The Evolution of Clean Energy

By Saanvi Goel

Over the years energy has become one of the most basic necessities of our time. Petrol which was discovered in 1859 by Edwin Drake by drilling a well in a rock was at the time called “Drake’s folly”, actually was the start of fuel and petroleum revolution over the past over 150 years. It played a critical role in the industrialization witnessed in the western world in the 19th and 20th century. But like every other advancement this too was not without its pitfalls. It came at the cost of irreversible loss caused to the atmosphere, as greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide were emitted which made the air around us poisonous and unbreathable. 

This has prompted governments, scientists and engineers world over to look for alternative sources of fuel to power their daily needs. In India the government is pushing for the use of bioethanol by blending traditional petrol with ethanol, which is made by fermenting sugar crops such as sugarcane, corn etc. At present 20% blend is allowed which is expected to go up to 30% by 2030. It not only reduces pollution but also India’s fuel import bill as India is a highly fuel dependent economy. 

Diesel is a massive source of pollution among the petroleum products. Like petrol it too is blended but with biodiesel which is made out of vegetable oils and animal fat, thus reducing the pollutants emitted in the atmosphere. 

Electric vehicles are the big buzzword in the world these days. According to a study globally one in every four cars sold globally was an electric vehicle. In fact in Norway it was 90% of all vehicles sold in the country in 2023. In India it was relatively low at just over 6% in 2023 but it is a manifold jump from just over 1% in 2021. The government wants to increase EV penetration in India to over 30% by 2030. And they are pushing for massive investment in EV charging infrastructure across the country for the same. 

Electro fuels or e-fuels is another form of renewable energy source which is gaining momentum world over. It is synthetic fuel produced from renewable sources such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide. In fact hydrogen split from hydro, solar and other renewable sources is used for this form of fuel. Electro fuels form a small part of the overfall fuel basket currently, but the government has big plans for it. In fact our transport minister recently revealed that he himself uses a hydrogen powered vehicle, such is the commitment. Efforts are underway to even have airplanes powered by hydrogen energy. 

Biogas is another form of renewable energy which is mainly used to generate electricity. It is the process of breaking down plant and animal matter by microbial action, in the absence of air to produce methane rich gas. Solar, Hydro and wind energy are also pushed aggressively by governments world over and India in particular as alternatives to traditional thermal sources like coal based power plants. In fact all these renewable sources whether it be biogas or solar or hydro or wind, they are much cheaper when compared to thermal energy and are snatching a

significant share in market share from it. India is gradually becoming a leader in solar energy and has taken initiative in the forming of the International Solar Alliance. 

Clean energy appears to be the name of the game. Massive investments worth trillions of dollars are planned world over for the same. But it is a small price to pay if we want to leave a safe, clean and breathable planet for the future generations.

By Saanvi Goel