India - Power ministers to draw up plan on renewable energy

India - With focus on accelerated use of renewable energy, a one-day conference of state Power Ministers will draw up a comprehensive action plan to deploy renewable energy systems and devices in the most cost-effective manner. Non-conventional Energy Sources Minister, Mr Vilas Muttemwar will inaugurate the conference which has been organised by the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources. The conference will focus on power generation capacity addition through grid-interactive renewable power projects, conversion of the on-going remote village electrification programme into a village energy programme, accelerated use of renewable energy in urban areas and industrial and commercial establishments and creation of awareness and impact among all stakeholders about the usefulness of various renewable energy technologies.

The ministry is implementing one of the world’s largest broad based programmes covering the whole gamut of renewable energy. About 5000 MW of grid interactive renewable power has so far been deployed in the country. Around 10,000 MW (10%) of 1,00,000 MW power generation capacity addition, expected during the 10th and 11th plan periods, is targeted to be achieved through grid interactive power produced from renewable sources during these plans. Of this, around 3000 MW is aimed during the 10th plan itself. More than 1500 remote villages have already been electrified under the ministry’s on-going remote village electrification programme aimed at providing electricity for lighting and other household applications through renewable energy systems/devices in and around 25,000 unelectrified census villages that are not likely to be electrified through the conventional grid by 2012.

The ministry is contemplating conversion of the remote village electrification programme into a village energy security programme, which will cover an additional 1.75 lakh forest-fringe villages to meet the entire energy needs of cooking, lighting and motive power through community participation with a view to creating further employment opportunities. Urban areas of the country are facing growing acute power shortage and rising pollution problems and steps need to be taken to mitigate the same. Renewable energy technologies such as solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, biomass combustion/gasification, waste-to-energy and battery operated vehicles can contribute significantly to the overcoming of these problems and are being actively promoted under various programmes of the ministry.