The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) today addressed that all power state utilities in the country will have to buy at minimum five percent of their grid purchase from renewable energy sources from 2009-10 onwards and 15 percent by 2020.
In his special address at Green Power 2009, an international conference and exposition on renewable energy, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry at Chennai Pramod Deo, chairperson and chief executive, CERC said that the regulator in undertaking an internal action plan on global climate change.
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The Indian government has recently completed a blueprint to lower energy consumption in the nine most energy intensive industrial sectors of the country. The plan considered in the National Action Plan on Climate Change has been given final execution and will soon operate the energy imbibed by railways, aluminum, cement, chlor-alkali, pulp and paper, fertilizers and steel industries apart from also covering power generation plants.
The plan will take care of nearly 750 large industrial installations across the nine sectors. Only those plants that utilize above specified levels of energy yearly will be aimed.
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Green building is going to be a massive market, but it’s not as easy to understand as other markets.
The market is segmented into 5 clearly defined segments
- Construction and Design - If you talk to contractors and architects, they would claim that most energy savings can be accomplished through proper design and construction.
- Building Materials - Building materials comprise bricks, cement, drywall, carpets, furniture, wood flooring, windows, insulation, etc. The idea here is to produce products, like thermal windows, that reduce energy consumption, or cut the energy and natural resources used in manufacturing them.
- Hardware and Software - To reduce energy consumption or the fossil-fuel based materials in a product, you have to start with design. Simulation tools can examine a building’s performance under various environmental conditions as well as gauge the effect of putting the ovens in a kitchen close to lobby air conditioning vents. A few companies in stealth mode are expected to soon unveil design applications for net zero energy homes.
- Appliances - Appliances are otherwise known as HVAC and lights. Lighting has been perhaps the most active market in terms of VC activity and for good reason: They form the last standing vestige of the vaccum tube era.
- Energy Generation - Solar and small wind have been around for a number of years. The next big trend will to make these more unobtrusive. Several CIGS also vendors promise to come out with building-integrated photovoltaics.
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A new study shows that India’s sugar mills which now produce around 2 GW of biomass-based energy—equal to that from windmills—have actually the potential to produce 5.1 GW through cogeneration. Sugar mills are proving to be one of the best potential sources of renewable energy in India. A new study from New Delhi-based NGO Centre for Science and Environment shows that sugar mills and windmills both produce about 2 GW of energy, but sugar mills do it at half the cost.
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here.
Key highlights of Solar National plan for India (Immediate targets from year 2009-2012)
Solar PV
- 30% of energy from grid estimated as charging inverters. Promotion of solar power for the same.
- Net metering systems to be introduced with ability to provide Feed in tariffs.
- Mandated deployment of solar rooftop or onsite solar PV in govt. and PSU.
- Promotion of rooftop solar installation in commercial buildings with roof area > 500 sq.m
- Promotion of utility scale Solar plants (mostly Solar PV)
- Demonstration projects for solar thermal
- Mandated for existing coal thermal plants to source 5% of generated capacity from Solar
- Promotion of replacement of diesel gensets using Solar PV installations.
- Dedicated solar parks for manufacturing
Solar Water Heating Systems
- Mandatory for hospitals, hotels, guest houses, nursing homes to install water heaters. - by 2012
- Mandatory for residential complexes if plot area > 500 sq.m - by 2012
Solar lighting systems
It seems like the Indian government has some really ambitious plans for solar power. The Union Government has finalised the draft for the National Solar Mission. It aims to make India a global leader in solar energy and envisages an installed solar generation capacity of 20,000 MW by 2020, of 100 GW by 2030 and of 200 GW by 2050. The Mission will encourage the use of solar applications to meet day-time peaking power requirement that is now met through diesel generation. Further expansion of solar lighting systems through market initiatives including micro-financing, in the rural and urban sectors, is expected to provide access to lighting for three million households by 2012.
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The government intends to make mandatory the use of solar heating systems in all functional buildings under the first phase of the proposed National Solar Mission. To be implemented between 2009 and 2012, the Mission proposes to make it compulsory for all hospitals, guest houses, hotels and nursing homes to install solar water heaters. This will be applicable to residential complexes too if a minimum plot area of 500 square metres is available.
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In a soon-to-be released study, McKinsey & Co. predict that India is already on its way to becoming one of the world’s least carbon-intensive countries—despite the country’s 7.5 percent economic growth rate.
This study is the second climate accolade for the country within the space of a month. Last week, the World Bank—for the first time—supported India’s stance on international climate change.
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Google.org has recently announced a list of its PowerMeter partners and Reliance energy is the only partner from India. Google PowerMeter, currently in beta, allows you to see your own electricity usage information (on iGoogle widget) and helps you to improve your efficiency in a variety of ways.
On Tuesday night Google, announced on its blog that it has partnered with a list of eight utilities, as well as meter maker Itron, to provide PowerMeter to their customers. Reliance energy currently offers services in Mumbai and Orissa and distributes power to over5,000 MW to 5 million consumer accounts.
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India Urban Space Foundation, a non-profit enables interaction between civic agencies (municipal bodies, urban infrastructure authorities, etc.) and private sector companies that are in the business of providing solutions applicable for urban planning, infrastructure development and operations.
They have an interesting event lined up in June-July called “Go Green – It Pays.”
Read more about this
here.
