India is today at the forefront
of an international effort to harness renewable energy resources.
It has one of the largest and most broad-based programmes. Over
3,600 MW of power generating capacity based on renewable energy
sources has already been installed. This is over 3.5 per cent
of the total installed capacity in the country. With a wind power
capacity of over 17OO MW, India ranks fifth in the world.
New Goals by 2012
The Government has set
up following goals to be achieved in the next 10 years:
To electrify 18,000 unelectrified
rural and remote villages; and,
To produce additional
10,000 MW grid-quality power through non-conventional energy sources.
Biogas Development Programme
More than 7.50 lakh biogas
units have been built. A special incentive package has been announced
for the states in North-Eastern Region.
During the last five years,
about 1,525 large size biogas plants were installed. A new initiative
is aimed to involve Animal Welfare Board of India for promoting
institutional biogas plants in cattle based animal welfare organisations.
Rural Energy Entrepreneurship and Institutional
A pilot scheme entitled ‘Rural
Energy Entrepreneurship and Institutional Development’ was started.
The objective is to promote small enterprises for quality installation
and servicing of rural energy systems.
The ‘Women and Renewable Energy
Development’ programme was started to train and empower women
in the promotion, marketing, utilisation and management of renewable
energy system and devices. In all, 125 sales and servicing outlets
and 150 renewable energy women self-help groups have been sanctioned.
Solar Photovoltaic Demonstration
and Utilisation Programme
Out of an estimated 18,000
unelectrified remote and difficult villages in the country, a
majority of villages are likely to be electrified with solar photovoltaic
systems and power plants.
More than 1,77,000 solar lanterns,
more than 1,10,000 home lighting systems, over 5,500 street lighting
systems and nearly 300 KW capacity power plants have been set
Solar Cooker and Aditya Solar Shop Programmes
The solar cooker programme
has been expanded by introducing new designs for community use.
Three solar steam cooking systems based on automatic tracking
concentrating collective technology for cooking food for 600-3,000
people per day, and one system based on ‘Solar Bowl’ technology,
have been installed. World's largest solar steam cooking system
has been installed at Tirumala Tirupati. The system is designed
to cook two meals for 15,000 persons in one day. Another system
for 2,000 people was erected at Brahmakumaris Ashram in Gurgaon
in July, 2002. Three community cookers for indoor cooking have
been installed at a training hostel and an NGO’s establishment
in Leh. In all, six such systems have been installed under the
MNES demonstration scheme. A total of 500 dish solar cookers and
60 community solar cookers have been installed so far.
Solar Thermal Energy Programme
A number of solar buildings
have been constructed in different climatic zones of the country.
These include West Bengal Rural Energy Development agency building
at Kolkata, first phase of the Energy Centre Building of Devi
Ahilya University, Indore and State Bank of Patiala Building at
Wind power capacity, which
stood at 66.8 MW during 1997-98, has been enhanced to 1,702.3
Around five billion units
of electricity were generated from wind power projects taking
the cumulative generation to over 10.5 billion units.
The wind turbine test station
at Kayathar was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister
and the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET) was also dedicated
to the nation.
The testing of wind turbines
started for the first time not only in India but too in Asia.
Two wind turbines were tested at Kayathar in Tamil Nadu.
The first phase (100 KW) of
Wind Diesel Hybrid Demonstration project of 500 KW for Sagar Islands
in West Bengal has been commissioned. The second phase of the
project is now in progress.
Fourteen grid interactive
Solar Photo Voltaic power projects, aggregating to 1,100 KW capacity,
have been installed in Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Kerala, Lakshadweep,
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs has given approval for undertaking a 140 MW Integrated
Solar Combined Cycle Power Project at Mathania, Jodhpur, Rajasthan,
as a Centrally assisted project.
The Ministry has prepared
a Draft renewable energy policy.
which stood at 41.50 MW during 1997-98 stands at 86.63 MW.
Small Hydro Power
The mandate of Ministry to
deal with small hydro power projects was increased from up to
3 MW station capacity to 25 MW. A capacity addition of about 253
MW was achieved.
National Programme on Energy Recovery from
Urban and Industrial Wastes
The programme is being implemented
through State nodal agencies, Government Departments, and urban
local bodies. The scheme is applicable to both private and public
sector entrepreneurs. The projects are allotted on the basis of
Build, Own, Operate and Transfer, Build Operate and Transfer,
Build, Own and Operate and Build Operate Lease and Transfer. Waste
from slaughterhouses, sugar distilleries, paper industry, starch
& sago Industry are converted in to energy. From inception
in 1996-97 twenty projects producing 24.50 MW equivalent have
been set up. During the past five years, 15 projects producing
19.70 MW equivalent have been set up.
The Ministry of Non-Conventional
Energy Sources launched its website, which provides information
on fiscal and financial incentives and implementation details
of various programmes of the Ministry.