Looking Beyond Nuclear Energy to Achieve Carbon Neutrality Faster

A synergic effect of households and small businesses using energy-efficient technology, such as BLDC for thermal comfort, can help the country achieve carbon neutrality goals faster.

July 11, 2024. By News Bureau

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Nuclear energy

Superfan

Carbon neutrality

Energy efficient technology

Energy-efficient options

Thermal comfort

BLDC

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As India announced at the 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that it had set 2070 as the target to achieve Net Zero, we can only help by keeping track of the means that will lead to it. While well-established industries are proactively participating in government-led initiatives that are steering the wheels toward Net Zero, small industries and laypeople can still do their part in accelerating the journey towards carbon neutrality. The contributions may vary in size, frequency, or effectiveness, but they have a wholesome impact that can reap a holistic result in the long run toward carbon neutrality.

Larger enterprises undertake various regulatory mechanisms to minimise carbon emissions. One such mechanism is PAT (Perform, Achieve, Trade), which has helped the country prevent over 90 million tonnes of CO2 emissions through the first and second cycles. This process involves issuing certificates to overachievers of environmental goals, which can be traded with underachievers. Apart from PAT, one of the main solutions that has recently been given strong focus is a shift to nuclear energy.

In a recent independent domestic study by IIM Ahmedabad on a low carbon economy growth path, it has been found that the country's net zero emissions target of 2070 is only possible with substantial nuclear power generation. Its capacity must be 78 GW to 331 GW under different energy transition scenarios against the existing capacity of around 7.5 GW. Nuclear energy generation is a low-carbon energy source with a very low carbon footprint. It is safe and is unaffected by shifts in weather. While it is a brilliant source of clean energy, it comes with a high maintenance risk and is an expensive alternative to fossil-based energy.

While enterprises are grappling with the decision-making process of transitioning to nuclear energy, it's important to note that each of us, from households to small businesses, can also play a vital role in cutting down on our carbon footprint. By adopting certain energy efficiency measures, we can contribute to the overall goal of minimising or becoming carbon neutral. Our individual actions, when combined, can make a significant difference in the fight against climate change.

How Can Small Businesses Contribute?
Energy consumption for human thermal comfort is a significant part of energy use in small-scale industries and businesses. Places like offices, showrooms, stores, and warehouses must maintain a comfortable temperature for staff and customers. This often involves using air conditioners (ACs), coolers, and fans. Surprisingly, these thermal comfort appliances can consume substantial energy, impacting operational costs and the environment.

Among these, fans are particularly ubiquitous. However, it is not well-known that traditional fans consume high energy, roughly around 75-85 W. To address this, we look towards innovations like Superfan, which has revolutionised the fan industry by introducing Superfan, India’s first BLDC fan, in 2012. A BLDC fan is a super energy-efficient alternative to older traditional AC induction motor fans. It consumes 69% less energy than AC induction motor fans and does not heat up during operation. This level of energy savings will reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuel energy generation and expenditure on electricity bills. Every small business that does not need sophisticated HVAC systems for human thermal comfort can easily switch to BLDC motor-based fans. By adopting super energy efficient appliances, small companies can have significant savings on their electricity bills and minimise the environmental impact.

Also, not just fans have super energy-efficient options; other appliances have highly efficient options, typically identified by the BEE star label on the appliance. By opting for energy-efficient appliances, the long-term cost savings would be high while minimising the environmental impact.

Households' Role to Play
Energy consumption for human thermal comfort is a significant part of domestic energy consumption. This includes air conditioners (ACs), coolers, and various types of fans. By opting for energy-efficient ACs such as new inverter ACs and BLDC motor-based fans, you can significantly reduce your energy costs and environmental impact, all while maintaining your comfort.

Almost every family in our country uses ceiling fans as a standard appliance for thermal comfort. They need to realise their contributions to the tonnes of carbon emissions due to fossil fuel burning. Creating general awareness among the public is essential as the ceiling fans and ACs we use are causing the local space around the buildings to heat up and pedal this vicious cycle. By switching to BLDC fans, one can utilise the Dual Cooling mechanism that helps cut down the burden on ACs and reap ideal thermal cooling by coupling it with BLDC fans. A fan cools a person based on the evaporation of perspiration, while the AC cools the space. A BLDC fan running with an AC set to 27 degrees Celsius can provide a perceived cooling of 24 degrees Celsius but use less energy (about 15%) than an AC running at 24 degrees Celsius. With this contribution from the general population, the load on fossil fuel energy generation will be lessened, and so will the carbon emissions.

The Bigger Picture
We focus on optimising current energy consumption, especially through energy-efficient appliances, to reduce and optimise the current demand before switching to alternative energy sources. By lowering energy demand, the cost of transitioning to cleaner energy becomes more economically and politically feasible. This demand reduction can reduce the financial and infrastructural burden associated with building alternative energy sources like nuclear power.

A synergic effect of households and small businesses using energy-efficient technology, such as BLDC for thermal comfort, can help the country achieve carbon neutrality goals faster. While the shift to nuclear energy is being adopted by companies one by one, other groups in our society, like small businesses and households, can play a crucial role by making energy-conscious decisions while opting for thermal cooling appliances and staying informed on the most efficient way to use them. The aim must be to reduce fossil-generated energy consumption and keep energy expenditures within a safe range. Households using nuclear energy seem impractical at the nascent stages because it is expensive. Therefore, it is fair, if not better, for small businesses and families to look beyond nuclear energy and adopt energy-efficient alternatives to speed up the journey toward Carbon Neutrality, empowering them in the sustainability movement.

- Dr. Mayur Sundararajan, CEO, Superfan