Sri Lanka at event horizon of the energy transition: Why we have to engage everyone

Eng. Harsha Wickramasinghe

By Eng. Harsha Wickramasinghe 

Just like ‘sustainable development’ many years ago, a new phrase has entered the vocabulary of key players in the energy-environment arena. It is the much awaited ‘Energy Transition’. In simple terms, this means the range of activities and struggles awaiting the world in its attempt to move away from the use of fossil fuel. It is not unreasonable to question whether we, as a nation is well past the Energy Transition and are right in the middle of the Energy Transition, as we are engaged in very serious dialogue on renewable energy development, even as you read this article. 

To some Sri Lankans, Energy Transition is about installing a solar PV rooftop system on all homes and buildings. To some others it is about ditching all engine vehicles and going fully electric to get our transport services. Unfortunately for some it is a percentage of renewable energy in the electricity supply. Individually taken, all of them are right and also all of them are wrong. They are right because each of these dreams are actually a part of the Energy Transition journey. They are wrong because none of these will take you the whole journey when taken individually. 

Energy Transition is a much more complex affair than a collection of dreams. In the actual world it means the replacement of something like a complex industrial supply chain which connects an oil well in Iran to your car’s fuel tank. Established a century ago, these industrial systems are well run, time tested and reliable to a degree that the world has taken those as granted. It is not a good thing to compare a century old supply chain of fossil fuel with an industry which is not even half a century old. But we live in modern times with access to technologies which were unthinkable a century ago. Accordingly, the Energy Transition will be faster than we think. But there is no escape from the fact that we are fighting to change a well-established old guard. 

One thing which make things easier for the Energy Transition leadership is the proximity to the resource. Oil and other fossil fuels occur in strange and faraway places. Sometimes, powerful countries have to wage wars or perform regime change to access such resources. Renewable Energy occurs in almost all countries and the resource base is much broad and include a large variety. In the case of solar, it is occurring almost in any place where you are in the sun lit part of the day. In the case of wind, the situation is not that easy. It is occurring here in Sri Lanka, but not in your home garden. And the best wind resources are seasonal. And then we have the hydro and biomass resources with their own peculiarities. Judging from these, you can imagine the complexity of the supply side to be expected from Energy Transition. We certainly will have to depend on many resources and plan for it, if we are to take the Energy Transition seriously. 

In the demand side too, we will face a lot of challenges. Two main challenges I can think of are the transport energy and cooking energy which are heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. The most likely candidates to replace this fossil fuel use will be electricity, closely followed by biofuels and biomass for transport and cooking energy demands respectively. This will have a great increase in demand for electricity and biomass, exerting a lot of pressure on the supply side as well as the land use equation.

Even if we sort out supply side challenges and demand side challenges, a major share of the struggle will remain as a burden, more squarely on the energy chains which link the supply to the demand. New transmission and distribution systems, energy storage and trading platforms will be required to take over the rusty oil pipes and the greasy oil tanker dominated energy industry. Energy efficiency and conservation will find its due place in the new chains and we have to be conscious not to make the same mistakes made in establishing the inefficient fossil fuel value chains. Thus, efficiency will hold the key to unlock the brave new energy industry.

Even if we sort out all the issues in the supply, demand and the middle and succeed in the Energy Transition, my main worry will remain on the winners and losers emerging from the Energy Transition. If the new energy industry is going to assume the same old industry structure of the fossil fuel industry, it is going to be a tragic and costly mistake. It will enrich a few countries, few corporates, few families and possibly few individuals super rich, just like the fossil fuel industry which created the present-day monstrous enterprises and the much dreaded oligarchies and regimes run by them. The new world will have to battle solargarchies and windgarchies in the future to allow a decent living standard to all the members of our race. The costly and tragic mistake we have to avoid making is forgetting the term ‘inclusivity’. 

Here we have a golden opportunity to get almost anyone to become a contributor to the Energy Transition. And also, there are opportunities to make their lives better, provide better earnings and reduce cost of production and the cost of living. These lofty goals can be realised only if we engage our citizenry at the earliest, in the deepest possible manner and in the most meaningful way.

In my view, Energy Transition offers a great economic opportunity to improve productivity of our nation, our business, manufacturing facilities and most importantly our families and homes. The Energy Transition, if carried out by placing inclusivity as the core value, has the ability to transform our society and more importantly our economy. The generosity espoused by the planet by giving renewable resources to all must be respected and replicated in engaging all in this difficult journey of Energy Transition if it is to be a bountiful journey.

(The writer is attached to the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.)