Renewable energy to rescue of power-starved M'rashtra banks
Focused on grid connected renewable power projects, the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) is gearing itself to achieve 10 per cent of the gross electricity generation in the state through non-conventional alternative sources by 2015.
"As renewable energy generation in the state attained 3.95 per cent mark in 2009, the endeavour now will be to achieve 6 per cent in 2010-11. This will be scaled up by one per cent each year to attain 10 per cent mark by 2014-15," according to Anand Limaye, Director General of MEDA.
MEDA is the state nodal agency under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). In an interview here, Limaye said the MEDA strategy on the renewable energy front in Maharashtra was in consonance with the guidelines envisaged in the National Action Plan to Climate Change (NAPCC).
"MEDA is trying to focus on grid connected renewable energy projects to exploit the full potential of renewable sources in Maharashtra which is at second position in the country in terms of the installed capacity of power generation from renewables at 2,571 MW," he added.
Spelling out future projections of MEDA, Limaye said, "At present, 2,571 MW capacity renewable energy projects are installed in the state."
According to Limaye, the format for the next five years sector-wise will be: 1,500 MW of wind power projects; 150 MW of biomass power; 300 MW of bagasse-based co-generation units, 450 MW of municipal waste and industrial waste-based power; 50 MW of small hydro projects, 250 MW of solar thermal and solar photo-voltaic power projects, totalling 2,700 MW.
While suitable policies and incentives to encourage renewable energy projects, especially to tap solar energy, are being put in place, also in the pipeline is the installation of 500 wind monitoring stations in Maharashtra to exploit the full potential of wind energy, he said.
Exploration of the potential of geo-thermal energy too is on the cards by 2015, the MEDA Director General noted.
"As many as 340 villages/wadis (a cluster of houses) have been electrified so far and now electrification of all villages/wadis is sought to be done, where grid connectivity if not available, especially in the tribal, remote and Naxal- affected areas -- through renewable energy," Limaye said.
A separate energy conservation fund is being formed to support the MEDA endeavours which include measures like residential high efficiency lighting programme, solar water heating venture, energy efficiency in small and medium enterprises, municipal energy efficiency, street lighting as well as green buildings programme, he said.
"Wind energy, solar energy, hydro energy, biogas, tidal wave; all are of renewable, clean and eco-friendly nature," Limaye said.
"With each passing month, the technological developments of non-conventional energy are becoming competitive and importance of saving conventional energy is being increasingly acknowledged," he noted.