India needs green energy to combat Islamic terrorism

The recent attacks on Mumbai was perpetrated by radical Islamic terror cells who could be associated (training, logistics, etc.) with Al-Qaeda. If this is true, which I suspect it is, then it is imperative that India start churning out a plan to invest in green technology - since radical Islamic terror cells have been supported by Arabian royalties through various charities.

I've tried to find some info on the country's renewable technology policy, all I could come up with was some websites pointing to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy which includes several policy on renewable energy. Which is great. However the question is, how much are they spending either to attract foreign investors in renewable technology or creating jobs and opportunities in that vital sector. In essence, the practical aspects of its energy security.

When Tata revealed its intention to build the world's cheapest car, priced at about $1000, critics argued that the introduction of an affordable car to the world's largest middle class population would strain an already burdened environment in India. Yet to most middle class Indians, owning a car is a dream, as much as living in your own house - a symbol of status. Which is sad, since the potential for public transportation in the country is enormous, particularly with an agricultural industry which could provide the ingredients in the production of biofuel.

The aging, smoke belching public buses in India should be discarded and replaced by new, more energy efficient buses from the West. The relevant technology could be transferred, creating a research base in India instead on relying on Western countries. Production of these buses could take place locally, employing thousands nationwide in a fast rising tech sector, thus giving the Indian workforce an added advantage in a world fast becoming a knowledge based economy.

India could also embark on new train technologies which would replace its diesel laden fleet. My personal favorite: MagLev technology. The technology uses the basic principal 'opposites attract' whereby magnets built into the guideways repel magnets place at the undercarriage of the train. The guideways' magnets would then propel the train forward. This is done while the train levitates a couple of inches above the guideway. The MagLev train would consume less energy than conventional trains since it floats and the only resistance it would encounter during its motion would be from the air around it. Land based vehicle spends most of its energy to overcome contact friction with roads and steel tracks. Again, the economic benefits of this technology transfer are many not the least that it would enable Indian scientists and engineers to develop new technology: superconducting magnets. The downside to this technology is that these superconductive magnets are relatively expensive and requires advanced refrigeration technology built onto the train.

There's also the potential to harness wind, solar and wave powers. Solar panels could line rural villages which require electricity to run water pumps, among other things. It could also be installed on rooftops in within cities, reducing the consumption of electricity generated by fossil fuels. On the other hand, research into silicone thin film coatings could produce coatings which could be applied to windows as a glazing material. The window would then function as a tint and convert sunlight into electricity.

Wind power is similar in that research into the technology and the construction of wind farms could be beneficial to both engineers and land owners, particularly if the land was farm land.

Wave power would create more jobs in marine technology and engineering sector. Both the wind and wave power generation could also create jobs in research, since both require experts in the field of aerodynamics.

As you can see, the benefits of investing in green technology to India are numerous, since India has the required manpower for these investments. Yet it perplexes me as to why they would enter an agreement with Pakistan (which actively provides anti-India terror cells a safe haven) to construct an pipeline which would transport oil from Iran. The money spent could be used to create these green jobs for thousands, if not millions of engineers, technicians, and scientists, not to mention the labors employed in constructing relevant infrastructures.

I could think of only one reason: corruption. It would seem that big oil companies in India stand to lose the most had India embarked on a serious drive to green the country, plus at a time of high oil prices, these are the people who would buy a politician's conviction to side with them, wrong though it maybe. Not to mention the automakers like Tata.

Yet again, India is being undone by corruption.