Techno-leapfrogging and Renewable Energy

The concept of 'techno-leapfrogging' is one of the key areas of focus to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. According to Prof. Jose Goldemberg, it has been most widely used in the context of sustainable development for developing countries as "a theory of development which may accelerate development by skipping inferior, less efficient, more expensive or more polluting technologies and industries and move directly to more advanced ones. It is proposed that through leapfrogging developing countries can avoid environmentally harmful stages of development and do not need to follow the polluting development trajectory of industrialized countries."

In the attempt to jump right into the 'solar age', the state government of the Indian state of Orissa has decided to use a mix of decentralized solar power, biomass, wind power and small-scale hydropower to  light up 2000 villages by 2012. Currently there are 395 villages powered through solar, with an additional 205 to be completed by the end of the year. In the state of Bihar, where infrastructure is horrific, several people are taking matters into their own hands in the quest for energy. They are using decentralized systems using renewable energy to pave their way out of darkness. The Indian government is investing heavily in renewable power sources to meet growing power demands. So far, wind power capacity of 1167MW and about 5 billion units of electricity have been fed into the national grid. Many small-business owners are also using renewable energy sources for their power needs. Although solar panels are still unaffordable by many, solar heaters are the norm in many houses and hotels in India with the market rapidly growing. Bangalore has the largest number of rooftop solar water heaters in India that generates energy equivalent to 200 MW everyday.

Whilst electrical consumption is higher in the developed world, there are many companies that supply greener electricity that use renewable energy components. Recently, Lush cosmetics has chosen Bullfrog Power to provide the electricity for its Ontario and British Columbia based operations. Bullfrog generates power from renewable energy sources such as low-impact water and wind power. Other sources of green power in Canada can be found through Pollution Probe, an environmental non-profit that offers a consumer guide to buying ethical power.

Ecotricity is a UK-based renewable energy company that comes highly recommended by Lush, Ecover, Oxfam and the Soil Association. They supply renewable energy for your home or business purpose; they generate their power using wind energy and invest in building wind parks. In their business operations, they do not believe in carbon offsetting and are working towards becoming carbon neutral. The Green Electricity Marketplace is a UK green power search engine that provides rankings on the various utilities' offerings also allows you to sign up with providers online.

In the States, deregulation of power has resulted in many people taking energy matters into their own hands and practicing ethical consumption even where power is concerned. Lower electricity bills and tax exemptions act to encourage people to install solar panels and windmills for their power needs.  Solarcity provides a service where you can lease solar panels. If these are still not an option, the US department of energy has a website that lists green power providers by state.

In addition to ensuring that electronic gadgets meet the highest standards of power utilization, switching to an ethical power source is an essential step in green living. Being mindful of energy wastage through vampire power is also essential towards power conservation. All this and the little big things like using LEDs and CFLs, go a long way towards ensuring sustainable living.

Photo: Akhila Vijayaraghavan © Windfarm near Palladam, South India