Energy Choices in an Uncertain World

The recent fighting between Israel and Iran is a reminder that the Middle East remains unstable. For a while, a ceasefire made it seem as if the danger had passed. But the new attacks show that problems can return quickly. When wars happen in this region, oil prices often rise. That matters to India because we import much of the oil we use. Higher oil prices can make petrol, diesel and many other things more expensive.

India wants to depend less on imported oil. One way is to use alternative fuels such as ethanol and biogas. Ethanol is a fuel made from crops like sugarcane and corn. Today, all petrol sold in India contains 20% ethanol. But there is a problem. Most cars and motorcycles made during the last 15 years were designed to use only 10% ethanol. Many older vehicles are still on the road too. This means that even if India can produce more ethanol, many vehicles are not ready to use it.

Brazil shows what is possible. The country is expected to increase the amount of ethanol mixed into petrol from 30% to 32%. Most Brazilian vehicles have been “flex-fuel” vehicles since 2003. These vehicles can run on petrol with any amount of ethanol, from 0% to 100%. Because of that, higher ethanol blends are not a problem there.

However, India faces a difficult choice. When Brazil invested heavily in ethanol 20 years ago, electric vehicles were not common. Today, things are different. Electric cars are becoming more popular every year. Last year, 4.5% of all cars sold in India were electric. If fuel prices rise, even more people may switch to electric vehicles.

That raises important questions. Should India spend a lot of money expanding ethanol production if electric vehicles are the future? Farmers are earning good money by growing crops for ethanol today, but what will happen if demand falls later? Biogas is another option, but India currently produces very little of it. Building enough plants will take time.

Planning India’s energy future is not easy because technology is changing quickly. But one lesson is clear. India must reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas. Some steps are easier than others. For example, more organic waste could be turned into biogas. The bigger challenge is deciding what will power our vehicles in the future.

These decisions are too important to be made by officials alone. The government should work closely with scientists, universities and industry experts. Together, they can create a long-term energy plan and put it into action quickly.