Dr Sudershan Kumar
sudershan.sk12@gmail.com
Today, the global community stands at a critical juncture. The recent Middle East crisis has once again exposed the fragility of the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. The dwindling fossil fuel reserves and geopolitical tensions are converging to create unprecedented energy insecurity. Oil supply disruptions, infrastructure damage and blockade of key transit routes have led to soaring prices and shortages, affecting households, industries and governments alike. Reports indicate that the ongoing conflict in the region has disrupted nearly one-fifth of global oil and gas flows pushing prices of crude oil above $120 per barrel triggering shortages across Asia and Europe. The impact is not limited to energy markets. Rising fuel prices have increased inflation, disrupted manufacturing supply chains and affected downstream sectors such as fertilizers, chemicals and food productions. Economists warn that prolonged disruptions could lead to stagflation similar to the oil shocks of the 1970’s. For the common citizen, the consequences encompass scarcity of LPG cylinders, risking of transportation cost and increased electricity tariff. In India, and other countries, household and small businesses are facing LPG shortages forcing many to reduce consumption or revert to traditional fuels. It is equally important to mention here that this crisis is not merely geopolitical but also a structural one. Fossil fuels are finite limited resources whereas the global demand continues to grow. Hence the factors responsible for dwindling fossil reserves are rapid industrialization, population growth, increasing transportation demand, urbanization, geopolitical conflicts, over dependence on fossil fuel based electricity, lack of renewable infrastructure and rising petrochemical consumption. As reserves diminish and conflicts disrupt the supply chain, the urgency to transition towards alternate energy sources become unavoidable. Therefore, the present situation is not only a crisis but warning and also an opportunity to rethink energy strategies, diversify cooking fuel and invest in economically viable alternatives both for rural and urban populations. Hence, it is essential to know about the past history of geopolitical crisis, their impact on global economies especially Indian economy and also to look for a cost effective commercially available innovative economical options as an alternative to the LPG gas. If one turns the pages of history one finds that there have been worldwide fossil energy crisis for the past four decades but India’s energy history has been marked by chronic struggle to balance industrial growth with limited domestic oil reserves and inefficient coal infrastructure.As a result, India has to import nearly 80 to 85% crude oil and LPG from global market. Nearly one-fifth is from Middle East. Few of the repercussions on India in the past are highlighted.i)The 1970’s Crisis and Economic Disruptions: The 1973 oil shock hit India severely, forcing government of India to hike fuel prices, ration petrol/diesel and reduced the country’s economic growth. In 1974, India was ranked among the most severely affected developing nation by the U.N.ii) The 1979-80 shock: The Iranian revolution caused another crisis resulting 180% jump in oil prices and almost 20 percent rise in Indian wholesale price index. The rising import bill for oil and immense foreign exchange reserves, forcing India to adopt import restrictions. iii) 21st Century Energy Anxiety: In 2005-2008 and later in 2021-2022, India continued to face pressure from rising global prices, leading to high inflation. So there is a desperate need to ponder on renewable energy resources for domestic use. These alternate resources of energy can be adopted with the commonly known “principle of the maximum output , minimum import of energy” depending on the applications both in household and commercial consumption. So, now is the time to ponder on non-renewable fuel and look for alternate renewable energy resources. First and foremost is solar energy. Solar energy for cooking utilizes sun powered devices to provide a clean, free and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Common types include parabolic base, and P.V. electric cookers, which can bake, roast and boil food. Besides, the solar energy can also be used for large scale cooking. Glaring example is solar kitchens established in Brahma Kumaris Asharm located in Mount Abu in Rajasthan. The kitchen prepares nearly 50,000 meals per day using solar thermal technology, where mirrors (reflectors) concentrate sunlight to generate steam for cooking, completely eliminating the need of LPG, fire wood or electricity. It not only reduces the fuel cost, but also cuts the Carbon emission. This also serves as a model for sustainable community kitchen. For large institutions, like temples, hostels, hospitals, restaurants cost effective tailor- made steam cooking systems can be promoted.
The second, the most important is a Biogas plant in rural and semi-rural areas. It is an eco-friendly, economically viable solution to energy and waste management challenges. It works by decomposing kitchen waste, animal dung and other biodegradable materials in air tight container through the process of Anaerobic Digestion. This process produces methane, which can be used for cooking and nutrient rich slurry that serves as an excellent fertilizer. The advanced systems using biomass pellets and thermic fluids are already used in large kitchens. The third and the most promising is the Dimethyl Ether (DME) technology. DME is a clean burning gas with properties similar to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which makes it suitable for domestic stores. It can be produced from multiple feed stocks such as natural gas, coal biomass or methanol using established chemical processes, allowing countries to use domestic cooking fuel and reduce dependence on imports. One of the major advantages of DME technology is its compatibility with existing LPG infrastructure. Recent pilot projects indicate that DME can be blended and used in conventional cylinders regulators, and burners with minimal or no modification. This makes the adoption easier and reduces the cost of transition to a new cooking fuel. It is equally important to mention here that scientists in India have developed a new catalyst and burner design to scale up DME production for commercial use. Fourth, electric cooking technologies such as induction, cook-tops and electric pressure cookers are also emerging as cost effective and environmental friendly alternatives to LPG based cooking. Induction cooking works on electromagnetic heating where vessel is heated directly instead of heating the air around it. This improves efficiency significantly. About 85-90% of energy is transferred to the food, compared with nearly 40-60 percent efficiency of gas stoves, reducing energy loss and cooking time. It is equally essential to mention here that from economic perspective, induction cooking is increasingly competitive. In India, one hour of induction cooking typically consumes 1.5-2 units of electricity(Rs.10-Rs.12), where an LPG cooking costs Rs.70-Rs.90 per hour, making electric cooking economical in many cases depending on tariff. More over studies indicate that electric cooking can be 10-37% cheaper than LPG or PNG for households while also reducing indoor pollution and improving energy security. Electric pressure cookers further enhance efficiency because they cook food in sealed insulated chambers and maintained pressure automatically. Once pressure is reached they use only intermittent power, reducing overall electricity consumption compared with open flame cooking. It is worth mentioning here that the future, cost-effective electric cooking technologies may include advanced induction systems, infrared cook tops, smart electric pressure cookers, micro wave assisted cooking, and solar-electric hybrid cooking. These technologies will most likely integrate small sensors, battery backups and renewable energy, making electric cooking economical efficient and sustainable for household.
The author feels that the present fossil fuel crisis must be viewed by the nation as an opportunity to switch over to renewable energy based technologies available in the markets. Parallelly efforts must be made at all levels to develop the economically viable advanced version of these technologies based systems. The way forward to overcome this unprecedented situation arising out of fossil fuel crisis is:-i) National Solar cooking Mission: Government of India can launch a dedicated mission to promote solar cookers, solar reflector kitchens, and community solar steam cooking systems. Encourage household to install roof top solar systems specifically linked to kitchen loads. Also examine the feasibility of using small home battery storage systems that store solar energy for cooking. ii) Electric Smart Kitchen Subsidized Scheme: Provide incentives for induction cook tops, electric pressure cookers and other energy efficient appliances. Reduced GST and direct benefit transfer(DBT ) to all strata of society especially low and middle income group families can make electric cooking economically attractive.iii)Bio Gas for Urban and Semi Urban Homes: Support compact biogas plants using kitchen waste in apartments and in individual homes. Capital subsidies and waste management incentives will reduce LPG dependence and provide circular economy. iv)Awareness and Demonstration Campaign: One of the most difficult challenge is to take these renewable energy based systems to the door step of masses. This is possible through demonstration of kitchens in Schools, Panchayat buildings and community centre.
These live demonstrations will build confidence, show cost savings and environmental benefits. For promotion of these technologies, mass movement has to be initiated at grass root level by using all means; viz NGO’s, voluntary organizations for door to door campaign and also the extensive use of Print media, Social media, What Apps groups and other plateform for creating awareness among common masses. The author is of the opinion that the dwindling fossil fuel reserves combined with geopolitical crisis highlights the urgent need for energy diversification and the world must align sustainability goals with the transitioning towards a renewable and decentralized cooking technologies. The example of Mount Abu’s solar kitchen demonstrates that innovative, economically viable alternatives exist. With proactive Government polices technological adoption, and public participation a sustainable energy secure future can be achieved.
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