The case for renewables over coal for energy poverty in India

Access to energy remains a crucial issue for India. The country has a population of 1.24 billion – the world’s biggest after China; and close to one-third, or 81 out of 247 million households, has no access to electricity, according to the 2011 census.

Australian coal has been proposed as a means of bringing affordable energy to developing nations such as India. In particular, it has been stated that the development of coal reserves in Queensland’s Galilee Basin will benefit India’s poor.

However, three Australian academics – Lynette Molyneaux and John Foster from the University of Queensland, and Liam Wagner from Griffith University – argue that renewables present a more cost-efficient and sustainable option. Their analysis shows that electricity generated from renewables would cost 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to 24.6 cents kWh for coal-generated electricity.

Read more about their analysis and the case for renewables here.

By : The Conversation