What is Eco-Friendly?

This is an article dicussing what is ecofriendly.

June 09, 2023

Introduction

While I was using metro for my daily commute a question popped into my mind, Is the metro eco-firendly? What is eco-friendly? Is something making run on electricity eco-friendly?, So there is this vague idea that changing the source of energy to electric makes it carbon neutral which is GOOD, but is it? Isn’t it a fact that the maximum electricity production based on thermal energy stations. Is that the optimal way of doing things??

The Problem!

So the issue the one we are facing, atleast I am is the question What is Eco-friendly? Because currently in India maximum electricity production is based on thermal energy. So i did the most simplest thing I could have done just a web search so here what returned…

Initial Search

So if you see there are some points stated here and the details are very vague in nature they try to give you the mental perception of it being a eco-friendly way of travel but it dosen’t give you any positive or conclusive data. The terms used are very uncertain at a glance.

  • 10,000 tons of CO2 removal if taken as mode of public transport by the commutors.

  • 200 tons of volatile organic compounds, and 12 tons of particulate matter to be reduced.

  • 5,000 CO2 will be removed from the surrounding because of the Rolling Stock.

  • Saving $5,000,000 environmental damage cost which would have cost due to the harmful gases.

Those are some bold statements and they make you feel good. But a question that comes to once mind is are they actually good? or are they too good to be true ?

Among all other questions in my mind like

  • How are they removing the carbon from the space?

  • How much are they rellying on the existing grid, which is on thermal source to be true?

  • And how did they cover the carbon they emmited during the construction?

For the purpose of this article lets just look at how eco-friendly is Hyderabad Metro Network and How much of the Indian power network is dependent on fossil fuel?

Let’s have a look at what I found and my views on them.

The Unseen Reality

  • How much was the carbon footprint of the construction work of Hyderbad Metro Network?

    • Around 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) was released as a direct result of the construction of the Hyderabad Metro Rail.

    • The construction of the Hyderabad Metro Rail also generated around 100,000 tonnes of construction waste. This waste was mostly disposed of in landfills, which released methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

  • How much of the metro’s power supply requirements rely on renewable source of energy?

    • HMRP(Hyderbad Metro Rail Project) has a continuous cooperations with Amp Energy India which has installed and commitioned solar panel on the rooftop of the stations, the following article states it has been in operation from 26th December 2022 which will supply the 15% of the power requirements. I just wonder where the rest of the power comes from i.e:85%.


    • Let’s have a glance at the Indian power demographics which has been used by this network and the rest of the nation.

    Energy diversification

    The above is the split of Energy infrastructure in India as of 2023.

    • The metro network and all other infracture which claim to be a Green Future are in practice depending on the existing infrastructure of electricity generation i.e: Thermal Power Plants. Thermal Power Plants themselves depend on non-renewable sources of energy. So the question here is What is Eco-Friendly in this context, as we are continuosly depleting are resources and claiming that the energy generated by these systems is somehow Eco-Friendly or Sustainable. Because I feel we are living in a dillusion that we are Eco-Friendly, without even knowing what it means.

  • How much carbon does HMRP remove from the environment?

    • The Hyderabad Metro is estimated to remove about 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the environment each year. This is equivalent to taking about 240,000 cars off the road.

    • In 2020, conventional modes of transportation were responsible for an estimated 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the city.

    • The main reason for this high level of emissions is the use of fossil fuels to power these vehicles. Cars and buses typically run on petrol or diesel, while two-wheelers often use petrol.

    • But contrary to conventional modes of transport the metro network is not directly dependent on fossil fuel, instead is dependent on electricity which can be generated by other methods.

What I found out as positives?

  • How much time would it take for HMRP to remove the carbon it created and is continuing to emit?

    • Hyderbad Metro Project removes approximately 1,000 tones of CO2 per day from the environment by giving alternative to the existing conventional transport methods.

    • In the current scenario of the HMRP it would take an esitamed 1,200 days of operations to remove the standing pollution of the use of concrete alone, As of today, May 15, 2023, there have been 1182 working days and total number of days standing at 1,995 days since November 28, 2017 the day of inception.Although while accounting for the number of days required to remove pollution cause by the metro we didn’t consider the CFC footprint because of the air-conditioning used and the reliance on conventional methods of power to run daily operations which is 85%.

    • All of these power consumption cost are excluding the continous expansion of the metro and the incuring the construction cost.

  • Does having public transport infrastructure really help?

    • Yeah, it does the inception of the metro projects, has removed alot of public transport from the street, on an usual basis. And has made the public use a releatively greener transport method by eluminating the carbon footprint generated by conventional methods of transport.

    • I really think that the key to solving the problem of “Is the upgradation of the of current public transport infrastructure a greener pursuit?” is understanding that as more and more people opt for public transportation the carbon footprint which is almost 4463 Gg (Giga-gram) of CO2 per year will be eliminated.

    • If we can upgrade the existing public transport infrastructure in a sustainable manner, which is the only way to curb the carbon footprint of the indian urban landscape. Then only we can effectlively transisiton to a greener and healthy future.

  • How are other alternative to a greener future working?

    • In general, public transport is more efficient than private cars in terms of fuel consumption and emissions. For example, a study by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay found that a metro train can carry the same number of passengers as 4,000 cars, but it produces only 10% of the emissions.

    • As a result, upgrading public transport can lead to significant reductions in carbon emissions. For example, a study by the World Bank found that upgrading public transport in Delhi could reduce carbon emissions by up to 20%.

    • The Delhi Metro has reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 1.5 million tonnes per year.

    • The Mumbai Metro has reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 1 million tonnes per year.

    • The Bangalore Metro has reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 0.5 million tonnes per year.

    • Chennai Monorail is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 100,000 tonnes per year.

Conclusion

  • There is lack of understanding over the use of the term Eco-Friendly which needs to be clarified.

  • General public should be aware that just changing something to electric modes of power doesn’t make it Eco-Friendly.

  • But at the same time I also came to know that the approach to direct solution for the emissions caused by private transport and methods likewise, will be solved by upgrading the public transit infrastructure. But when the construction space in our nation and state,don’t understand the need of having a sustainable method of doing operations, more projects like these can do more harm than being helpful.

  • Making sustainable construction is a long path to go,I acknowledged that it is not an easy path to take,but iw ould also point out that one point of time solar energy was not the most efficient, and feasible way of generating electricity has now become of the most efficient and cheap thing to do.

Cost of renewable

  • India has been transitioning from conventional to the renewable energy source over time which has been great but the pace can be imporved.

India renewable

  • We as a community should be more optimistic and supportive towards the idea of upgrading the existing public transport infrastructure, instead of raising demands of upgrading the private vehicle transit system. This way we can decrease the number of cars and bikes on our roads, and curb more carbon emission.

Sources