Govind Talwalkar Barring the oil producing countries, the whole world is reeling under the pressure of skyrocketing oil prices. To reduce this dependence on fossil fuels, industrialised countries are trying to get fuel from alternative sources. Emulating Brazil, the US went in for ethanol production. But while Brazil gets ethanol from sugarcane, the American ethanol industry depends on corn. Though the American farmers have reaped rich dividends by producing corn, it has been found that corn-based ethanol is very expensive and the government would not be able to subsidise it for a long time. Anticipating this, some scientists - with the help of industrialists and venture capitalists - have started researching alternative sources to produce oil. Vinod Khosla is one such venture capitalist. After graduating from the IIT, he migrated to the US several decades ago. He is very enthusiastic about the future of alternative energy. Mr Khosla is confident that America will find an answer to the present oil crisis and also come up with a pollution-free energy solution. He has invested in both these ventures. Harish Hande is another IIT graduate who has been doing fantastic work in the field of renewable energy. After obtaining a Ph.D from the University of Massachusetts he returned to his native state of Karnataka and started a company called Selco Solar Light Private Ltd. The company sells solar home systems. It has already sold over 3,000 solar home systems in the Belthangadi district of Karnataka. It provides after sale services and also arranges for bank credits. Mr Hande's initiative has helped the lower income families the most. Acknowledging the benefits of solar energy, the United Nations Environment Programme has set a goal to provide solar energy to almost 1.5 million poverty-stricken people in India. So far, it has covered only one lakh people. Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has suggested that villages be provided with solar energy-powered lanterns. The Indian government has a special ministry, which, with help from private companies, has made significant progress. The Tata Group is in the forefront. In collaboration with the Madrid-based BP Solar, the group has launched a project under which solar panels are sold and manufactured. The group also has a special plan - Arunodaya - to spread awareness on solar energy and its benefits. Numerous camps are held and students, teachers and the public opinion makers are invited to participate in them. The company has just provided a solar water heating system to Infosys. The heating system has the capacity to provide 2,42,000 litres of hot water every day. The running cost is 90 per cent less than if conventional fuel was used. The renewable energy department of the Chhattisgarh government has been very active in this aspect. The Tata-BP is working closely with a special agency of this department and has already set up 100 solar power plants to supply power to 107 villages. For solar energy to be popular, the government will have to make suitable changes in laws and policies. Large industrial establishments, five-star hotels etc. should be encouraged to opt for solar power. The government and civic authorities should make it a point to give permissions only to those high-rise buildings that plan to install solar panels. This would greatly conserve power. More than three decades ago, efforts were made in the US to popularise the use of solar energy. However, when oil prices plummeted in the international market, no further progress was made. Now, with countries like India and China consuming enormous quantities of oil, solar energy is back in favour. It is probably the only solution to various environmental problems. Germany and Spain have already taken giant strides in generating energy using solar power. Germany passed the Renewable Energy Law in 2006. To encourage the use of renewable energy, German banks are giving easy credit as well. Consequently, solar panel companies have been performing very well. In fact, Freiburg, a small university town near the Swiss-French border, has been converted into a "solar valley." The Victoria hotel and the largest soccer stadium in Freiburg are run on the solar energy and actually have zero emissions. This apart, house owners across Germany are installing solar panels on roof tops. Spain follows Germany in advances made in the sphere of renewable energy. Morocco and Algeria too are using their ample sunshine to generate energy. Progress made by Australia is remarkable as well. It is true that solar power, at present, costs more than the conventional energy, but the cost would come down with the number of consumers going up. Moreover, widespread use of solar energy is one of the easiest ways to surmount the present energy crunch.