‘Ecological Footprint of British City Residents’. WWF
5 Energy Access Outlook 2017, International Energy Agency, OECD/IEA 2017. Available at https://www. 6 Retrieved from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/
iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/WEO2017SpecialReport_EnergyAccessOutlook. PrintRelease.aspx?relid=155612; last accessed
pdf; last accessed on October 30, 2018. on October 19, 2018. DECEMBER 2018
| 69 |
