Smaller grids, smarter grids

摘要

"Blackout cuts electricity to 700 million Indians." So ran one typical headline at the end of July 2012. But it was typically misleading, too. For sure, 700 million people lived in the area affected. But as energy entrepreneur Harish Hande put it, "half of them had never seen a light bulb." India's mains grid is not only failing to deliver to half its population: it's also failing to keep up with demand. According to McKinsey, by 2017 the country will be facing an energy gap of 25% - and rising. And given the present balance of power sources, if it did manage to close the gap the climate impact could be disastrous: over 70% of India's electricity comes from coal.