By Bill Robinson
Senior News Writer
RICHMOND —
Critics of proposals for the United States to reduce its emissions of green-house gases such as carbon dioxide often cite India as an economic rival that ignores calls for such reductions.
A former president of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, painted a different picture of his country Tuesday at Eastern Kentucky University.
The southern Asian country that may soon overtake China as the world’s most populous, is making great strides toward both energy independence and reduction of green-house gases, he told a nearly packed house in Brock Auditorium.
His country has a five-point plan to called Energy Vision 2030 to:
• Improve energy efficiency and reduce demand by 50 percent
• Reduce fossil fuels consumption by 50 percent
• Replace petroleum as primary fuel for transportation with less carbon-emitting or carbon neutral renewable fuels
• Reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent
• Create a seamless sharing of ideas, methods and technologies across national borders.
He complemented EKU on its initiative with General Atomics of San Diego to develop biofuels from switch grass using an algae catalyst.
Such algae-related biofuels can be produced in marshes and shallow bodies of water without taking land out of food production, Kalam said.
India’s goals will be difficult for it or any other nation that attempts to reach them, he said, because global energy consumption has been growing by about 200 gigawatts a year. Simply to level growth of energy demand will be a challenge, but the goals of 2030 are attainable, he said.
About 15 percent of electricity transmitted via power lines is lost.
“We need to urgently work on improving transmission efficiencies to minimize wastage,” Kalam said.
Buildings consume about 50 percent of global energy, but new designs and other efficiencies can reduce that by 50 percent in existing buildings, he said. Reductions of up to 80 percent can be achieved in new buildings.
EKU President told Kalam that the university has partnered with Siemans Inc. to replace lighting and motors as well as heating and cooling equipment for its buildings that will save $9,000 a day and cut carbon emissions by nearly 26.4 tons a year.
Hydrogen must ultimately replace gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation, Kalam said.
He cited the search of an Indian scientist who with European colleagues has created a two-stroke engine based on “hydrodrive” technology that could become the basis for switching automobiles that emit practically no carbon dioxide.
Photos of Kalam and the President of Iceland inspecting a hydrogen-powered bus in the North Atlantic nation were projected for the audience to see.
Even if hydrogen-powered autos are a longer-term solution, India has a near-term plan to power its vehicle using bio-fuels.
Seeds of the jatropha tree, which can be grown 82 million acres of Indian wasteland covering about 1 percent of its territory, yields 10 times the ethanol of corn.
The subtropical country also can harvest vast amounts of solar energy and is working improving the efficiency of solar panels.
Solar power from North Africa and the Middle East could meet all of Europe’s energy needs, Kalam said.
He also advocates a greater reliance on nuclear energy, but did not address the dangers of nuclear accidents, weapons proliferation or nuclear wastes.
Delegations from all four high schools in Madison County were present to hear Kalam.
He told all students to study diligently because they have the opportunity to create a new energy future for the world.
In the near term, EKU’s 16,000 students could easily plant 80,000 trees to improve the global environment, Kalam said.
Kalam is the third head of state or government to visit Eastern, Whitlock said. Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson visited the campus in 1979 and a former president of the Philippines visited before him.
Kalam’s visit was a source of great pride for members of the local Indian community, which turned out to welcome him.
Dr. Stephen Sumithran, who teaches biological science at EKU, said he comes from the same Indian state as Kalam, known in colonial times as Madras.
The former president is revered in India as a scientist as well as national leader, Sumithran said, because he developed the nation’s first satellites.
Kalam was the first person in his family to attend college, just as many EKU students are, Sumithran said. His father died when he was young, and the future president helped support his family by delivering newspapers.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
