Black carbon, also known as ‘the third world soot’, is not far behind carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change. The study of its effect on global warming is relatively new and this explains its absence in the reports of IPCC. Black carbon is produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass fuels and by cooking stoves fueled by wood, twigs and other dung cakes as witnessed in many of the villages of Asian countries.
Soot is definitely contributing to the global warming, innocuously and unnoticed since its awareness remains limited. To those who have had the pleasure of walking along the fields in remote villages of India it comes as a familiar sight to see black grime covering mud houses. The role of black carbon on the vanishing glaciers has been neglected too long.
The soot, seen as deposits on snow, permafrost and ice, has the effect of reducing the `albedo’ (ability of an object to reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere) of objects and tends to absorb more heat in the process. Soot has a shorter atmospheric lifetime oscillating between several days to weeks.
India has taken steps to curb black carbon emissions from primitive form of cooking stoves by creating awareness among the villagers on the health benefits of using alternative form of cooking their daily meal.
Alternative fuels for cooking.
Renewable energy from solar and wind systems could cater to the fuel needs of villagers and possibly lead to usage of electric stoves in their homes. By what is known as the ‘Distributed Generation’, a term used to describe generation of power close to the point of use, it is possible to meet the energy needs of rural masses without much cost. A distributed generation potential typically ranges from 1 kilowatt to 5 Megawatts in capacity, having practical advantages in avoiding transmission and distribution costs. These advantages range from reducing the need to build new transmission lines and augmenting the ability to meet peak power demands.
The highlight of this form of energy generation is that these systems can be installed in small increments to meet the load requirements of the end user. Any excess energy generated by such systems can either be directed to the grid, increasing the efficiency of the grid, or stored in batteries or fuel cells for future consumption. Any investment in this area, through a partnership between private entities and communities, will reduce overall emissions creating a ripple effect by steadily increasing energy efficiency.
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