Can't Ignore India

     When you see a disaster like what is currently happening in India, you just can't ignore it.  This is a prime example of what is happening due to the lack of alternative energy uses.



     In India, 600 Million People Affected By One Of The World's Biggest Blackouts

      India's energy crisis cascaded over half the country Tuesday when three of its regional grids collapsed, leaving 620 million people without government-supplied electricity for several hours in, by far, the world's biggest blackout.

     Hundreds of trains stalled across the country and traffic lights went out, causing widespread traffic jams in New Delhi. Electric crematoria stopped operating, some with bodies half burnt, power officials said. Emergency workers rushed generators to coal mines to rescue miners trapped underground.

     The massive failure - a day after a similar, but smaller power failure - has raised serious concerns about India's outdated infrastructure and the government's inability to meet its huge appetite for energy as the country aspires to become a regional economic superpower.

     Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde blamed the new crisis on states taking more than their allotted share of electricity.

He said that everyone overdraws from the grid. Shinde told power officials that is any of the states that overdraw should be punished and that their power supply could be cut.  

The new power failure affected 620 million people across 20 of India's 28 states - about double the population of the United States. The blackout was unusual in its reach, stretching from the border with Myanmar in the northeast to the Pakistani border about 1,870 miles away.  India's entire power system is very old and lacks in any modern technology.  Residents of India are familiarity with frequent blackouts and eased the impact with the widespread use of backup generators for major businesses and key facilities such as hospitals and airports.      

Power started coming back on a long 4 hours later but there were no estimates on when the entire area would recover.

Now - In a country with much the same weather as part of the Southwest U.S.A., wouldn't you think the solar power would be the answer?   I will do some research to see what the alternative power situation is in India.