PANEL DISCUSSION: WHERE SHOULD WE GO FROM HERE?. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MEXICO

SHYAM S. NandwaniProf. Lab. De Energia SolarDepto del Fisica, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONALHEREDIA, COSTA RICA.

ANSWER SHOULD BE SIMILAR FOR ALMOST ALL THE COUNTRIES- DEPENDING MAINLY ON THE CLIMATE , COST OF ELECTRICITY TO THE CONSUMER AND THE LABOR COST TO MANUFACTURE ANY SOLAR OR OTHER RENEWABLE DEVICE- SAY WATER HEATER, COOKER OR PV SYSTEM OR WIND TURBINE ETC.

1. WHY THEY SHOULD USE THE RENEWABLE DEVICE OR •BETTER TO SAY WHY THEY SHOULD SWITCH:

PROMOTER/SELLER WILL GIVES VARIOUS ADVANTAGES LIKE:SOLAR ENERGY IS FREE, (MANY EVEN THINK SOLAR SYSTEM IS FREE)SOLAR ENERGY IS CLEAN,SOLAR ENERGY IS ABUNDANT (DO NOT WORRY FOR ANOTHER 5,000 MILLION YEARS)SOLAR ENERGY CANNOT BE HIJACKED IT HAS NO WASTE LIKE NUCLEAR

.

• *OIL WILL LAST FOR ANOTHER 40-50 YEARS (SOME BODY IN THE AUDIENCE WILL SAY , PROFESOR YOU SAID THE SAME 30 YEARS AGO) *IT WILL REDUCE DEFORESTATION *WILL REDUCE THE DEATH OF PERSONS COOKING WITH FIREWOOD ETC.*IT WILL REDUCE THE EMISSION OF CARBON DIOXIDE *IT WILL REDUCE THE GLOBAL WARMING ETC. ETC.

• INSPITE OF THIS NOT MANY PEOPLE USE THESE DEVICES. WHY

THAT MEAN YOU DIVIDE THE ADVANTAGES IN CATEGORIES: *FOR THE USER – ECONOMIC/ SAVING OF FUEL, CONVENIENCE IN USE, HEALTH

*FOR THE COUNTRY- REDUCE THE IMPORT OF OIL AND OUR THUS OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN NATION ETC. AND

*FOR THE PLANET- ONLY PLANET FOR THE TIME BEING, FOR OUR COMING GENERATION ETC.

EVEN THEN MANY PEOPLE DO NOT USE.

2. THEN WHY THEY DO NOT USE:

* MANY HAVE NOT HEARD OF THESE RENEWABLE SOURCES

* MANY HAVE HEARD BUT NOT SEEN

*MANY HAVE SEEN ON TV OR NEWSPAPER BUT NOT ITS WORKING.

*MANY HAVE USED AND FOUND DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROBLEMS LIKE LEAKAGE OR WERE NOT TO THE EXPECTATION AS INFORMED BY SELLERTHERE WAS NO POST SERVICE,

*INITIAL COST OF THE SYSTEM IS HIGHER AS COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL FUEL DEVICES, ETC. ETC.

.

NOW THE QUESTION ARISE HOW MANY PERSONS (INCLUDING POLITICIANS) ARE WORRIED FOR THE COUNTRY AND THE PLANET. LETS BE HONEST. MOST OF US THINK ONLY FOR US- ANY BENEFIT WHICH CAN JUSTIFY MY INVESTMENT.

HOWEVER I HAVE MET THESE ENERGY AND PLANET CONCIOUS PEOPLE, SPECIALLY WITH SOLAR COOKING. OTHER PEOPLE SAY THEM AS MAD OR CRAZY (INCLUDING MYSELF).

IN SUMMARY ONE SHOULD SEE BALANCE OF ADVANTAGES/ DISADVANTAGES OF

RENEWABLE SOURCES AND OF CONVENTIONAL FUEL

RENEWABLE IS CLEAN, FREE AND ABUNDANT FUEL BUT NOT STABLE AND CANNOT BE TRANSPORTED,

STORED AND HIGH INITIAL COST OF THE SYSTEM. IN COMPARISION

CONVENTIONAL FUEL ON OTHER HAND ALTHOUGH IS UNCLEAN, AFFECT ENVIRONMENT AND NOT ABUNDANT, HOWEVER IS AVAILABLE, CAN BE BOUGHT, STORED IN BAGS, BARRIL AND TRANSPORTED AND THUS CAN BE USED ANYWHERE AND AT ANYTIME., WITH LOWER COST OF THE CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM (GAS, ELECTRIC, WATER HEATER,GAS ELECTRIC AND FIREWOOD COOKER),  

AS MOST OF THE PEOPLE DO NOT GO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, IN GENERAL THEY PREFER STABLE CONVENIENT AND STILL AVAILABLE FUEL. IN ADDITION PEOPLE GO FOR SOME THING UNIQUE OR YOUR LIKING.

ONE OF THE REASON WE GIVE TO THE PRESS FOR NOT USING THE RENEWABLE SYSTEMS ON MASS SCALES, IS HIGH INITIAL COST AND NO SUBSIDIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

ONE CAN TALK SO MUCH , BUST JUST ONE EXAMPLE- SEE THERE IS NO INCENTIVE ON CELL PHONE, STILL THERE ARE 3500 MILLIONS OF THESE PHONES ON WORLDWIDE (EXPENSIVE IN THE BEGINNING, CHEAPER NOW).

ONE RECENT SURVEY INDICATE 70% OF THE POPULATION OF PARAGUAY HAVE CELL PHONE, MAY NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT FOOD. MANY HOUSE MAIDS EVEN IN MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES GOT THESE.

QUESTION IS WHY AND HOW,

BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU SOME UNIQUE ADVANTAGE (MOBILITY / SECURITY ETC.) WHICH YOUR LANDLINE PHONE CANNOT PROVIDE. SAME WITH LAPTOP , IPAD OVER DESKTOP COMPUTERS.  NOW TAKE FIREWOOD COOKER (RURAL AREA) AND ELECTRIC GAS COOKER (URBAN AREA) AND TELL THEM TO CHANGE WITH SOLAR COOKER AND SOLAR WATER HEATER ETC., THEY WILL NOT GO JUST BECAUSE OF DEFORESTATION AND GLOBAL WARMING, BUT WANT TO SEE ANY ADDITIONAL BENEFIT, LIKE INITIAL COST OR ANY OTHER BENEFIT OR CONVENIENCE OR LOOK ETC.

3. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE THE USE: IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING: HERE COMES THE ROLE OF  SCIENTISTS: DESIGN, WORKING AND EFFICIENT MODEL ,

ENGINEERS: CONSTRUCTION :OPTIMISE AND BETTER LOOK

PROMOTERS: TO PROMTE PROPERLY, INFORM THE ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATION TOO IN ADVANCE.

END USERS: BE ENERGY CONCIOUS TO SOME EXTENT.

GOVERNMENT:

AS HEAD OF THE FAMILY/ COUNTRY THEY SHOULD NOT THINK ONLY FOR SHORT PERIOD BUT ALSO FOR LONGER PERIOD, GIVE SOME INCENTIVE IN DIFFERENT WAY, AS IT’S A CLEAN FUEL (GOOD FOR HEALTH, GOOD FOR COUNTRY AND GOOD FOR ENVIRONMENT).

CONVENTIONAL FUEL , ALTHOUGH CONVENIENT FOR THE USERS, IT IS UNCLEAN FUEL AND AFFECTS EVERYBODY IN MANY INDIRECT WAYS AND ALSO IT IS SUBSIDIZED.

ALSO YOU HAVE LISTEN MORE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OTHER SPEAKERS LIKE ASHA, GABRIELA AND Mr. RICHARD AND DENNIS etc.

HOWEVER THE GOVERNMENTS OR POLITICIANS THINK/TALK OF GLOBALWARMING AT THE BIG FORUM AND THEN THEY LOOK FOR THE HUGE AMOUNT (50,000- 100,000 MILLIONS US$ FOR NEXT 10 YEARS ETC. ) IN SUMMARY GOVERNMENTS LIKE AN INDIVIDUAL PREFER TO SPEND MONEY ON TREATMENT BUT NOT ON PREVENTION.  

ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO MAGIC SOLUTION  HOWEVER DESIGNING PROPERLY, CONSTRUCT PROPERLY, TEACH PROPERLY TO USE, INFORM THE INCONVENIENCES IN ADVANCE AND SOME INITIAL SUBDIES WILL DEFINITELY INCREASE ITS ACCEPTATION NOT ONLY IN MEXICO BUT IN WHOLE WORLD. 

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION GRACIAS POR SU PACIENCIAwww.una.ac.cr/fisica/energiasolar