Let there be light

The recent news about a strike by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees prompted me to pen these words. Any strike by power sector workers causes a great damage to the economy - we experienced such an event around a decade ago. We are still recovering from that period of darkness. It is therefore important that CEB employees, unions and the authorities resolve any dispute through negotiations. There are many problems within the CEB that the authorities have to address, but that is not the main focus of this article. Sri Lankans have been paying through their nose for electricity for a long time. Our electricity rates are among the highest in Asia, even for domestic consumers. As for industrial customers, the high cost of power has often been cited as one of the factors that impedes the setting up of more ventures by foreign investors.

The simple reason for this state of affairs is that over the years, we have failed to invest in power plants in line with the expected demand. There is an exponential increase in the demand for electricity - still nearly 35 per cent of households do not have electricity. And that is without counting in the North and the East, whose power infrastructure has to be re-built anew.

Yet, only a few plants have come on line during the last few decades.

There is a silver lining on the horizon. Several power plants are now under construction, though their full benefits will not be available to the public for around nine more years. Power and Energy Ministry officials have assured that over four million electricity consumers in the country will be provided electricity at very cheap rates by 2018 with the commissioning of the country’s four major power projects at Norochcholai, Upper Kotmale, Kerawalapitiya and Trincomalee. This would be augmented by the electricity sharing project with India.

It is rather unfortunate that these projects, which had been on the drawing board for years, if not decades, could not get off the ground due mainly to environmental and religious concerns. As a developing country, we have to balance environmental concerns with development imperatives. Shelving a beneficial project due to environmental reasons is certainly not an answer.

Yes, environmental concerns have to be taken into account, but one must not lose sight of the magnitude of the challenges facing Sri Lanka on the development front.

The Chinese Government funded Norochcholai Coal Power Project which will generate almost 1,000 MW on completion in 2013 is a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s power sector. Another 1,000 MW coal power plant is slated for Trincomalee. Coal is one of the cheaper, cleaner sources of power. A steady supply of coal is assured at least for another 400 years, so there could be no misgivings about the long term viability of a coal-fired power plant. All these power plants would also help reduce our dependence on diesel (thermal fuel) for power plants, thereby leading to foreign exchange savings.

Another challenge is that despite an abundance of water resources, large-scale hydropower has seen its last days in Sri Lanka. Upper Kotmale will probably be the last major hydropower plant in the country. But there is an untapped potential for mini hydro power plants. The authorities must provide more incentives for these projects.

Sri Lanka may strike oil in the near future, but that is no reason to lose focus on renewable sources of energy. The country gets an abundance of sunshine and the wind is really strong in some coastal and mountainous areas. Solar and wind power must be strongly promoted because once the initial investment is made, they are free, clean and available for ever.

Let’s face it, there are some very remote areas in the country which may never receive mains electricity due to lack of access and economies of scale - it may not be economically viable to provide mains electricity to such areas. Solar power is an ideal candidate for such areas. Granted, the photovoltaic cells are still expensive. But the authorities should subsidise these panels, for a far greater investment will have to be made to extend mains electricity to these villages. Private companies engaged in this field too must be given all possible grants and incentives.

All new commercial constructions should also be encouraged to install solar panels on their roofs. This should not be limited to the hot water facility - whole rooms should be ‘plugged in’ to the solar cells. This could be an ideal backup measure instead of diesel generators.

Sri Lanka is just hopping on board the wind power bandwagon. Several companies have been granted permission to build wind turbines which will add hundreds of megawatts to the national grid. But doubts have been raised about building them in coastal areas. There are arguments that mountainous areas would be a better prospect in terms of the ‘availability’ of wind. In his 2006 paper “The Energy Problem of Sri Lanka: Can Wind Power Help?”

Expert Garvin Karunaratne says: “According to the CEB Study, “Study of Wind Power in the South Eastern Coastal Belt.” “The Study revealed that the total potential of wind power generation in the South Eastern part of the country to be 200MW. This excludes the land area for wild life reserves and agriculture” The coastal belt winds are created in convection currents and the velocity is nowhere near the power available in the hilly areas.

The wind power at Hambantota is established at 5 m.p.h......... I can state that if the wind power in the South Eastern Coastal Belt can be estimated at 200 MW, the wind power in the Deniyaya- Hayes area, the Central Hills and the Knuckles area can be easily twenty times that amount i.e. 4000 MW which is far above our requirements Wind velocity of 11 to 14 m.p.h. is classified as good, while wind velocity of over 14 m.p.h. is classified as excellent. I am certain that sites with wind velocity of over 14 m.p.h. can easily be found in the Sinharaja ridges, Madugoda on the Kandy-Mahiyangana Road at Ohiya and Haputale.” This a very timely and valid proposal and the authorities should take appropriate action to locate wind turbines in areas which will enable them to reach their maximum potential.

There is another plus point - we may need to source the motor from outside but all other elements can be manufactured in Sri Lanka. There are more exotic sources of power such as ocean wave and geothermal power, but these are yet to be proven viable on a mass scale. They also remain very expensive at the moment. The former should be a winner for Sri Lanka if it becomes widespread. In any case, our future lies in renewable energy, because fossil fuels are a finite resource that will eventually run out. We should be making a start now in this direction.

There clearly is a need for generating additional power, but there is also a need for saving what we already have. It is called energy conservation. Have you seen street lights burning in broad day light ? That is waste we can do without. Indeed, Local Bodies and Government institutions are among the biggest culprits when it comes to wasting electricity. Fans, lights and A/Cs in empty rooms? That is a familiar sight in many Government institutions.

This costs millions of rupees to the Exchequer - in other words, to the public. Of course, the corporate sector too is not lily-white in this regard.

But one cannot blame these parties alone for the horrendous waste of electricity. The public too must follow the same guidelines.

Is it too much to ask to turn the lights off when you leave a room in your house? Should the fan be on even if you are not in the room? Do you need a 12-hour garden light ? Must you always use hot water for washing and bathing ? Is not it better to put the clothes out than using an electric dryer? Don’t you think it is better to iron a heap of clothes in one go than ironing a few every day ? These are very simple steps you can take to reduce electricity consumption. They do not cost a cent to implement - on the other hand, they will save a lot of rupees in the end.

We need a rational approach to power generation and energy conservation. We must plan for the future, even beyond 2018. The power needs of the emerging Northern and Eastern province must be taken into account sooner rather than later. Power is perhaps the most important element of a country’s infrastructure network and all stakeholders must be vigorously involved in an effort to develop the sector.