Combatting Energy Poverty in India and China

By: Sam Gittelman

First Year Experience in Natural Resources and

Environment: NR 1234

Instructor: Dean Stauffer

Date: November 3rd, 2014

India and China are two of the most populated countries in the world, and they experience some
of the worst poverty that the human race encounters in our modern society. Entire regions of these two
nations are occupied by hundreds of thousands of people without access to one utility that the western
world often takes for granted: electrical power. These people are stuck in a social and economic pit
without one of the most pivotal resources necessary for upward mobility. This phenomenon is known as
energy poverty (SOURCE) and it is the anchor keeping these heavily populated developing countries
from reaching their potential. Additionally, this is not just as issue that these countries need to face on
their own. Energy poverty in India and China hinders sustainable economic prosperity on an international
scale, because by providing these communities with consistent access to electricity, they will be able to
contribute to global markets for the first time in their respective histories. These communities should not
be left condemned to forever just be seen as desolate villages operating just to sustain themselves.
Once the recognition is made that these communities need to become a priority in India and
China to help bolster the economies as well as fighting a social disadvantage/injustice that exists within
the respective countries, the question becomes: What is the best way to provide sustainable energy to the
communities of China and India that have no access to electricity in a cost-effective, socially responsible,
and environmentally sustainable manner? The approach that best satisfies each of these concerns is
implementing renewable energy sources in these energy-poverty stricken regions of India and China,
namely solar power by way of photovoltaic cells.
The main reason that these communities have been left without access to electricity is that these
regions are usually quite secluded regions without any established infrastructure or industry, so their
governments struggle to justify the considerable investment that would correspond with the traditional
route of extended grid-produced power to these communities. These regions develop in the way that they
do as a result of an economic phenomenon known as the Kuznets Curve. This economic model describes
the typical course of action taken by developing nations. During the initial phases, the developing nation
in question typically experiences a period of brief economic growth accompanied with numerous social
injustices and environmental sacrifices (Liu). These communities that are left without any access to

electricity can be classified among the social injustices mentioned previously, as their respective
countries governments made the decision not to extend the infrastructure necessary to supply these
communities with electrical power in order to conserve funds and increase centralized profits.
Consequently, the best way to remedy this established issue is to implement a sustainable energy
source within the communities in question that will benefit the people there both socially and
economically while still maintaining a level of environmental responsibility. In relation to that
responsibility, the only real way to accomplish the goal of providing power to these regions is by way of
renewable energy sources. This is because it would cost these developing nations too much money to
establish the infrastructure necessary to transport the electricity to the regions in questions from fossil fuel
powered power plants. Additionally, the global effect of India and China expanding their reliance on
fossil fuels to power their countries would be devastating. The costs of the various externalities of fossil
fuel technologies are increasing as these two developing nations continue to demand more foreign oil
(Shalizi). As a result of this, it would be just as economically irresponsible as it would be
environmentally detrimental to propose fossil fuel energy sources as a feasible solution to the energy
poverty crisis in China and India. While implementing solar power in these regions would require a
considerable initial investment by each of the governments in question, the long-term energy security and
sustainability of this solution as opposed to that of fossil fuel technologies supports this initiative in many
regards.
Firstly, one of the main reasons that solar energy in particular would be successful in these
regions is that these areas would be able to consistently produce electricity at a very high rate indefinitely.
At this point, the Chinese government has expressed a desire to implement more solar power generating
facilities in their country due to their high solar potential all throughout the country as well as the need to
wane off their dependence on foreign oil in order to acquire true energy security (Li-qun). The only way
for a country to truly establish energy security is to develop a system that makes use of truly renewable
energy sources within the confines of their own countrys borders. With that in mind, the communities
that do not currently have any access to electricity could produce their own energy by way of photovoltaic

cells indefinitely without facilitating dependence on other countries for raw materials to convert into
electrical power.
Without access to electricity these communities cannot compete economically with other
communities that have power. Electrical power would be used for cooking, making this a socially just
initiative because without electricity, the people living without access to electrical power rely on woodburning stoves to cook. This practice is not sustainable as it requires biomass materials to burn, and it is
easily impacted by weather conditions. Another benefit of providing power to these communities is that
the electricity could be used to light the markets after the sun goes down. This then becomes an economic
venture, because if the communities are able to keep the markets lit up longer, they would no longer have
to limit the hours that the markets operate, which would support their local economy by allowing people
to make more transactions on a daily basis. This may not immediately seem like something that would
directly benefit the nation as a whole, but every community that benefits economically from this initiative
will be able to better support the centralized economy of their country in the long run. By giving these
communities access to electricity, they will be able to bolster their local economy and eventually
experience upward mobility as they collectively play a more significant role in the economic
infrastructure of their nation.
Also, if photovoltaic cells were placed in these communities, they would require maintenance.
This means that not only would this initiative provide energy to the communities, it would establish jobs
for members of these communities making sure that the PV panels continued to run smoothly in the future
as well as introducing new entrepreneurial opportunities for people to allocate the solar power in various
ways to facilitate different applications to benefit their communities (Wong). Energy poverty is not a
single-faceted issue; it is a problem that if solved with solar power, would provide benefits in a plethora
of different categories. Some of which include improving the quality of life of individuals in
communities currently affected by energy poverty, decreasing China and Indias dependence on foreign
oil and fossil fuels in general, as well as providing sustainable energy without making any environmental
compromises.

The Indian government has published reports recognizing that they need to address their
countrys current energy poverty crisis, and have even gone so far as to state that they wish to do so in a
way that makes use of renewable energy sources so they can extend their energy infrastructure in an
environmentally conscious, responsible way (Bhide). However, this initiative has not been backed by any
government action thus far. That being said, the fact that the government recognizes the problem they are
faced with and have appropriated a responsible course of action is important. What this means is that the
Indian politicians have at least brought this issue to the table, and have recognized its importance.
Similarly, Chinese government officials have expressed their concern about depending on a finite
resource such as fossil fuels to meet their energy needs in the future as their country continues to develop
(Li-qun). This is important for the future of the initiative to combat energy poverty in China because the
government recognition of the fact that they cannot responsibly rely on fossil fuels for the future of their
energy needs makes the argument for solar energy more feasible. In fact, the Chinese government is so
serious about supporting this initiative that they have begun a pilot program in Hefei, Anhui province that
funds placing photovoltaic cells in poorer neighborhoods to create a micro-grid that powers groups of
houses for no charge. By placing solar panels on the roofs of buildings in poor urban areas, these solar
panels provide electricity to a community that has since been left in the dark, and also provides the houses
where the solar panels are located a source of income because they are able to sell the power they
generate but do not use back to the power company to be distributed elsewhere. (Energy Monitor
Worldwide). This program will be referenced in the future as China entertains the prospect of expanding
it to other regions throughout the country. This project is also one of the best examples of how solar
energy technologies can successfully combat energy poverty in heavily populated urban areas. The
support from these two governments is absolutely vital for future renewable energy initiatives in India
and China as well as the continued fight against energy poverty.
While some work is being done in China currently to take steps towards establishing a solar
energy infrastructure in poverty-stricken urban areas, not enough is being done on a large scale to
effectively reduce energy poverty. Since the Chinese and Indian governments have failed to adequately

act upon their expressed desires to end energy poverty by making use of renewable energy sources within
their countries, some private enterprises and international investors have taken it upon themselves to
begin funding the implementation of photovoltaic cells in poverty-stricken regions of these two nations.
One of the most successful examples of this in china is how the World Bank has financed the installation
of hundreds of thousands of photovoltaic cell systems in China to help reduce dependence on fossil
fuels and to help reduce the effects of energy poverty (Benoit). This shows how the international
community supports solar energy initiatives in China and is determined to work towards fighting global
energy poverty. This type of action is vital to the immediate success of this initiative because these thirdparty financiers are able to fund solar cell technologies being implemented in these countries faster than
the countries respective governments would be able to do on their own. By financing these types of
projects, third-party organizations help establish an energy infrastructure that is conducive to further solar
energy projects, making it easier on the governments to support solar energy in the future as well as
making it easier for them to wane off of their dependence on fossil fuels.
In India, one success story regarding action being taken currently to implement solar energy
throughout the country comes from a social enterprise company called Selco Solar Pvt. Ltd.. This social
enterprise company had installed solar panels on over 120,000 houses in India as of 2011 (Hande). This
company took a different approach to supporting expanding the solar energy infrastructure in India
compared to the route that the World Bank took in China because they focused more on the actual
installation of the solar panels in these communities than the financial aspect of the issue. They rely on
other parties providing the funds, and then work to install the units as well as influencing the Indian
government as much as possible to get their support for future solar energy initiatives. This company has
been extremely instrumental in expanding the solar energy infrastructure in India because they focus on
many different aspects of the issue at hand. They deal with financing the initiative, the physical
implementation of the solar panels in communities without current access to electricity, and arguably
most importantly lobby to make sure that solar energy is seriously considered as Indian politicians are
faced with the task of deciding how the demand for energy in India is met in the future. This aspect of the

issue is extremely important in countries like India and China because they are not developed nations,
which means they have to think to the future about energy needs, because the reality is that with every
day that passes they require more and more energy as the two nations work towards attaining the status of
being thoroughly developed. As they constantly fight to compete with western, developed nations, they
will continue to require more energy to keep their nations in the fight. With the use of solar energy, these
two countries would have consistent access to energy for the foreseeable future.
One aspect of solar energy technologies that has not yet been sufficiently capitalized upon is that
solar energy technologies are even more applicable in poor, rural settings as they are in poverty-stricken
urban regions. The latter of these two have begun to see solar cell implementation in China and India in
recent years, but the poor agricultural communities in these countries have not yet been exposed to the
potential of solar energy. The large open spaces that agricultural communities occupy have a much
higher solar potential than crowded urban areas just because larger groups of solar cells would be able to
be placed in these communities, compared to urban areas, which are restricted by the space available on
rooftops that can support photovoltaic cells. This technology is particularly applicable in these regions
because there have developments in the solar cell industry that produced a design of solar cell that is
specifically built for agricultural communities because it can be placed right at the sites of farms with no
effect on the crops (Harinarayana). This development is crucial to the potential of solar energy in these
two countries because they are so heavily populated with poor rural communities. These communities
would benefit equally from the power produced by local solar cells as would urban communities because
the access to electricity would allow them to make use of new technologies that would aid with
agriculture as well as improving upon their general quality of life.
Another important point to make regarding this initiative to make better use of solar resources in
India and China is that is not the first campaign of its kind. A very similar movement has been happening
in sub-Saharan African nations since the early 2000s that has been hugely successful in making solar
energy technologies more affordable in that region and has provided access to electricity to hundreds of
thousands of people (Benoit). The fight to end energy poverty is a global initiative, the only reason that

this research is directed towards India and China is because they are currently experiencing some of the
worst poverty in the world and both have considerable solar potential. As this project continues to grow
and develop it will envelop other regions of the world and with each region that is provided clean,
renewable energy by way of solar power, they become an example by which other regions can be treated
in the future.
The only two genuine arguments against this initiative is that solar energy is a considerable
investment initially, and that solar cells contain chemicals that are not healthy to the environment once
disposed of. The former of these arguments makes an appropriate point, that implementing photovoltaic
cells on a large scale would require a sizable investment initially to install the units and establish the
appropriate infrastructure to make sure that the communities in question would be able to make use of the
power generated by the local PV cells. The answer I have to this argument is that the financial support
for an initiative of this nature is already present. Third party organizations have already committed
considerable investments into the implementation of solar technologies in India and China without any
contribution from either of those governments. With the appropriation of funds from the revenues of both
nations in tandem with private investments, the initiative to expand solar technologies to poverty-stricken
regions of India and China is feasible. As soon as the two governments become serious about supporting
this initiative, it will bring investors to the region that want to see more solar power being put into place.
One huge group of investors that would likely support this cause is that of the energy corporations that are
looking to expand their energy portfolio by investing in solar energy technologies. In reference to the
second argument against this initiative, it should be made clear that there is no energy plan that exists
today that is without any drawbacks. The fact of the matter is that solar energy technologies are
competing with the existing fossil fuel energy complex that powers the rest of the developed world.
Compared to the environmental atrocities associated with the fossil fuel industry, the lead emissions
generated from disposing of certain components in photovoltaic cells is less harmful by a wide margin.
The argument does present a valid point, that lead emissions from photovoltaic cells make this technology
less than environmentally harmless (Gottesfeld). This supports the fact that the solar energy industry

needs to be supported and expanded so that this technology can be further developed to produce truly
clean energy for the foreseeable future. That one drawback still makes solar energy much more viable
environmentally because it does not contribute to atmospheric pollution which is currently the leading
environmental catastrophe contributing to climate change. If solar cells are disposed of properly, the lead
will be contained in a hazardous waste disposal site, which would keep it from contributing to water
pollution and thus rendering it effectively harmless.
Solar power is the most feasible energy solution to effectively solving the crisis of energy poverty
in the poor urban and rural regions of India and China. By making use of these regions extremely high
solar potential, photovoltaic cells would produce renewable energy for communities that have never had
access to electricity in the past. This would allow them to improve upon their general quality of life while
also supporting these communities being able to contribute more economically. As India and China
continue to develop, they are faced with the challenge of meeting their respective nations energy
requirements, and instead of having to extend the infrastructure supporting the finite fossil fuel resources
they currently depend on, it would make more sense to invest in a renewable energy technology that will
ensure that these regions will have access to clean electricity indefinitely. Once the initial investment is
made, India and China would not have to worry about dependence on other countries for fuel, as they
produce their own right at the sites of the communities that need the energy most. Solar energy is a
solution that can be made use of in all areas around the world, but as China and India are currently
struggling to meet their energy needs and are also attempting to expand their availability of electricity to
regions that do not currently have any access to electrical power, solar energy is poised to answer their
need. By investing in these technologies as well as simply supporting them with further legislation and
research, the Indian and Chinese governments would be committing to social justice for their
communities currently left in the dark, an economic venture that would yield considerable dividends with
each year that their photovoltaic cells are producing energy for almost no cost, and an environmentally
responsible initiative to wane off their dependence on fossil fuels.