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Visit of Nobel Laureate Dr.Walter Kohn to SSN
Institutions on 27th October, 2009: |
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Discussion topic: Transforming to the new
energy era.
I am happy to be here with you. I have
heard a few things about this Institution
and there are a lot of similarities between
this college and my college. Your
Institution supports students in need, with
funds. This is quite similar to my
Institution where I studied-University of
California-there also in early days we need
not pay any fees, excepting some caution
deposits to cover the expenses of what we
broke during experimentation. Our Institute
which supported students with funds produced
a lot of wonderful graduates. Similarly, I
am sure your Institute will also produce
wonderful graduates. |
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I must say you youngsters are living in a very
excited time. You have the opportunity to contribute
something to the benefit of the society. Utilize it.
In order to tell you why this is an exciting time, I
will take you through a five slide presentation.
After that we can have a conversation, either on
this presentation or on the two movies that you saw
just now.
The first slide shows how the global energy is
supported- around 35% by oil, 22.3% by coal, 21.2%
by gas and 20.5% by other techniques like nuclear
energy. Global warming is a consequence of excessive
use of fossil fuels. Global warming affects
everyone- not country wise. So, energy issues cannot
be compartmentalized. It is a global phenomenon. It
is the need of the hour to conserve energy.
The second slide shows how the crude oil production
is decreasing over the years. For example, in 2000,
the production was 60 million barrels per day. In
2010, it is estimated to drop to 40 million barrels
a day.
The third slide shows the increase in population.
Note that what 2 billion in 1950 was has grown to 3
billion in 1960 and is estimated to reach 10 billion
in the year 2050. Imagine what happens when the oil
reserve keeps going down and our population
continuously keeps going up.
The fourth slide shows the effect of these two
phenomena- crude oil production per day per
population. It may be noted that this factor is
expected to reach 12.5 million barrels a day for
every billion of population by 2015 and beyond this
year, will show a downward trend. This means, each
of us will have less of oil for individual use, as
time progresses.
The fifth slide shows the percentage of support one
can expect from various energy sources, considering
the present as 100%. It may be seen that the support
from oil and gas will keep on decreasing. In the
same time period, the use of wind and solar energy
will start improving. It is hoped that by 2020, wind
and solar energy use may surpass the use of oil and
gas. If solar and wind energy are effectively used,
then the overall energy availability can be more
than what we have today. The deficiency we expect
from fossil fuels may be compensated by proper use
of solar and wind energy.
You may wonder how solar energy can grow to such
proportions, given the current usage pattern. It is
just like compound interest. You start with a small
amount but when you add interest to interest and
continue, the amount grows enormously. Similarly, if
we plan to grow by 35% year on year, then even a
small start of solar energy can grow to a large
extent - by a factor of 20 over a decade and by a
factor of 400 over two decades. Then it can even
outgrow the fossil fuel usage. This is a projection
with only my name behind it. I request you to take
it seriously. The cross over point from fossil fuel
to solar and wind energy may vary depending on how
seriously all of us take this view.
Today, the cost of solar energy is a deterrent - it
is very costly. But when there is no more fossil
fuel left, something has to be done about it. Either
we have to adjust our energy budgets and use less
(Conservation) or we have to create the change. We
have to only blame ourselves for the situation we
have created for ourselves. As present generation of
students, you now have the golden opportunity of
managing this change very well.
I have finished my part of the conversation. Now you
can start your part of this conversation by asking
me whatever you want to know more about this topic. |
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Discussions:
1. How eco-friendly are the solar cells? Can they
be recycled?
Silicon is the major constituent of solar cells.
Silicon is obtained from silica- which is sand-
which means it is eco-friendly. Also, we may never
run out of sand supplies! Therefore we can guess
mankind may not run out of silicon and solar cells.
As far as recycling is concerned, solar cells are
currently being recycled and used for many purposes,
including the production of next generation solar
cells.
2. As college students, what can we do in
addition to creating awareness?
This is exactly the takeaway from this meeting for
all of you. Let me tell you what my students did.
They formed a very active committee on
'Sustainability'. A few faculty were also included.
They developed a plan on sustainability. It was very
well thought out. The money for these projects came
from students pocket. For example, they demonstrated
their commitment by installing a solar roof on their
swimming pool at their own cost. Inspired by this
act, many general families in and around the
college, started putting up solar roofs.
You can also form groups to decide what can be done
on Sustainability. There must be determined,
thoughtful transformation to use energy
intelligently and efficiently, without having to cut
back on requirements. I believe we can do with just
60% of the energy that we are using today.
3. Can solar energy be tapped through trees?
If you have a tree, it incorporates trapped solar
energy. This is what was depicted in the movie
showing the King of Egypt holding flower pots to the
sun into which the sun shines. This form of energy
is called "Bio-Mass".
4. Why should there be solar system conversion
towers? Why not use directly converting solar energy
to electricity?
It depends on economy of scale. For example, for
individual houses, a solar panel that directly
converts solar energy into electricity may be more
economical and neat. But for an industrial scale
establishment that needs large quantum of energy,
the solar tower method of heating a fluid by
concentrating solar energy and then using the fluid
to run boilers are found to be more effective. Which
one is better is still a question of debate.
Different people prefer different methods based on
the economy of scale that they find useful.
5. Why is Coal not shown as an energy source in
the graph showing energy support systems?
Coal is a bad source of global warming. We are
working hard to avoid global warming. There are
incentives to avoid carbon effects in the form of
carbon credits. That is why I did not include coal
as a source of energy. If the global warming effect
of coal is avoided, then no doubt, coal will become
the most important source of energy.
6. Energy is a global phenomenon but environment
is a local phenomenon. If optimizing one affects the
other, how to handle?
Environmental issues also can assume global
proportions like global warming. But energy is more
important. There may be instances when the global
solution for energy affects the environment in a
locality and that government may decide not to act
upon the global suggestions at all. The best
solution is the global solution- the solution
acceptable to all.
7. India believes in nuclear energy. Why not
utilize it?
The main problem with nuclear energy is the security
issue. If we can resolve it, then it is a good
source of energy. I remember the devastation created
to mankind by the nuclear bombs- it was terrible.
Around 200,000 people lost their lives. In those
days it was just a 10 kilo ton bomb. Now we are
capable of making mega tons power and imagine what
would be the destructive power of nuclear energy if
something goes wrong. If nuclear energy can be made
99% safe , then it is promising. Your own prophet
the Mahatma Gandhi and our Jewish prophets all
preach peace and we do not want to do any harm to
our human beings. So, it is a policy not to use
anything that has a destructive power.
Even some important persons in India believe that
mastering nuclear energy is the gateway to India
becoming a superpower and to be respected by other
countries. In my view this is not correct. When safe
alternate methods are available, let us use
them-because we are a part of a global family. Hence
better to avoid it as far as we can.
8. How can we improve India's outlook to solar
energy and bring it to the same importance level as
that of nuclear energy?
Oil is no more available and nuclear energy is not
safe. If we understand this, then we will learn to
make a choice -either to use less or to find a safe
alternate.
9. Will coating of chlorophyll on solar cell
improve the efficiency?
There are many people working on this concept.
Personally, I do not see any spectacular change in
efficiency levels.
10. When Germany has done so much in harnessing
solar energy, is it possible that India also can do
something to utilize solar energy?
Why not? I would presume that with ten times the
population of Germany, India should be able to
utilize solar energy ten times more than what
Germany does. |
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