More players enter the race to be green! This time, it's India's turn. (See post 135 for info on others in the competition...) Today's linked article from India's Economic Times newspaper, reveals plans for several new hotels in India, which will be built to very high standards of energy efficiency. They are being dubbed 'green hotels' and will be built by Indian engineering companies, but to the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) standard. This got me thinking. I've posted stories about developing countries leapfrogging technologies before - e.g. post 119 and others on mobile telephony. What if - contrary to the kinds of expectations voiced through UN climate negotiations - India (and perhaps other rapidly developing Middle Income Countries) were able to essentially leapfrog high-carbon development? With India's strong R&D and technology base, there's certainly a chance - provided the hotel engineers are not alone in their vision, or in their desire to reduce energy bills!
Monday, February 25, 2008
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3 comments:
I was thinking about this yesterday - although my thoughts were triggered by the Tata and the compressed air cars.
I like the idea of leapfrogging, it is important not to be patronising and hypocritical however.
Personally I am down with the idea of driving cheap, rugged and recyclable vehicles designed for use in 'developing' countries - in the same way I would happily use an X0 laptop and use microgeneeration and do a bit of small-holding/farming. Hmmm makes you wonder who will be classed as 'developing' nations in 10 years time!
Thanks, Paul
Totally agree with this. It would be wrong to simply 'expect' countries like India to leapfrog to 'clean' technology. What was encouraging about this story was that energy efficient design was found to make good business sense - attracting 'elite' tourists and saving money on energy bills.
A case where everyone's a winner?? Perhaps...
E
PS - I'm also intrigued and tempted by the XO, though it's real potential is realized through networking with other XO users around you. Surely if OLPC sold the XO on the open market in the US and Europe it would (a) bring the price down and therefore make it more attractive to developing country users and (b) increase the user base and therefore prove its viability etc. OLPC could even maintain differential pricing, so US and EU buyers paid more than those in 'target' countries (reducing the price for the latter yet further). This is done for all kinds of other commodities, though far less transparently. Do you know why they aren't doing it? E
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