The heaps and heaps of organic waste we generate have fuel-value
Published on : Friday 03-06-2022
Venkatesh G, Associate Professor, Karlstads Universitet, Sweden.
Smart Cities Mission envisions developing an area within a city as a model area, which is expected to have a rub-off effect on the rest of the city. How realistic is this?
Indeed, one needs to start somewhere and see if it can percolate and permeate the rest of the city/state/country. There is no other way. Better to start somewhere than sit twiddling one's thumbs. Of course, one needs to be aware of any unnecessary trade-offs of any kind one may be introducing, which when looked at from a bird's-eye perspective may damage the 'equity' principle. It is always a 'smart' idea to think of symbiosis...among the different parts of the city.
Sustainability is one the core tenets for Smart Cities. How sustainable are the Smart Cities nominated so far? Can our smart cities achieve a net zero emissions goal?
Zero emission is an elusive goal. Utopian. It is always good to set high targets and strive towards them. One will end up better than the status quo. Sustainability, by the way, is a moving target...one thinks one has reached it and the external factors change! And what was sustainable becomes less so. It is a journey, without a destination – the thing called sustainable development. And even 'Smart' entails being flexible and adaptable and aware of the fact that change is the only constant.
Can smart cities be powered by clean electricity through decentralised grids?
Of course. There are examples here and there in the world. We must think in terms of 'self-sustaining' buildings independent of the grid to some extent. Solar panels on building facades, for instance, or on top of roofs of bus-stops (common sight in Germany). Indian cities can surely avail of the benefits of solar energy (the fount of everything on Mother Earth). We need to realise that the heaps and heaps of organic waste we generate have fuel-value. If all our sewage is collected and treated, we can generate methane and have small decentralised power generation units. Yes, there are limits when it comes to decentralised renewable energy....but India is actually blessed with a lot of creative genius ('jugaad' some may term it, derogatorily), and simple solutions often add up to impressive end-results!
How realistic and achievable is the goal to achieve 100% plug-in electric vehicles by 2030?
In India, this is a bad idea! I hope people realise that these plug-in EVs need electricity? Where does this come from? Thermal power plants? This would mean that the need for power is going to rise, and for that more coal would be combusted in the power plants somewhere far away. Mr and Mrs X may feel snug and happy that nothing is coming out of their car's exhaust...but the pollution has already happened elsewhere! Unless it can be guaranteed that all excess power for these EVs would be sourced from hydropower, this is a bad idea! Yes, if storage systems can be set up in basements to store solar-powered electricity, these EVs may avail of their 'juice' from there instead. Please think systemically! Do not adopt the ‘As long as the air above me in my city streets is clean, it is all well and good’' No matter where the GHGs are released, global warming affects one and all!
Is the present ranking of Smart Cities in India based on realistic parameters?
I am averse to ranking except for the purpose of motivating competition among cities to journey towards sustainability. Ranking is very subjective! One must not read too much into it!!
Vehkatesh G is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Engineering Sciences at the Karlstad University in Sweden, a dedicated, driven, goal-oriented, doctoral degree holder (Industrial Ecology, Norway), with two Master’s degrees (Industrial Ecology, Germany-Singapore; Mechanical Engineering with Automotive Engineering subjects, India), and professionally useful diplomas, diverse work experience as researcher, tutor, writer-editor, having excelled in all these capacities; capable of leading teams to delivering the goods, consistently ,by drawing upon his pool of experience.
(The views expressed in interviews are personal, not necessarily of the organisations represented)